There’s no two ways about it, wild-caught lobster is delicious. For many of us the tough shell and delicate flesh means we’re inclined to leave it to the professionals. Chef Guy Turland, though, is out to dispel the myth that it’s tough for the home cook.
“The lobster itself can be quite a scary animal to think about cooking, but it's really simple to cook, it’s really simple to prepare, it has amazing flesh and it’s great to reward our fishers for fishing sustainably so get on board,” he says.
Turland’s recipe is about more than just getting people to cook great sustainable seafood – it’s about finding the right seafood, too. And that starts with sustainable sourcing. “There's lots of seafood, but if we don’t make sure that we’re looking after it and collecting it properly then there won’t be seafood for our kids and our kids’ kids,”
The lobster used comes from the Western Australia rock lobster fishery, the world’s first to be certified to the MSC’s global standard for sustainable fishing. This means the fishery is well managed, its stock levels are healthy, and it’s minimising its impact on the marine environment. Turland says. “Start that conversation and talk to your fishmonger or wherever you buy your seafood, but also look for the MSC blue fish tick so that you know it’s been caught sustainably, which is really important.”
Sourcing and prepping the lobster
There are a few things to look for when shopping for lobster. “You want it to be bright in colour, you want it to smell like the ocean, like any seafood,” says Turland. “You want the shell itself to be firm. The shell on a lobster is essentially its backbone or its skeleton – if that’s not looking right then the lobster itself is probably too old and shouldn’t be served.”
One lobster of around 800 grams should be enough for two people. To prepare the lobster, just split it with a sharp knife down the middle to leave two even halves.
Salsa verde butter
Lobster is delicious enough, so Turland isn’t overdoing it here. The additional flavour in the dish comes from a compound butter – essentially, butter with added flavourings – so you’ll want to start by mixing capers, Dijon mustard, anchovies, garlic, chilli, lemon and herbs until well combined. Then, mix through soft butter. “It’s just light, fresh, zingy flavours, and they’re ingredients that are easy to come by, and the majority of people have them in the cupboard,” says Turland.
Using a compound butter means that most of the preparation for the dish can be done in advance. “If you’ve got friends coming over you can prep it ahead of time,” says Turland. “Butter the lobsters and chuck them in the fridge, then when everyone turns up you can just chuck them on the barbeque and get cooking.”
Cooking and serving the lobster
With the butter applied to the flesh of both lobster halves, you’ll want to get it on the barbeque. Turland’s technique here cooks the lobster with the shell side down to take full advantage of all those melding flavours. “The little trick that I love to do is make sure that you cook your lobster just in the shell most of the way, and the butter ends up dripping into the lobster shell and becomes essentially a cup with all the lobster juices and butter,” Turland says.
You’ll want to give it six minutes initially, then cover with a lid for another 10 or so. Don’t just rely on timings, though. Like a steak, you’ll feel the flesh firm up as it cooks, and you’ll definitely start to smell it. “What I love about cooking is you’re using your senses: your smell, your eyes, your touch,” says Turland. “As it cooks through it’s going to change colour, so it’ll start out kind of see-through, and the more it cooks it becomes white and more full-bodied.”
As soon as it’s done, move to a plate. Turland recommends serving simply with a light, leafy salad and plenty of citrus to squeeze over the lobster.
Recipe: Barbequed lobster with salsa verde butter
Serves 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 MSC certified wild-caught sustainable rock lobster, halved (look for the MSC blue fish tick)
1/2 tsp capers, minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 MSC certified wild-caught sustainable anchovies, minced (look for the MSC blue fish tick)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chilli, minced
1/2 lemon, juice and rind
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tbsp thyme, minced
1 tbsp mint, chopped
1 tbsp oregano, chopped
2 tbsp salted butter, softened
Salt and pepper
1 lime
Method:
Make the salsa verde butter by mixing the capers, mustard, anchovies, garlic, chilli, lemon and herbs in a bowl until all is combined. Next, add butter and mix well until everything is incorporated, then season liberally with salt and pepper
Place the MSC-certified wild-caught sustainable lobster shell side down on the barbeque. Using a spoon, spear flesh with the salsa verde butter. Cook for 6 minutes at medium temperature then cover with a lid and cook for another 10 minutes until cooked through and tender.
Serve hot with a squeeze of lime.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council, an international non-profit on a mission to end overfishing.
