Sunday, July 21, 2013

Taste of summer: Lobster mango salad

HALLIE EPHRON: With temperatures soaring here into the 90s day after day, the only thing to do is boil a lobster. How can you not, with prices having come down so far? Here in New England we're seeing them as low as 5.99 a pound. I'm afraid it's the silver lining of global warming.

 The other day I boiled a 2-pounder, took the meat out of the shell, chilled it, and made a lobster mango salad. It was spectacular. The perfect summer dish.

What makes it work is the bitterness of  arugula and the bite of cilantro and the sweetness of the mango and the lobster. I put the dressing on the lobster and added the lobster to the rest of the (undressed) ingredients because you don't want to overwhelm the greens with the taste of the dressing. 


Hallie's Lobster and Mango and Arugula SaladServes 2

 INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD
Meat from a 2-pound boiled lobster, chopped into good sized chunks
1 mango (I like the yellow "ataulfo" variety best) peeled and seeded and cut into pieces
1/4 cup of coarsely chopped cilantro
Romaine lettuce
Arugula

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING
3 T mango chutney (if there are big chunks of pickled mango in it, chop them up)
About 1/4 c rice vinegar
About 1/3 c olive oil
A healthy squeeze of sriracha (hot sauce)

 Directions:
1. Make the dressing: Mix together the ingredients. That's it.
2. Toss the lobster with the dressing.
3. Assemble the salad - a layer of lettuce and arugula topped with fresh mango and sprinkled with cilantro - top with lobster and dressing.

 We had al fresco it with some French bread and Vinho Verdi --  a light, crisp, and inexpensive (at least the bottle we had) Portuguese wine with a little sparkle.

Share your favorite summer salads...

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11 comments:

  1. Joan EmersonJuly 21, 2013 at 7:36 AM

    The lobster mango salad sounds yummy . . . .

    Here’s an easy cucumber salad that we really enjoy . . . .

    Mix together:
    Thinly slice two large cucumbers
    Finely chop three scallions
    Two tablespoons soy sauce
    One tablespoon sesame oil,
    One tablespoon sugar,
    Four tablespoons vinegar
    Gently mix together; let stand at least one hour before serving

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hallie EphronJuly 21, 2013 at 7:45 AM

    That sounds great, Joan -- do you ever salt the cucumbers first? Let them sit for like 20 minutes and then rinse and drain them before making the salad? (I do it to eggplant, too, before frying.) It's not necessary but I like the change in the consistency.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joan EmersonJuly 21, 2013 at 11:28 AM

    Hallie:
    While I often salt the cucumbers for other salads, I've found this one is better if I don't salt them first . . . .

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hank Phillippi RyanJuly 21, 2013 at 11:55 AM

    YUM! On the way your house..

    We're making rack of lamb on the grill tonight..wouldn't Joan's cucumber salad be lovely with that? .

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lucy Burdette aka Roberta IsleibJuly 21, 2013 at 12:46 PM

    Sounds fabulous Hallie! And Joan, thanks for the cuke recipe--they are just starting to roll into our garden:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lucy Burdette aka Roberta IsleibJuly 21, 2013 at 4:02 PM

    Joan, will you email me--I have a question for you...

    lucyburdette at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hank Phillippi RyanJuly 21, 2013 at 4:38 PM

    IS the question--do you peel the cucumbers?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kaye Wilkinson Barley - Meanderings and MusesJuly 21, 2013 at 5:24 PM

    YUM! Hallie - your lobster mango salad sounds like a true summer treat Joan your cucumber salad sounds delish! I love summer salads, and here's one I fix often (more cucumbers!).

    Hungarian Cucumber Salad
    2 large cucumbers (peeled)
    2 tsp. salt
    3 Tbsp. vinegar (apple cider, basalmic or white - your choice)
    1 1/2 tsp. sugar
    1/4 tsp. pepper
    1/2 clove garlic, minced (although, I usually pass on the garlic)
    1 onion, chopped
    1 tomato, chopped
    1 cup sour cream
    Mix together - chill
    Top with 1/4 tsp of paprika

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  9. Denise AnnJuly 21, 2013 at 5:29 PM

    I saw Hallie's recipe on facebook earlier, and used the dressing for cold shredded chicken breast on arugula. It was really popular. We are also in the heat zone, and I had a picture of a cold supper . . . but the cook does end up with a lot of hot work in advance!!

    Macho Gazpacho (from Marjorie Falk)

    5 c tomato juice or V8
    1 small yellow onion, diced
    2 T honey
    3 large ripe tomatoes, diced (even right now, I use canned)
    1 med. green pepper, chopped
    1 med. cucumber, chopped
    2 scallions, sliced
    juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 lime (can use more, and zest if you like)
    2 T red wine vinegar
    1/2 tsp. fresh tarragon
    1/2 tsp. basil
    1/4 tsp parsley
    Dash (or more) cumin or cayenne
    2 T olive oil
    Salt & pepper
    Small can of corn, drained.

    Let sit in fridge for 4 hours.
    10 servings.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Joan EmersonJuly 21, 2013 at 6:11 PM

    Hank:
    It's your preference as far as peeling the cucumbers . . . I generally peel them, especially if the peel is thick, but it's a personal choice.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tilia Klebenov JacobsJuly 21, 2013 at 6:58 PM

    Just made cucumber-honeydew salad with honey-olive oil dressing. Touch of salt and pepper, a little fresh basil, and you're all set.

    ReplyDelete