Place lobsters in the freezer to render them insensible (30 minutes). Bring a large saucepan of heavily salted water to the boil. Boil lobsters until just cooked through (15 minutes), then drain and set aside to cool slightly.
For garlic and lemon butter, combine butter, garlic and lemon rind in a small saucepan and melt slowly over a low heat until aromatic and combined (3-5 minutes). Add lemon juice, season to taste and set aside.
Remove head from lobster (discard) and remove legs (set aside). Halve lobster tails and transfer to serving plates. Combine dandelion leaves, celery, olives and oil in a bowl. Season to taste, toss to combine, then divide among serving plates. Drizzle lobster tails with garlic and lemon butter, then serve hot with extra lemon juice and lobster legs.
Wine suggestion: Top-quality chardonnay
Cook's tip
- Lobster or crayfish? New Zealanders commonly call this coastal crustacean ‘crayfish’, but it is actually a spiny rock lobster. Crayfish is more correctly the name of a small lobster-like freshwater crustacean.
- Dandelion leaves have a subtle and slightly bitter flavour. If you don't have access to them, use sliced white witloof or mesclun leaves.
Article from the December, 2011 issue of Taste magazine.
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