Lobster spring salad with a lemon-peppered dressing
Shaun Munro’s love affair with bubbly began many years ago. It’s not a torrid, tempestuous one, rather a relationship that has evolved from the heady rush of an initial attraction into one of comfortable companionship.
In fact, Shaun can pinpoint the moment his affair started. “When we did our hotel school wine tour, the winemaker told us how you take semi-sweet wine, add yeast and put a cork in it – the process fascinated me as a chef. The second fermentation under cork was to me hugely romantic and wonderful. Now it’s those fine, tingly bubbles when you are drinking a quality MCC…”
Shaun’s career has been spent largely as executive chef in the demanding hotel industry and presently he is happily ensconced at the five-star Beverly Hills. With the hotel being close enough to the warm Indian Ocean to cast a shadow on Umhlanga’s beach, one can understand his predilection with seafood. Relentless in the quest to find good suppliers, Shaun has a few local fi shermen who provide him with their great-quality, super-fresh haul, so pairing the Topiary Brut Blanc de Blancs 2008 with seafood was the natural choice.
“Méthode Cap Classique is seen as a luxurious drink so I wanted something slightly exotic and light that wouldn’t overpower the bubbly,” he explains of his choice of a lobster spring salad served with a lemon-peppered dressing. As Madame Bollinger famously proclaimed, Champagne is suitable for any occasion and, for this one, Shaun has paid tribute to the associated luxury, but he’s also cleverly pared it down by creating a salad. The deceptively simple salad teases the palate with a myriad flavours and textures. Shaun smiles knowingly, well aware that each mouthful offers a different taste sensation.
What is the allure of Topiary’s Brut Blanc de Blancs 2008? “It appeals to my style of cooking – less is more. The bubbly pairs beautifully with the citrus flavours of grapefruit and lemon and also works well with the bitter and salty flavours of the rocket, radicchio and chorizo.”
The dish is all about contrasts. The sweet, dense meat of the Natal lobster is played off against the smoky, unctuous slices of chorizo, and segments of ruby grapefruit and lemon provide a pleasant tanginess. Ingredients gently mimic the MCC, like gentle acidity provided by the cherry tomatoes and the creamy taste and texture of the avocado that pays tribute to the Topiary’s generous mouthfeel and voluptuous finish. This food and wine pairing may rely on classical interpretation, but there can be no disputing that less definitely is more.
LOBSTER SPRING SALAD WITH A LEMON-PEPPERED DRESSING
SERVES FOUR
SALAD
4 fresh Natal lobsters, ± 500g each
2 chorizo sausages, sliced and grilled
1 butter lettuce
2 cos lettuces
12 leaves of radicchio
50g wild rocket assorted fresh herbs (basil, dill, coriander, mint, flat-leaf parsley)
assorted herb flowers
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 ruby grapefruits, segmented (pips removed)
1 lemon, segmented (pips removed)
2 avocado pears, peeled, cut into small pieces tossed in lemon juice 20 capers
salt and pepper
DRESSING
150ml extra virgin olive oil
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 T Dijon mustard
sugar to taste
salt
1 t lemon pepper
- Prepare the dressing by blending all ingredients until well mixed – set aside.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and carefully drop in the lobster, cover with lid, bring back to the boil and cook for about six minutes (cooking time starts only when water is boiling).
- Once cooked, remove crayfish from the pot and cool to room temperature. When cool, remove meat from the tail and cut into pieces, keep the head of the crayfish for garnish.
- Prepare the salads by washing and drying all the greens and herbs and arrange attractively on four serving plates or one large platter. Add the tomatoes and fruit.
- Arrange the lobster pieces, chorizo slices, capers and herb flowers atop the salad leaves.
- Garnish the salad with the lobster heads and serve with the dressing on the side.
