Lobster and Mango on a Marina
James cooked this in the Hamptons on his American Adventure. It is a cheat's version of a lobster salad and it is delicious!
Ingredients
- 100ml olive oil, plus extra for frying
- 30g wild rice
- 8 small pickled onions, drained and halved
- 150g butter
- 12 baby carrots
- 2 cooked lobsters
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 4 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
- 2 crostini
- 100ml mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ready-made mango chilli sauce, plus extra to serve
For the salsa:
- 100g fresh mango, diced
- 1 tablespoon diced, dried mango
- 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, diced
- 1 tablespoon ready-made mango chilli sauce
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To garnish:
- Endive leaves, frisee lettuce and micro herbs (optional)
- Balsamic vinegar
Method
Make the salsa. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and season.
Heat the olive oil in a large on-stick frying pan to 160C and fry the wild rice for 30 seconds. Drain on kitchen paper.
Discard the oil, then return the pan to the hob over a medium heat. Fry the onions, flat side down, until charred, then drain on medium heat until bubbling. Add the carrots, cook for 2 minutes, lift out and drain on the kitchen paper.
Keep the butter to one side. Extract the meat from the body: use sharp scissors to cut between the under belly shell and the outer shells on both sides, then pull away a 5cm piece. Set aside. Remove the knuckles from the head part of the shell and use a skewer to extract the meat. Wiggle the small claw to break it off from the large claw. Pull out and remove the shell inside with the meat clinging to it. Take off the meat. Use the back of a knife to crack both sides of the larger claw.
Remove and discard the shell. You should be left with one whole body, two claws and extra meat. Repeat with the other lobster.
Put the eggs in a bowl and the breadcrumbs in another. Dip the claws in the egg then the breadcrumbs. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and shallow fry for 1–2 minutes until crispy. Cut each piece of lobster body meat into three.
Spoon a quenelle of mango salsa onto the crostini. Mix the mayonnaise in a bowl with the mango chilli sauce.
To serve: spread the mayo mixture over a platter, shaping it in an ‘S’ shape. Pop the lobster head at the top and tail at the bottom, arrange the rest of the lobster on top of the mayo with the crostini. Top with the carrots, lettuce, rice and onions. Drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and extra mango chilli sauce before serving.
Ingredients
- 100ml olive oil, plus extra for frying
- 30g wild rice
- 8 small pickled onions, drained and halved
- 150g butter
- 12 baby carrots
- 2 cooked lobsters
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 4 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
- 2 crostini
- 100ml mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ready-made mango chilli sauce, plus extra to serve
For the salsa:
- 100g fresh mango, diced
- 1 tablespoon diced, dried mango
- 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, diced
- 1 tablespoon ready-made mango chilli sauce
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To garnish:
- Endive leaves, frisee lettuce and micro herbs (optional)
- Balsamic vinegar
Method
Make the salsa. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and season.
Heat the olive oil in a large on-stick frying pan to 160C and fry the wild rice for 30 seconds. Drain on kitchen paper.
Discard the oil, then return the pan to the hob over a medium heat. Fry the onions, flat side down, until charred, then drain on medium heat until bubbling. Add the carrots, cook for 2 minutes, lift out and drain on the kitchen paper.
Keep the butter to one side. Extract the meat from the body: use sharp scissors to cut between the under belly shell and the outer shells on both sides, then pull away a 5cm piece. Set aside. Remove the knuckles from the head part of the shell and use a skewer to extract the meat. Wiggle the small claw to break it off from the large claw. Pull out and remove the shell inside with the meat clinging to it. Take off the meat. Use the back of a knife to crack both sides of the larger claw.
Remove and discard the shell. You should be left with one whole body, two claws and extra meat. Repeat with the other lobster.
Put the eggs in a bowl and the breadcrumbs in another. Dip the claws in the egg then the breadcrumbs. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and shallow fry for 1–2 minutes until crispy. Cut each piece of lobster body meat into three.
Spoon a quenelle of mango salsa onto the crostini. Mix the mayonnaise in a bowl with the mango chilli sauce.
To serve: spread the mayo mixture over a platter, shaping it in an ‘S’ shape. Pop the lobster head at the top and tail at the bottom, arrange the rest of the lobster on top of the mayo with the crostini. Top with the carrots, lettuce, rice and onions. Drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and extra mango chilli sauce before serving.
