Mediterranean Lobster Salad

When the temperature hits 90 degrees it can be tough to think about cooking. Even the thought of heating up an outdoor grill can seem too hot-hot-hot. This can be especially daunting if you invite company over and want to serve an elegant meal. Lobster to the rescue! I recently had what was described as a Mediterranean Lobster Salad while traveling in southern France. This was far from the usual mayonnaise-based or butter-soaked lobster salads commonly found in New England. The salad was lightly dressed with delicious olive oil and a light squeeze of lemon. I think it's the perfect choice to bring for a picnic at Tanglewood or to enjoy on a sultry summer evening by the lake. The ingredients can be packaged separately then elegantly plated when it's time to eat.

MEDITERRANEAN LOBSTER SALAD


2 hard boiled eggs, peeled
1 fully-cooked Lobster, chilled
2 cups shaved fennel
2 cups baby salad greens
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
8 pieces of canned quartered artichokes, drained
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, halved
2 tablespoons capers
12 Pitted olives
Minced chives, salt & pepper


Remove the lobster meat from the tail and slice 1 cup of the tail meat into bite-size cubes. Reserve a large claw with meat for each person. Save the rest of the lobster meat for another use.


Slice the eggs into quarters, then press the pieces through a wide-mesh sieve. If you don't have a sieve, finely mince the eggs - whites and yolks combined.


Cover the center bottom of a dinner plate with the minced eggs. This will form the pretty base for your salad.


On the center of each plate place 1 cup of shaved fennel, topped with 1 cup of baby greens.


Drizzle a good amount of olive oil on the salad with a little squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle the capers, chives, salt and pepper on the salad.


Place the lobster claw with meat intact on the side of the plate. Serve with crusty French bread. Serves two.