Seafood
20130530-lobster-salad-recipe-primary.jpg

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Note: Dried shrimp can be found in most Chinese or SouthEast Asian grocers.

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

About This Recipe

Yield: Serves 2 as an appetizer or light lunch
Active time: 15 minutes (plus 15 minutes to steam lobster if using live lobster)
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 ounces picked lobster meat from 1 whole steamed lobster (about 1 1/2 pounds live)
  • 1 small cucumber, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • Kosher salt
  • 4 ounces snap peas, cut on a sharp bias into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 red Thai bird chilies, finely sliced
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 1/4 cup palm or brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed juice from 3 to 4 limes
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh Thai or sweet basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon small dried shrimp, roughly chopped if larger than 1/8-inch (see note above)
  • 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Procedures

  1. Cut lobster meat into rough 1/2-inch chunks. Refrigerate until ready to use. Toss cucumber with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and place in a fine mesh strainer or colander set over a bowl to drain.

  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the snap peas until they are bright green but still very crunchy, about 1 minute. Remove from pot with a fine mesh strainer or metal spider and run under cold water until well chilled. Dry on paper towels and add to a large bowl. Rinse cucumbers, dry well, and add to bowl.

  3. Combine chilies, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice in a medium bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved.

  4. Add lobster, basil, cilantro, shallots, dried shrimp, and pine nuts to bowl with cucumbers and snap peas. Add half of dressing and toss to coat. Taste salad and season with more dressing as desired. Serve immediately.