Lobster Cocktails, Italian Style

Since we had an extra tail left from Herr J's lobster cocktails, we decided to experiment with a little more Italian flavor and have a picnic in the English Garten.  (This is what I've been wanting to do all summer but have always been foiled by the weather.)

We brought some serrano ham, manchego cheese, and the rest of the wine. And of course, the football. Herr J is teaching me to throw a good spiral!

Though our presentation wasn't as nice (plastic cups, foil and tupperware!) as before, its was a great late afternoon picnic.

For the Italian style lobster cocktails, we added to the lobster: olive oil, fresh grated parmesan, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a little bit of garlic. I was skeptical about the parmesan-lobster combo at first, but it was very tasty!

Lobster Cocktails

Friday evening Herr J whipped up an ad-hoc version of a classic summer appetizer - Lobster Cocktails.

In the really strange world of coincidence, Thursday night I dreamed about chasing a lobster across a front lawn. One of those pretty blue-spotted French lobsters they have here, but with two big claws that featured in the chase scene! I didn't tell him about this odd dream, but Friday afternoon he called and offered to swing by Nordsee and see what good seafood they had. We don't often eat lobster - and I've only once dreamed of lobsters -  so this was a very bizarre coincidence.

We didn't plan to celebrate anything, but it ended up being a wonderful celebration of Herr J making it through a super stressful week, of me getting a contract extension (yay!), and of FINALLY having an evening where we could eat outside.  

So, we set the table on the balcony, cooked up some Steinbeißer fillets with a light Asian-style marinade, opened a bottle of Macon Village chardonnay, and added some fresh green beans to compliment the main event - the lobster cocktails.

Very tasty and light, and fun to serve.  Here's the first recipe, below. We had an extra lobster tail so we experimented with it on Saturday, too.

(And most importantly to me, it was a delicious mayo-free seafood salad!)

Herr J's Lobster Cocktail Recipe:

• Use 1 medium lobster tail per person.  Broil, bake, steam, or boil until cooked.  Let cool to room temp.
• Cut into small pieces, place into bowl.  Add just enough olive oil to barely coat the pieces.
• Sprinkle generous portion of kosher (large grain) salt.
• Grind szechuan and pink peppercorns together and sprinkle over the mix (regular black peppercorns would work too if don't have szechuan and pink - they just add a different twist and flavor).*
• Add 1/2 tablespoon of your favorite spicy mustard, or mix your own.
  (We used a "grill" mustard which contains paprika, a little white wine vinegar, and a little garlic.)
• Add a splash of lemon juice and turn over with spoon until evenly coated.
• Should NOT be a heavy sauce - the lobster pieces should barely be covered.
• Cook's prerogative:  test and add mustard etc. to taste if it needs adjusting.

* I keep a jar of szechuan and pink peppercorns that have been ground together to add a little zest to simple seasonings. Neither actually are true peppercorns, but they have a nice subtle flavor. More complex flavors and don't overpower a dish the way black pepper can. We use this mix often for a quick seasoning to grill shrimp or something else where you want to add a little flavor but let the taste of the meat come through.