An inventive take on Caesar salad that showcases sweet, succulent, Maine lobster. Gluten-free red lentil lobster shaped crackers act as a garnish and take the place of croutons.
Lobster Caesar Salad Supreme is my insanely delicious answer to this month’s Recipe ReDux vacation inspired theme. Maine is a favorite destination for many vacationers. The diversity of activities available, along with over 3,000 miles of rugged coastline, have made it a mecca for summer tourists and earned it the title “Vacationland”, which is the official state slogan. But Maine is perhaps best known for its indigenous marine crustacean – lobster. A huge, thriving industry revolves around Maine lobsters. Their harvest, transport, and eventual consumption is an important part of the state’s heritage and is economically vital to its coastal communities. My family and I have been visiting coastal Maine during the summers for over 20 years. For us, summer = Maine = lobster. So it was only natural that in choosing to highlight Maine as my vacation destination that I would develop a recipe using lobster. After all, who doesn’t love lobster!
Lobster Caesar Salad Supreme combines sweet, succulent, Maine lobster with avocado and summer fresh corn, basil, and tomatoes, all in a classic Caesar dressing and garnished with Red Lentil Lobster Crackers that take the place of croutons. This is most definitely not your average Caesar salad!
The fresh basil on top of Lobster Caesar Salad Supreme imparts a subtle flavor that is a wonderful complement to the other ingredients in this dish. You can chiffonade the basil or simply roughly chop it. I love the look of basil chiffonade and think the extra time it takes to cut the basil using this technique is worth it. “Chiffonade” is a fancy French word that means to finely chop something into long thin strips. You typically see this term used in connection with basil. It’s a simple technique that results in a prettier, more delicate looking herb and is especially appealing as a garnish. To chiffonade basil, stack the leaves (right side up), roll them up tightly like a cigarette, then slice them, perpendicular to the roll, into thin strips about 1/4 inch wide.
The Red Lentil Lobster Crackers add a unique touch to Lobster Caesar Salad Supreme because they are strikingly similar in color to real lobsters! These delicious crackers are a perfect gluten-free substitute for croutons. Lobster Caesar Salad Supreme is a substantial salad suitable for a main course, but you can also serve it as a starter, in which case this recipe would make 12 portions – perfect for a large gathering.
- 1 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
- 2-ounce tin of flat anchovies in olive oil
- 4 tablespoons olive oil mayonnaise or avocado mayonnaise
- 2 large or 4 small cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- 2 large heads romaine lettuce torn into 1½ inch pieces
- 1-pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into ¼ inch dice
- 1½ pounds cooked lobster meat cut into large chunks
- 13½ ounces (2¾ cups) cooked corn (fresh off the cob or frozen)
- ½ ounce fresh basil chiffonade (leaves sliced into very thin ribbons)
- 1 lemon cut into 6 wedges
- 12 Red Lentil Lobster Crackers (recipe linked in post)
- To make the dressing place the parmesan cheese, anchovies (along with the oil they are packed in), mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth. With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and stop when you have a smooth, well combined dressing.
- Add the lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and corn to a large mixing bowl and add the dressing. Toss to combine and thoroughly coat all the lettuce leaves. Divide the salad evenly among 6 dinner plates and place ¼ pound of lobster meat on top of each salad followed by some basil chiffonade. Place two lobster crackers on the sides of each salad plate and serve with lemon wedges.
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Oh i love lobster! This salad sounds amazing!
Thanks Rachel!
Mona, this salad looks AMAZING! That succulent lobster is calling my name and those crackers are phenomenal 🙂
Thanks Sonali!