Maine Lobster Grapefruit Avocado Salad

How could I resist making a little lobster salad for dinner tonight? Lobster is notorious these days - a little under-the-sea media attention whore.

Last week, the FDA warned the American public that they could get Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning from consuming the "tomalley" (e.g. the soft, green substance found inside the body cavity that functions as a liver and pancreas) inside Maine lobsters. A red tide episode in Northern New England and eastern Canada might be responsible for the heightened level of toxins in tomalley.  Now, I know that tomalley is considered a delicacy by some, but I've never been partial to it.  So good riddance, I say, never liked that green goo to begin with!  You can still eat lobster safely; just wash or scrape the part you never liked away...

In the same week, the Boston Globe informed us that as grocery prices for everyday staples like milk, bread and eggs have skyrocketed, lobster (traditionally considered a luxury good) has become a bargain.  And even though prices for lobster have plummeted, demand remains weak.

But you, as a savvy foodie, sense the opportunity for arbitrage here and will get thee to a lobstermonger asap.  As Marie Antoinette might have put it, No bread?  No problem!  Let them eat lobster!

And why not eat it like this:

• 1/4 lb. meat of a steamed fresh lobster
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 lemon
• 1 avocado
• 1 serrano pepper

1. Cut grapefruit in half.  Remove the hemispheres of flesh, keeping them intact (I stick my thumb between the flesh and rind and work it around).  Save the two halves of the grapefruit rind to use as "bowls" to plate this dish.  Separate the sections of grapefruit flesh as you would slices of an orange.
2. Cut the avocado in half.  Remove the pit.  Scoop out the avocado and mash in a bowl until it has the quality of guacamole.
3. Slice the serrano pepper in half and remove the seeds.  Finely dice the serrano pepper.  Mix the diced serrano pepper with the avocado.
4. Place slices of grapefruit flesh back in the rind, alternating with spoonfuls of the avocado-pepper mixture so it looks like a pinwheel with pink and green sections.
5. Cut 1/4 lb. of lobster in half.  (Lobster is available freshly steamed and can be shelled on the spot for you at food stores such as Citarella.)  Squeeze lemon juice onto the lobster halves.  Season lobster halves with salt and pepper.  Place on top of grapefruit. 
6. (Optional) Serve in margarita or martini glasses.  Garnish with parsley or cilantro, as desired.

Servings: 2, Prep time: 8 minutes, Calories per Serving: 280, Pair with: Chardonnay

Copyright Sweet & Victuals 2008.  This article and photograph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.