Ingredients
1 live Eastern rock lobster
100ml water
200ml white wine
1 whole lime, sliced to wedges
Native butter
200g Coppertree unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
50g fennel roughly chopped
1/2 small leek, halved lengthways
¼ bunch sage leaves
¼ bunch oregano leaves
¼ bunch tarragon
¼ saltbush leaves
¼ bunch flat leaf parsley
½ bunch warrigal greens
Juice of half a lemon
White pepper, freshly crushed with pink Murray River salt
Recipe by Luke and Sam Bourke
Photography by Rob Palmer
Method
1. For the butter: Spoon onto a sheet of baking paper or aluminium foil with chopped ingredients and roll into a log shape about 35cm (14 inches) long and 4cm in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap, twisting the ends to secure and refrigerate until firm.
2. For the lobster: Pre-heat the oven to 250°C or heat a barbeque to hot.
3. Dispatch the lobsters humanely. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Plunge the lobsters, one at a time, into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute, then remove and immediately submerge in iced water and leave until cooled. This process makes it easier to remove the meat as it may stick to the shell.
4. When the lobsters are cold, remove from the water bath and place on a chopping board. Run a sharp paring knife around the gap between the head and tail. Using scissors, cut down the two sides of the shell on the belly side. Remove the digestive tract.
5. Place, cut-side up, in a large roasting tray and season the meat with salt, adding wine and 100ml of water to the bottom of the tray. Roast or barbeque, with the lid closed, for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the lobster from the oven or barbeque. Cut the butter into 1cm (½ inch) thick slices and place 4 over each lobster half. Roast or barbeque for another 5 minutes or until the meat is just firm. Cut each lobster half into 4 pieces each and place in a large serving bowl.
7. Meanwhile, melt the remaining herb butter in a saucepan and pour over the lobster pieces. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
Wine Match
Chardonnay