Roast lobster with herb butter

I much prefer the taste of Australian rock lobster to lobster I have tried anywhere else in the world. To that I would add that the smaller eastern lobster is the best of all, with a sublime flavour. There is truly nothing better than lobster meat drenched with herb butter – it’s a double flavour hit, and these guys seem to be full of umami flavour. Serve with a green salad.

Serves 4

2 x 800g–1kg live rock lobsters

Extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons finely shredded flat-leaf parsley

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the herb butter – makes about 375g

3 large handfuls of mixed herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, chervil, tarragon and chives

4 French shallots, sliced

250g unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

For the herb butter, blanch the mixed herbs and shallots for 2 minutes in a saucepan of boiling water. Remove and refresh in iced water, then gently wring out. Put in a food processor with the butter, garlic and lemon juice and process until combined, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon onto a sheet of baking paper or foil and roll into a log about 35cm long and 4cm in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap, twisting the ends to secure, and refrigerate until firm.

Put your lobsters in the freezer for an hour or two (until they stop moving) – this puts them to sleep, and is the most humane way of dealing with them.

Take the first lobster and put it on a chopping board on its front, with its head facing you and the tail pointing away, and carefully place a very sharp knife between its eyes. Now, holding the tail, confidently and firmly cut down towards yourself, right through the shell. Turn the lobster around and, holding it by the head, cut through the tail; you should now have two halves. Pull out the dark digestive tract that runs down its length. Repeat with the second lobster.

Preheat the oven to 200°C and select a roasting tin that will accommodate the four lobster halves. Season the lobster with salt and put in the tin, then drizzle over a little olive oil and place four 5mm thick slices of herb butter on each lobster half, spacing them evenly from head to tail. Roast the lobster for about 12 minutes, being very careful not to overcook it — when it is perfectly cooked, you should be able to just move the flesh away from the shell near the head.

Place the lobsters on a platter. The butter in the roasting tin should be melted and even slightly burnt on the bottom. Add the lemon juice, parsley, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a little salt and a good grind of pepper to the roasting tin and stir to mix. Spoon the dressing over the lobsters and serve immediately.

Tip

The remaining herb butter will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer, and is good with almost any fish or meat; other compound butters would also be great with this lobster – a spicy butter or a sambal butter.