A beautifully simple lobster recipe from chef Russell Bateman. The unusual inclusion of sweet vanilla is a wonderful addition to the delicate lobster meat. When preparing your lobsters, place in the freezer for at least 2 hours first.
To make the vanilla butter, place the butter into a heavy-based pan and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod
250g of unsalted butter
1 vanilla pod, Tahitian vanilla if you can find it
2
Cook until the butter begins to turn a golden colour and starts to smell of biscuits. Pour on to a large tray and leave to cool, then set aside in the fride until needed
3
Place a large pan of water on to boil, season generously with salt and a teaspoon of white wine vinegar
Kill the lobster by cutting through the head with a sharp knife, going straight down the middle. Remove the arms, claws and its entrails from the tail using a pair of pliers
Drop the tails into the boiling water for 2 minutes, then refresh in iced water (to stop the cooking process)
6
Boil the arms and claw for 6 minutes, then also refresh in iced water. Once the tails are cold, remove the shell carefully and cut in half straight down the centre. Set aside in the fridge until needed
7
Place the avocado flesh in a blender with the lime juice and generous pinch of salt. Blend until smooth then pass through a fine sieve
Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for 10 seconds, then refresh in iced water. Peel off the skins, then quarter, remove the seeds and evenly dice the flesh
10
Make a basic vinaigrette by mixing the white wine vinegar and olive together, then use this to dress the tomatoes. Add the avocado purée and bind together
1 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tsp olive oil
11
When ready to cook, place the peeled lobster pieces on an ovenproof tray and top with the vanilla butter. Place under a medium grill until the butter begins to melt and brown on the tray
12
Place mounds of the tomato and avocado mix on to plates (or use a chefs ring) and top with pieces of grilled lobster. Pour over any excess melted butter and season with salt
13
Garnish with the burnet and sweet cicely leaves to serve
Russell Bateman has worked with an array of the world’s greatest chefs, training under Marcus
Wareing, Marc Veyrat and Daniel Clifford, to name but a few. Now at the helm of Gordon Ramsay's Pétrus, he executes beautiful, bold plates using the freshest of ingredients to a Michelin-starred standard.
