Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Insalata dell'Aragosta (Sardinian Lobster Salad)

Two recent events converged to make this dish possible.  Recently, while perusing the frozen seafood section of my local supermarket, I saw a bag of frozen lobster claws.  I began to think about what I could do with that lobster meat. The other event was the realization that I had a white wine from Sardinia that had to be served, because it was of the 2005 vintage.  What does one like me do when I have a Sardinian white wine and some lobster?  Make a Sardinian Lobster Salad

Seafood salads are common throughout Italy and are often made with whatever fish, shellfish or other seafood is readily available.  In the waters around Sardinia, there are spiny lobsters.  The spiny lobsters differ from the lobsters in the waters around the United States, because they do not have claws.  So, here I am, making a Sardinian lobster salad with lobster meat that would not be found on the lobsters around Sardinia.  It is kind of like watching a movie that is supposed to be set in Rome, Italy but all of the signs are in English and the White House is in the background.

Still, the recipe worked and the dish was very good.  The only problem was the lobster meat itself.  Frozen lobster meat is cooked and, in order to use it, you basically have to cook it again.  I steamed the lobster meat, which did the job, although some lobster meat ended up being dried out.  If you can afford live lobsters, it is probably best to use them for the dish.  


INSALATA DELL'ARAGOSTA
Adapted from About.com
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 pound of lobster meat, precooked
1/3 cup of high quality olive oil
3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 pound of heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, sliced or chopped
Arugula
Ground, pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Make the dressing.   Buzz the lemon juice and garlic in a blender, then drizzle olive oil slowly so it emulsifies.  

2.  Plate the dish.  Arrange the arugula on the plate.  You can also add mint leaves and basil leaves.  Place the lobster meat on the arugula and add the vegetables.  Spoon the dressing over the salad.  Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper over the salad. 

ENJOY!

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