Ingredients
6 langoustines, halved
6 prawns
2 cooked lobsters
7 tbsp salted butter, softened
A few sprigs of parsley, chopped 3 or 4 chives, chopped
A few sprigs of dill, chopped
Juice of 1⁄2 a lemon
Salt and black pepper
Method
Halve and dissect your cooked lobster. Get your barbecue nice and hot.
In a bowl, beat the butter with the parsley, chives, dill, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the meat from the lobster legs/claws to the half shell (we always put it into the head of the lobster), then divide the butter into four portions and smear it over your lobster halves, making sure it is spread over all the meat.
Put the lobsters, langoustine and prawns on the grill shell side down, close the lid, and cook for five minutes or until the meat is piping hot.
How to dissect the lobster
You’ll need: a chopping board, sharp knife, preferably not your best one, tea towel, rolling pin, pick.
First place your chopping board on a flat surface. Place the lobster flat on the board and cut the bands off the claws. Break off the legs and set aside. Put your knife tip vertically on the cross of the head. Stretch out the tail of the lobster so it is flat, now press down with your knife, breaking the shell, and cut right through to the bottom of the lobster. Turn the lobster around 180° and repeat in the opposite direction through to the tip of the head, cutting the lobster in half. Pop to one side. Using your hands, break the claws off the large legs. Grab your first claw and put it on the board. Using the sharp end of your knife throughout, hit the claw on its curved side about halfway down the shell to make an incision. Turn it over and repeat on the other side, then hit the middle of the claw to crack it (you may have to do this a couple of times). Once you have cracked both sides, the bottom part of the shell should come away. Hold onto the small pincher (the one that moves back and forth). Very gently pull the pincher out, hopefully taking the cartilage with it. Don’t worry if it doesn’t come out; you just need to remove all your claw meat, slice it in half, and remove the cartilage yourself.
Now get the two large legs that you removed the claws from. By hand or using a shellfish crusher, break them in half and use a pick to get the meat out of them. They are the sweetest and, we think, most delicious pieces.
If you’re not satisfied you don’t need to stop there – there’s lots of yummy meat in the small legs. Place them on the board. Using a rolling pin, roll from the top to the bottom and (if you’re lucky) the meat will slide out.
