Lobster Salad

Packed with crispy pancetta, sweet corn, crisp bread crumbs and of course, tender lobster tail, our Grilled Lobster Salad is the epitome of summer grilling.

When we started our kitchen renovation I made it my mission to continue to feed my family delicious, healthy meals. Of course there would be a fair share of take out and air fryer chicken nuggets as well but I wanted to spread my creative wings and see what I could produce with very little kitchen equipment. If Grilled Lobster Salad isn’t concrete evidence I achieved my goal then I have some serious inferiority complex issues.

Regardless of kitchen or no kitchen, this lobster salad packed with sweet, succulent lobster tail, salty crispy pancetta, sweet corn, toasty bread crumbs and drizzled in an herbaceous green goddess dressing is worthy of my dinner table and yours.

Let’s go.

Ingredients

Lobster. Lobster salad obviously calls for lobster. You could get a whole lobster but lobster tails are much easier to work with and cost effective.

Lemon. I like to marinate my lobster for a bit and I do that with a little bit of lemon juice for acid.

Dijon. for tang.

Garlic. because garlic makes everything better.

Corn. Lobster + corn is simply a duo that belongs together.

Pancetta. Bacon-wrapped shrimp, bacon-wrapped scallops…Do you sense a common theme? Shellfish and salty cured meat belong together.

Tomatoes. I like to use cherry tomatoes but whatever you have in the fridge is great.

Lettuce. Crisp romaine is my preferred lettuce choice.

Breadcrumbs. I cheat a bit here and love to crush up store-bought garlic crostini or croutons to give my salad a crunchy topping. It’s a hack a swear by time and and time again.

The dressing

Herbs. Green goddess dressing comes in all different forms and all forms have some sort of combination of herbs. My perfect recipe is a trio of tarragon, parsley and basil.

Greek Yogurt. I am not a girl who likes to waste her calories on dressings which is why almost all of my creamy dressings have the addition of low-fat Greek yogurt. It’s great substitute for mayo or sour cream but still gives you a crave-able creamy texture.

Mayo. Light may. Just a touch. You can leave it out altogether and sometimes I do but I do like just a little bit for some luxuriousness.

Garlic. A large clove will do.

Dijon. Again for tang.

Olive oil. To round out the dressing.

Buttermilk. For tang and to thin the dressing out a bit.

Let’s make lobster salad.

Prep the lobster tails. Use kitchen shears to cut a slit from the top of the shell to the tail. Be sure you don’t cut through the meat or through the entire tip of the tail. Gently pull the shell apart exposing the meat underneath. Pull the meat out from the shell and then gently put it back. This is a great tutorial.

Marinate the lobster. Add the lemon juice, dijon, mustard, garlic and olive oil to a large zip lock bag. Place the lobster tails in and seal.

Cook the pancetta. Turnt the grill on. Cook the pancetta in a small skillet on the stove. You can also do this on the grill if you want to keep everything outside.

Grill the corn. Drizzle corn in olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and pop on the grill.

Make the dressing. While the corn starts to cook, add the dressing ingredients to a food processor or high-powder blender. Pulse until the mixture starts to blend then power on high until the dressing is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grill the lobster. When the lobster has marinated for about 15 minutes, take it out of the marinate. Poke a metal skewer through the meat so it doesn’t curl up while cooking. Season the lobster with salt and pepper. Place on the grill, flesh side down. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the lobster releases from the grates. Flip and continue to cook the lobster tails until the shell is bright pink and the meat is white.

Assemble. Set aside a handful of pancetta, corn and tomatoes for garnish. Add the romaine to a large platter or serving bowl. Drizzle in a little bit of dressing. Toss to combine. Add the remaining pancetta, corn, and tomatoes. Toss. Top the salad with the lobster tails. Sprinkle with remaining tomatoes, corn and pancetta. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Can I make Lobster Salad in Advance?

Pretty much everything can be made or prepped in advance with the exception of the lobster UNLESS you want to serve the lobster cold. The green goddess dressing can be made up to a week ahead of time.

Do I need to use a certain kind of lobster tail?

I used spiny lobster tail here but a Maine lobster tail works as well.

Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

• Do not overcook the lobster! Depending on the size of the tail, they should only take about 5-7 minutes or less to cook. When in doubt, use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the lobster meat should be 135 degrees.
• You also don’t want to over marinate the lobster. Any acid will start to cook a delicate shellfish so just a quick marinade time is all we need.
• Make sure your grill is clean. Take the time to clean the grates when they are hot and spray them with non-stick cooking oil to keep the lobster from sticking.
• Don’t overdress! A little goes a long way and you can always add more later.