Cold Rock Lobster with Homemade Seafood Sauce
Sweet, tender Western rock lobster chilled to perfection and served with a tangy, classic Australian pink seafood sauce and fresh lemon.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Large stockpot
- •Heavy chef's knife
- •Tongs
- •Large ice basin
- •Whisk
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 24 g
- carbs
- 6 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 32 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Fill a large stockpot with 5 litres of water, stir in the sea salt, and bring to a rapid boil.
- 2
Fill a large sink or deep basin with cold tap water and plenty of ice cubes.
- 3
Lower the prepared rock lobsters carefully tail-first into the rapidly boiling salted water.
- 4
Cover the pot and boil lobsters for 10 to 12 minutes until shells turn bright orange-red.
- 5
Transfer the lobsters immediately into the ice bath using tongs to stop the cooking completely.
- 6
Submerge in the icy water for 15 minutes until cold to the core, then drain well.
- 7
Whisk the mayonnaise, tomato sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, brandy, and chilli sauce in a bowl until smooth.
- 8
Place each lobster on a cutting board and cut in half lengthwise from head to tail using a heavy knife.
- 9
Remove and discard the small gritty stomach sac behind the eyes and the dark intestinal tract along the tail.
- 10
Arrange the halved lobsters on a platter over crisp lettuce leaves with lemon wedges and the seafood sauce.
Chef's tips
Heavily salting the cooking water is crucial to mirror ocean salinity and preserve the lobster's natural sweet flavour. Do not skip the ice bath, as carryover heat will overcook the delicate tail meat and make it rubbery.
Ingredient substitutions
- raw Western rock lobsters → pre-cooked chilled rock lobsters (skip cooking steps and proceed straight to splitting and sauce preparation)
- brandy → 1 tsp extra fresh lemon juice or dry sherry
Storage
Store chilled lobster halves tightly wrapped in foil or an airtight container in the coldest part of the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheating
This dish is intended to be eaten completely cold; reheating the delicate cooked meat will cause it to toughen.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Under-salting the boiling water, which causes the sweet lobster flavour to leach out into the pot.
- •Overcooking the lobster, resulting in tough, stringy tail meat instead of succulent, tender flesh.
- •Leaving the lobster to cool at room temperature instead of plunging it straight into an ice bath.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Cold Rock Lobster with Homemade Seafood Sauce?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
