For many, the “Great Reset” of January means mindful eating, more exercise, and better focus on what’s truly important in life. And since we’re a lobster festival, what’s more important than Maine’s most iconic crustacean?
Little known fact: Lobster is actually one of the healthiest proteins compared to chicken, beef, or pork. It’s high in vitamins and Omega 3s, with fewer calories, less saturated fat and less cholesterol.
To that end, here are three healthy lobster recipes to dazzle your winter table:
Light Lobster Corn Chowder
Two of New England’s earliest culinary staples, lobster and corn, come together in this gluten-free creamy corn chowder. The trick to getting the right flavor is to parboil the lobster first and reserve the stock water. (Or if you’ve bought cooked lobster, sub out fish stock from the can.) You will only cook the lobster for five minutes (enough to pull the meat from the shell, but it will be deliberately undercooked.) See this handy guide for humanely dispatching a lobster with precise cooking times.
When the lobster is added back to the pot, the allium vegetables and herbs of leeks and chives, combined with potatoes and corn “milk” round out the hearty broth of the dish. Add a cup of heavy cream or half-and-half for the “light” version.
Die-hard chowder enthusiasts will tell you to refrigerate this batch when it has cooled and slowly reheat the next day to tease out the best flavor, but we won’t blame you if you dig in the second it’s done.
424 calories per serving. Get the Lobster Chowder recipe.
Lobster, Corn and Quinoa Salad
If you’re thinking a plain old salad topped with lobster is in store, this recipe is going to shake up that notion. This updated version of the classic summer corn-and-tomato salad is the perfect dish to use lobster tails that didn’t get eaten the night before.
The recipe calls for grilled lobster and corn, and although we know some of you like to wear shorts and grill all winter, you can also use the broil function on your stove. Fresh corn on the cob is out of season unless you live in California, Florida or Texas, but here are the best frozen corn brands on the market. Cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and one cup of quinoa with a lime vinaigrette round out this simple dish that tastes like summer on a fork.
348 calories per serving. Get the Lobster Salad recipe.
Lobster Tacos With a Green Onion Cilantro Sauce
Bright and spicy is the name of the game for this dish. The bright comes from the green onion and radish spritzed with lime juice and the spicy comes from the green onion/jalapeno/cilantro sauce.
All you need is about 12 ounces of pre-cooked lobster and the basic building blocks of tacos — corn tortillas, avocado, and lime wedges. A real slimmed-down version of the Mexican taco for the ultimate Maine taco with a side salad. And it only takes 15 minutes to make.
Less than 200 calories per taco. Get the Lobster Tacos recipe.
The 75th Maine Lobster Festival is back on in 2022! We’ve missed everyone and can’t wait to see you all again, so please mark Aug. 3-7 on your calendar and come join us for some amazing lobster dishes.
