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Flamed lobster with wild garlic butter and burnt lemons

Flamed lobster
Image | Sam Buckle © Copyright | Sam Buckle

Ingredients

Two Lobsters (pot caught Cornish) Recommended by Cornwall Good Seafood Guide
1 Lemon 
Barbeque (ideally fair trade lumpwood)
One pack of salted butter
10 Foraged wild garlic leaves

Method

Nice and simple flamed lobster.
 
The lobsters were supplied by Gavin Wicks, Padstow fisherman, who sells his catch at Treviskers Kitchen and Garden centre near Padstow (for a full list of suppliers of Cornish seafood please visit our Coronavirus lockdown list
 
Let's start with dispatching the lobsters in the quickest kindest way, place the Lobsters in the freezer for 15 minutes to sedate them, then take a large strong bladed kitchen knife, turn the lobster over and cut along the underside between the bases of the legs to sever their nerve centre For more instructions we have a ‘how to guide’ on humanely killing crustaceans. Never cook them before humanely killing them.  
 
 
Next we need a large pot of boiling water, place the lobster in and boil, in this case for a 1.5 lb lobby, for 8 minutes, this is to partly cook it as we will be finishing it off on the BBQ next, if cooking more than one lobster only do one at a time in the pot otherwise the water comes off the boil and the lobster tends to get overcooked. Also larger Lobsters will take longer so adjust cooking times to suit.
 
Now to the BBQ part, having lit your BBQ in good time so the coals are now white, place a cast iron pan to one side with a whole pack of salted butter and about 10 chiffonaded (cut into thin strips) foraged wild garlic leaves (Also known as Ramsons - please check online if unsure or new to foraging), place halved lemons on the BBQ,  Once the butter has melted, split the lobsters length-ways and place meat side down for 1 to 2 minutes, then turn over and quickly drench the lobster meat with the melted garlic butter, again only need 1 minute this side. Serve the Lobster with french fries, lemon mayonnaise and the burnt lemon. 
 
Recipe by Sam Buckle, Design and Film Cornwall
2020
 

Lobster

Gill Netting

Cornish waters

Gill netting using monofilament nets is far less selective and has more issues with by catch of non target species such as rare sharks, skates and cetaceans.

Potting

Cornwall

Pot caught lobster is the best choice. Potting is a selective, low impact fishery and there are many local bye-laws that protect the stocks of Lobster.

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Cornwall Good Seafood Guide is underpinned by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Good Fish Guide. The first UK consumer guide to sustainable seafood. For more information visit www.fishonline.org

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