LOBSTER CHICORY SALAD

by Katie Forster

I promised you a recipe and a recipe you shall have…

Chicory is at its best at the moment so I’ve thrown together something that makes the most of its pretty leaves. This is an interesting appertiser and, as you can eat it with your hands, it's perfect if you’re throwing a cocktail party… which I would obviously do every other week if my apartment could accommodate more than myself and a small smurf.

Chicory leaves, even when in season, have quite a bitter taste, but this recipe’s combination of fruit and sweet lobster meat counters this quite well.

You will need:

1-2 plums
2-3 small pink or purple radishes
A small handful of chives
A sprinkle of black sesame
1 lobster (live… because pre cooked lobster is dry and tastless)
1 carnation flower
A squeeze of lime
Wasabi to taste
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1.5 teaspoons Japanese sesame salad dressing (I would give you a recipe but after all of the meticulous slicing I’m going to make you do, I think you might jam my head into the microwave if I start asking you to make all sorts of pastes).

First you need to kill the lobster. Contrary to popular belief, boiling him alive is not the most humane way to do this. What you need to do is lay the lobster flat on a chopping board by holding the tail firmly against the wood. I recommend that you leave the rubber bands on the claws for obvious reasons… avoiding snapping pincers whilst yielding a knife can only lead to disaster. Using said knife, (a 10 incher will do), insert the tip of the blade 1-1.5 inches behind the eyes with the blade facing away from your tail hand. Force the knife quickly forwards and downwards towards the lobster’s mouth.

In theory you can cook your lobster nearly any way you like but I prefer grilling or barbequing for a smokey chargrilled flavour. This means halving the lobster length ways and cooking the meat within the shell. Once the lobster is cooked allow it to cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

You will be preparing the radish and the plums julienne, aiming to have each slice about the same size as a matchstick. Slice thin rounds from each and then slice evenly into think shreds. The purple /yellow and pink/white contrast of the plum and radish’s skin and flesh is gorgeous so make sure you don’t bruise them in the process. I have been slightly vague with the radish/plum amounts as you will need to determine, according to the plums’ sweetness, how much of each to use. Remember you are counteracting the chicory’s bitterness with the fruit so adjust your ratios accordingly.

Add a small amount of finely chopped chives to the mixture, setting some aside to garnish the finished product. Stir in the sesame seeds and the carnation petals. Carnation petals are one of the sweetest petals but it is important not to use the white base of the flower which has an unpleasant sappy taste. How many petals you use is really up to you, they are more of a visual perk than a flavour in this recipe.

Now that the lobster has cooled, roughly chop the flesh into chunks and combine with the sliced plum, radish etc.
Mix the mayonnaise, wasabi, lime juice and sesame dressing in a separate bowl until combined and then stir into the lobster mixture ensuring that the ingredients are neatly coated.

Slice the bottom of the chicory bulb off to enable you to separate the leaves. Wash and dry each leaf carefully and then fill each leaf with a dollop of the salad mixture. I use a pair of chopsticks to do this as I find it is far easier to create a mess all over the leaves with a dressing covered spoon. Use a few short lengths of chive to decorate each ‘spoon’ of salad.

Voila. Serve away. Save a couple for yourself though, they’ll fly off the plate fast!
 

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