Lobster rolls and Spinach Salad

Continuing with our East Coast inspired Super Bowl menu, we decided lobster rolls were in order. I have never been a big lobster eater, but I have always wanted a lobster roll. B went to Central Market the day before the Super Bowl and bought 2 lobsters, saying that he felt like a celebrity at the fish counter, and requesting female lobsters with the hopes of scoring some roe.

There is great debate regarding how to dispatch of a lobster - some people just toss them straight into a boiling pot of water, some people chill them on ice so they are slower, and some people believe in using a knife in their skull before boiling or grilling them. B and I disagree on whether or not lobsters actually have nerve endings and are aware of their demise, so our compromise is the "lobster lobotomy" method, which I feel is more humane, and then I don't feel guilty for enjoying their tasty meat.

We didn't really use a recipe for the lobster rolls, and since B is a self professed crab cake snob, he adopted a similar method for the lobster roll. In his opinion, crab cakes should contain large chunks of meat, with minimal fillers, just enough to bind it together. He researched a lot about lobster rolls, and decided that a simple preparation was best.

He wanted to make homemade mayonnaise, but that ended in disaster (and mayo all over the walls, floors, B's shirt and jeans.....and an annoyed wife who had just finished cleaning the kitchen moments before) so we went with store bought mayo instead.

Lobster rolls:

meat from a 1 1/2 lb lobster (steamed in salted boiling water), shelled, chilled and cut into large chunks
lemon juice (~ tablespoon)
mayonnaise (a few tablespoons)

Toss ingredients well. We served the lobster roll on a split hot dog bun and a bed of lettuce.

Spinach, strawberry, and pecan salad (from www.cooks.com):

1 lb. fresh spinach, washed & dried
1 pt. strawberries, washed & halved
1/2 c. pecan halves, toasted

dressing :

1/3 c. raspberry vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable or olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds (we omitted these b/c I have drug tests for interviews coming up! Haha)

Combine dressing ingredients except the poppy seeds in a
blender. Add the poppy seeds by hand. Toss dressing with
spinach, strawberries and hot pecans. The hot nuts will
slightly wilt the greens.

We thought there was a little too much sugar in this recipe, it did not fully dissolve until we added more water. The salad was a nice fresh and light accompaniment to the lobster roll.