Jasper White’s Lobster Salad

photo by Sarah Blackburn

Adapted from The Summer Shack Cookbook by Jasper White
W. W. Norton & Company, 2007

Makes 4 cups, enough for 4 to 6 sandwiches or to serve 4 to 5 as a light main course

1 pound cooked lobster meat or 5 pounds live lobsters
1 small to medium cucumber (4-5 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice
½ cup Jasper’s Lobster Mayonnaise (recipe below) or Hellman’s mayonnaise
2 or 3 small scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher or sea salt if needed

If you are using live lobsters, steam them until fully cooked and allow to cool to room temperature. Crack and remove the meat from the claws, knuckles, and tails. Remove any cartilage from the claws and the intestine from the tail.

Cut the lobster meat into ½- to ¼-inch dice. If using whole lobsters, you can pick all the meat from the carcasses and add it to the meat, or freeze the carcasses for soup or stock.

Place the diced cucumber in a colander and let stand for at least 5 minutes to drain the excess liquid. Combine the lobster, cucumber, mayonnaise and scallions in a bowl.

Season with a bit of pepper if needed; it is unlikely that salt will be needed. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

JASPER’S LOBSTER MAYONNAISE
Makes 2 cups

3 large egg yolks
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cups grapeseed or canola oil
1 tablespoon ice water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Small pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk the egg yolks and mustard together in a small deep bowl until the yolks have thickened and lightened slightly. Whisking constantly, begin to add the oil drop by drop, to allow the yolks to absorb the oil, until an emulsion has formed. Once the mixture begins to thicken, you can add the oil a little faster, but be careful—if you add it too fast it might separate. When half the oil has been added, drizzle in the ice water and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice to stabilize the emulsion.

Continue adding the remaining oil in a steady stream. The mayonnaise should be thick and glossy. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice along with the salt, cayenne and black pepper.

Transfer to a bowl or other container, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use. The mayonnaise will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days: check the seasoning before serving and add more salt, if needed.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2008 issue.