Recipe

May 23, 2018

Lobster Mac-Daddy Burger

Recipe: Matt Dean Pettit

Try this Lobster Mac-Daddy Burger recipe from The Great Shellfish Cookbook.
This surf and turf burger absolutely rocks! It makes me think of the special treats I’d crave as a kid, and this was definitely one of my top choices. I love how food can quickly transport you to another time and place simply because of a delicious memory.

Ingredients

  • 1 live lobster (1 1/2 lb)
  • 1/2 lb medium ground beef
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 small white onion, finely diced
  • 4 sesame seed burger buns
  • 1/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
  • 1 tbsp green relish
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped iceberg lettuce
  • 2 thin slices aged cheddar cheese
  • 1 kosher pickle, cut into thin slices

Directions

Yield: Serves 2

  1. Prepare an ice bath in a bucket or the sink.
  2. To cook the lobster, in a large saucepan over high heat, bring 12 cups of cold, salted water to a boil. Using tongs, submerge the lobster, head first, in the boiling water, and cook, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the lobster turns bright red. Using tongs again, remove the lobster from the water and place it in the ice bath for 5 to 10 minutes to stop the cooking process. Then, using a large chef’s knife or kitchen shears, carefully crack and break down the shell and remove as much meat shell as possible. Roughly chop the meat and then set it aside.
  3. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, form four equal-sized hamburger patties, about 1/4-inch thick, and set aside at room temperature.
  4. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Place each burger patty in the skillet with the onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Transfer the burgers and onions to a plate and set aside at room temperature.
  5. Clean the skillet and heat it again over medium-high heat. Toast each bun, bottom and top, for 15 to 30 seconds, or until slightly browned.
  6. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the Thousand Island dressing and relish.
  7. On a clean work surface, lay out two burger bun bottoms and spoon the dressing sauce overtop each one. Top with a small spoonful of cooked onions, some lettuce, a cheese slice, and two or three slices of pickle. Place one burger patty and one-quarter of the lobster meat on top. Place a second bottom bun on top of the lobster meat and repeat the previous steps, but close the burger with the top portion of the bun. Do it all again for the second burger. You’ll end up with two burger tops that you aren’t using, which you can save for later or discard.
  8. Serve with some crispy french fries if you’re looking for a side dish!
Source:

Excerpted from The Great Shellfish Cookbook: From Sea to Table More than 100 Recipes to Cook at Home by Matt Dean Pettit. Copyright © 2018 Matt Dean Pettit. Photography copyright © 2018 Ksenija Hotic. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.