How to Make a Healthy Lobster Salad with or without Mayo

Lobster is a famous delicacy, but did you know that it is also an extremely healthy food, low in fat, high in protein, and packed full of nutrients, such as phosphorus and selenium. However, lobster is often served with rich, creamy sauces or calorific dressings, which can spell trouble for those trying to lose weight. The good news is that it is possible to enjoy lobster healthily and deliciously. Here are two lobster salad recipes that you are sure to fall in love with.

You can buy ready prepared fresh lobster meat online or whole lobsters from the fish department at your local supermarket or a fishmonger. These are sometimes sold live for extra freshness.

How to cook a live lobster?

1. Place it into a large saucepan of boiling salted water and cook for seven minutes for a medium-sized lobster.
2. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.
3. Remove the claw meat and tail meat.
4. Cut the flesh into bite-sized chunks, and you’re good to go.

Lobster Salad with mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• The juice of half a lemon
• Chives
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• Lobster meat – about 100g
• One stick of celery
• Low-fat mayonnaise or Greek yogurt, a couple of tablespoons

Dice the celery and chives and simply combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Serve the lobster salad immediately, or chill in the fridge for several hours before serving. Sprinkle extra chives for a garnish, and then enjoy!

Tips

This salad is also great with prawns, crab, or a seafood mix. Chop the celery as finely as possible, so the flavor doesn’t dominate each bite.

How to serve lobster salad with mayonnaise

You can eat this salad as it is or present it in a variety of combinations:

• Romaine lettuce: Add the lettuce into large Romaine lettuce leaves;
• Ciabatta: Add the lobster mix to half a toast of panini or ciabatta along with a fresh green salad;
• Avocado: Channel a retro seventies vibe by spooning your lobster into half an avocado;
• Pasta: Make a pasta salad by combining the lobster with cooked fusilli or conchiglie. You may wish to increase the amount of dressing;
• Cucumber: Spread onto sliced lengths of cucumber for a different buffet snack;
• Vol-au-vents: This salad is a delicious filling for the cooked puff pastry cases.

Lobster Salad with no mayonnaise

This is a recipe that dramatically reduces the number of calories by using a mustard-based dressing. No compromise on flavor; this salad is light, summery, and full of goodness. It is a low-carb dish, as long as you serve it with a green salad and not a chunk of French bread. The dill adds a fresh, herby taste that works really well with the lobster. The Dijon mustard adds a kick but does not overpower the delicate flavor of the lobster.

Ingredients

Please note that the listed quantities don’t have to be exact – the beauty of these salad recipes is that they are so versatile, so feel free to experiment – a touch more lobster here, a bit less tomato there – whatever works for you!

• 100g of lobster meat – the tail is ideal for this recipe.
• 1 stalk of finely diced celery
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Capers to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped dill
• 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 squirt of fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A Romaine lettuce leaf to serve

Method

Mix the mustard with the lemon juice and herbs with a fork. Combine with all the ingredients in a large bowl; don’t mix too hard but gently with a large spoon.

Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves as suggested.

Additional suggestions

You could also serve this lobster salad with:

• A fresh cucumber salad – simply slice cucumber thinly and sprinkle with sea salt;
• Switch the dill for fennel for an aniseedy kick;
• Dill is a traditional Scandinavian ingredient, so why not serve it with a slice of pumpernickel bread? High in fiber and full of goodness;

This recipe also works well if you substitute the lobster for fresh or canned tuna.

Can you freeze lobster salad recipes?

No, it is not advisable to freeze lobster salad. The cooked lobster itself can be frozen for a few weeks, but it does have a short expiration date compared to many other foods, so it is a risk. If you do freeze cooked lobster, mark the date of freezing and the expiry date very clearly. Lobster salad with mayonnaise will separate and be unpleasantly watery when defrosted. The celery will be mushy in both recipes, and neither salad will be enjoyable.

Which recipe do you prefer? Your feedback is always welcome!