Lobster Salad with Lemon-Basil Mayonnaise and Fresh Tomatoes

Bring a large 8-quart stockpot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of the lemons into a large bowl. Squeeze enough juice to make 4 tablespoons and add the juice to the bowl. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and stir together; let stand at room temperature.

Plunge 2 lobsters headfirst into the boiling water. Loosely cover the pot and cook the lobsters for 9 minutes from the time they enter the water, then using tongs, transfer to the sink to cool. Return the water to a boil and cook the remaining 2 lobsters in the same manner.

When the lobsters are cool, remove the meat from the claws, joints and tails. Discard the tomalley (the soft green paste found in the body cavity), any roe and shells (or save for another use). Cut the meat into 1/2 inch pieces.

Add the mayonnaise, sliced basil leaves and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the onion mixture and whisk together to combine. Add the lobster meat and gently stir together the salad. In a large bowl, gently toss the tomatoes, torn basil leaves, oil, crushed pinches of flaky coarse sea salt and pepper to taste.

Mound the tomato salad in the center of 4 serving plates. Top with the lobster salad, then drizzle any leftover juices from both bowls over the top. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with an extra pinch of crushed flaky coarse sea salt.

Best Kitchen Scissors: For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the same red-handled and razor-sharp Joyce Chen kitchen scissors, which are excellent for countless food-prep chores, including snipping through tough lobster bodies and knuckles to remove whole chunks of meat.

Recipe courtesy of Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating by Mindy Fox. Published by Kyle Books, 2012.