Dressed Whole Maine Lobster Recipe

Prepare an ice bath: fill a large bowl with ice and cold water and set aside.

Bring the poaching liquid to a boil in a large stockpot: combine water, white wine, kosher salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and the halved lemon (flesh side down) over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil.

Kill humanely and add lobsters (optional step by some cooks): for quickest humane method, place the lobster head-first on a cutting board and insert a sharp chef's knife just behind the eyes to sever the central nervous tissue. Alternatively, place lobsters in the freezer for 20 minutes to sedate, then proceed. Handle with care.

Poach the lobsters: once the liquid is boiling, grasp each lobster behind the claws and lower headfirst into the pot. Cover, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 8–10 minutes for 1 to 1.25 lb lobsters, 10–12 minutes for 1.25–1.5 lb. Adjust time so the shell turns bright red and meat is opaque and firm. Do not overcook.

Shock lobsters: using tongs, transfer lobsters immediately to the prepared ice bath to stop cooking. Chill for 5 minutes, then remove and drain.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the poaching liquid and 2 tbs of browned butter (see next section) for finishing the dressing and warming, if desired.

Make lobster butter

Melt unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat until it foams and the milk solids separate and begin to brown lightly (3–4 minutes). Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove from heat and strain if desired. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the browned butter for finishing and set the rest aside to cool slightly.

Prepare herb vinaigrette

In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, Dijon mustard and minced shallot. Slowly whisk in extra-virgin olive oil to form an emulsion. Add chopped parsley, chives, tarragon, sea salt and black pepper. If the vinaigrette seems too thick, whisk in up to 1 teaspoon cold water to bring to desired consistency.

Finish the dressing: stir 3 tablespoons of the cooled melted butter into the vinaigrette to create a rich lobster butter vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper or a squeeze of lemon.

Warm a tablespoon of reserved poaching liquid and the 2 tablespoons of reserved browned butter together gently and brush lightly over lobster meat when plating (optional) to warm and add flavor without additional cooking.

Prepare the lobsters for dressing: place a chilled lobster on a cutting board. Using kitchen shears or a heavy chef's knife, twist off the claws and knuckles. Crack the claws and knuckles with a nutcracker or the back of a knife and remove meat in large pieces. Twist off the tail, press on the tail fan to slide the tail meat out in one piece and pat dry with paper towel. Remove the small legs and pick any accessible meat with a small fork. Discard the digestive tract (vein) from the tail and any roe or tomalley as desired (tomalley is edible but optional).

Brush and dress: place the lobster meat (tail and claw pieces) on a platter. Spoon or brush 1–2 tablespoons of the lobster butter vinaigrette over the meat to coat lightly. If you warmed the reserved butter & poaching liquid, lightly brush that on just before serving for a warm finish.

Arrange on plate: place a small bed of microgreens or baby salad mix on each plate, top with the dressed lobster pieces. Garnish with lemon wedges and sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt over the lobster meat.

Serve immediately with warm crusty bread or rolls to mop up the dressing and melted butter. Provide additional dressing or melted butter on the side for dipping.