Howie's Vanilla Butter-Poached Lobster with Watercress-Citrus Salad

Howie's Vanilla Butter-Poached Lobster with Watercress-Citrus Salad

Ingredients:

1 navel orange

1 blood orange

1 ruby red grapefruit

1 tangerine

1 lime

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

3 vanilla beans, preferably Tahitian, split lengthwise

Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme

Two 6-ounce lobster tails, in shell

1/8 teaspoon minced habanero or Scotch bonnet chile

4 tablespoons canola or olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Sea salt, preferably fleur de sel, pepper, and sugar (optional) for seasoning

4 cups stemmed watercress

4 grape tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds

1 kumquat, sliced into thin rounds

Directions:

Supreme the citrus fruits with a sharp knife, cut off the tops and bottoms of the citrus fruits. Slicing downward from top to bottom, cut off the peels and white pith. Working over a bowl, cut between the membranes to dislodge the segments of fruit. Reserve the citrus juice.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the vanilla beans and thyme and heat for 1 minute. Add the lobster tails and cook until the flesh is opaque, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the lobster and set aside to cool.
For the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, combine the reserved citrus juice and the chile. Whisk in the 4 tablespoons canola oil in a thin stream. Whisking constantly, add 2 tablespoons of the vanilla-lobster butter. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and sugar if using.
Gently combine the watercress and half of the citrus supremes in a bowl. (Save the remaining supremes for another use.) Toss with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette.
To assemble, crack open the lobster tails and carefully remove the meat. Toss with a couple tablespoons of the vinaigrette.
Divide the salad between 2 plates. Top with lobster. Garnish with tomatoes, kumquat, sea salt, and a drizzle of canola oil.

Recipe taken from Top Chef: The Cookbook (or Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook), Copyright Bravo Media LLC/Published by Chronicle Books LLC.