52 votesWarm lobsters, prawns, and shrimps on a bed of cool and crisp lettuce greens and fresh aromatic herbs sprinkled with black olives and tangy lemon juice dressing make an appetizer fit for royalty. Inspired by the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean, this seafood salad takes advantage of the naturally sweet flavor of crustaceans. Their tender and juicy flesh are enhanced and complemented by a flavorful and fragrant broth. The cool and the warm ingredients strike an interesting contrast and create a harmonious balance to satisfy the palate as well as the heart and the mind.
In this recipe, the lobsters, prawns, and shrimps are cooked in a court bouillon made of dry white wine, carrots, celery, white onions, cloves, parsley, olive oil, white celery hearts, baby tomatoes, thyme, marjoram, lemon juice, and parsley. Salt is added to season the crustaceans and to correspond to the flavor of the seawater. The crustaceans are placed head first into the brew, covered with water and boiled. As a guideline, a pound of lobster cooks in about eight minutes while a two-pound lobster cooks in fifteen minutes. Three pounds of lobster cooks in twenty-fived minutes and five pounds of lobster cooks in thirty-five to forty minutes.
You know that the prawns are cooked when the top of the heads come to the surface of the water. Because shrimps are smaller, they take faster to cook. You know they are done when they turn a bright orange color. Prawns, shrimps, and lobsters should be alive until the moment that they are boiled. In this recipe, it is best to cook the lobsters first to flavor the broth, followed by the prawns and the shrimps, preparing them separately so as not to overcook them. The meat of overcooked crustaceans become tough and lose their flavor. After boiling the seafood, set the broth aside for future use.
Cut the ingredients for the court-bouillon into large pieces. Place in a large pot and fill the pot ¾ of the way with water. Add the lobsters. Bring to boil and cook for about 7 minutes. Take the lobsters out and set aside.
Using fish scissors cut the lobster shell. Remove the meat and, with a knife, cut 12 round slices. Remove the meat from the claws and cut it into pieces.
Clean the shrimp and cut the prawns in half. Cook them in the broth for 1 minute. Take them out of the bouillon and set aside.
Mix the lobster claws, prawns and shrimp slices in a large salad bowl. Add tomatoes (cut in quarters), sliced celery, thyme, marjoram, olives, lemon juice, and salt.
Place salad and arugula on a plate and place the seafood mixture over the greens. Season with olive oil and pepper. Serve.
