Lobster Recipe with Vanilla Butter and Avocado

Lobster in vanilla butter with heirloom tomatoes and avocado

Main
medium
4
45 minutes

PT45M

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.

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Ingredients

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Metric

Imperial

2 lobsters, preferably Cornish
1 tsp white wine vinegar
rock salt

Vanilla butter

250g of unsalted butter
1 vanilla pod, Tahitian vanilla if you can find it

Avocado purée

2 avocados, peeled and stoned
juice of 1 lime
Maldon salt

Heirloom tomatoes

4 heirloom tomatoes
1 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tsp olive oil

To serve

1 handful of salad burnet leaves
1 handful of sweet cicely

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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

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

Place a large pan of water on to boil, season generously with salt and a teaspoon of white wine vinegar

rock salt
1 tsp 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

2 lobsters, preferably Cornish

Drop the tails into the boiling water for 2 minutes, then refresh in iced water (to stop the cooking process)

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

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

2 avocados, peeled and stoned
juice of 1 lime
Maldon salt

To prepare the tomatoes, bring a pan of water to the boil and season with salt. Score the tomato skins and remove the eye with a small knife

4 heirloom tomatoes

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

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

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

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

Garnish with the burnet and sweet cicely leaves to serve

1 handful of salad burnet leaves
1 handful of sweet cicely

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Russell Bateman

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.