Lobster Ceviche Recipe

This is lobster cooked ceviche style. I got the inspiration from our anniversary trip to Cancun several years ago. The concept is very simple: seafood is partially "cooked" by incorporating a citrus marinade. The marinade was made up of the usual key ingredients, lemon juice and wasabi.

What makes this chilled dish so refreshing is the added celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, green Thai chiles and dill.

Ingredients

Yields: 2 servings

2 whole live lobsters
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon dill
1 clove pickled garlic, finely minced
¼ teaspoon wasabi
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Persian cucumber, cut into 1½" pieces lengthwise
¼ cup celery, peeled and sliced on the bias
1 green bell pepper, stemmed and thinly sliced lenghtwise
1 green Thai chile, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1½ lemons, freshly squeezed
¼ cup cashew nuts (optional), roasted
½ teaspoon pink salt (or regular salt)
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, freshly cracked
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Clean the lobsters; brush and rinse thoroughly. Place 1½ gallons of water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Add the lobsters to the pot, cover with a lid and cook for 1 minute. Let the lobsters cool a bit. Once they're cool enough to handle, separate the claws from the tails.

Shell the tails, then thinly slice them. Return the claws to the boiling water and continue cooking for 7-8 minutes. Crack and discard the shells, then cube the lobster meat into large pieces. Pat them dry using paper towels. Sprinkle with wasabi, garlic, shallot, green Thai chile, pink pepper, the juice of 1 lemon and salt salt. Set aside and chill in the refrigerator for 1 and a half hours.

Toss well. Add the cherry tomatoes , cucumber, celery, cashew nuts (if used), bell pepper and the remaining lemon juice. Mix well and marinate for 1 hour.

For serving, drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with dill. Serve with popcorn for a nice contrast in texture.

Bon appétit!