Lobster, Fennel and Grilled Grape Salad

This is what I came up with for a light fare for Christmas lunch. Fancy. Healthful. One-dish wonder. Don’t come across that many lobster dishes like this in cookbooks, I wonder why?

This salad was first made in Sardinia for Yotam Ottolenghi’s television series, Mediterranean Feast. I marked it as one of the dishes I wanted to cook when I got his new cookbook, NOPI.

With lobster prices cheaper (per pound) than most other fresh seafood, such as scallops, shrimps and fishes, there is no reason why lobsters shouldn’t be making more frequent appearances on our table. Lobster is among one of my family favorites. Even the lobster heads and shells, the part we don’t eat, would eventually be used and turned into a lovely, deep-flavored broth. I like using this homemade broth for seafood risotto. Yum!

I served the salad warm. The lobsters were steamed, slightly cooled and de-shelled. The fun part was grilling the grapes until split, smoky and charred, which gave them a sweet caramelized taste. Fennel slices were grilled the same way. As a result, the salad took on a charred flavor that went well with lobster and endive. I added radicchio, with a slightly bitter and spicy taste similar to that of endive, which made the salad a more substantial one for a light and special holiday luncheon.

Merry Christmas!