Nothing conveys one's love and deep appreciation to one's mother more than a scrumptious plate of food that is lovingly prepared and elegantly presented. This Mother's Day, my wife, a mother of three, received just such a gift, a Surf & Turf dinner made up of a whole Maine lobster and a sirloin steak (as shown above).
Maine lobsters are known the world over for its succulent flesh and sweet, flavorful taste. Lobsters are highly adaptable to the Maine coastline because of its cold, clean water and rocky coast, which provides both shelter from predators and also plenty of small prey to feed on. A major contributor to the state of Maine's economy, lobsters are harvested year round. In order to protect the industry and maintain enough stock of this crustacean for generations to come, sustainability becomes an issue and laws regulating the industry were enacted. Lobsters can only be harvested if they exceed a pound and a quarter in weight. Also, breeding female lobsters that carry eggs on their underbelly (also known as berried) are prohibited from being harvested as well.
For this Surf & Turf, I fired up my trusty Weber charcoal grill and grilled both the steak and the lobster. The lobster's tail hold the majority of the meat and it should be separated from the head and split down the middle. While a pound and a quarter lobster may yield only approximately 5 oz. of meat, it may be the best tasting 5 oz. of meat you might ever eat. Simply salt, pepper and oil both halves of the tail and throw them on the grill. As for the claws, crack the two claws with the blunt end of your knife (so as not to dull the blade) and lay them on the grill as well. Clean the insides of the lobster head thoroughly and put it on the grill as well. The head makes a great presentation item on the plate.
As for the steak, I chose a boneless rib-eye cut, grilled to medium temperature. The steak received the salt and pepper treatment together with some Worcestershire sauce marinade. Simple yet tasty. To finish off this dish, I made some garlic butter and melted it over the lobster meat before serving. Going for a more elegant presentation, I used dressed field greens as the base for the lobster meat. Cut a piece of lemon and add it to the plate to complete the final presentation.
Mothers all over the world would be thrilled with this dish! Good luck!