Lobster BLTs with a Caesar Side Salad

🥘 Ingredients

• baby lettuce
  1 bunch
• bacon
  6 strips
• black pepper
  ½ tsp
• brioche buns
  2 unit
• butter
  2 tbsp
• caesar dressing
  2 tbsp
• croutons
  ½ cup
• dijon mustard
  1 tsp
• garlic
  2 cloves
• lemon
  1 unit
• lobster tails
  2 unit
• mayonnaise
  2 tbsp
• salt
  1 tsp
• shallot
  1 unit
• smoked paprika
  1 tsp
• sugar
  ¼ tsp
• tomato
  2 unit

🍳 Cookware

• large pan
• large bowl
• large bowl

1. 

   1

   Wash and dry all produce. Zest and quarter lemon . Peel and mince half the garlic . Trim and discard root end from baby lettuce ; reserve a quarter of the leaves for later. Chop remaining leaves into bite-size pieces until you have two and a half loose cups. Slice half the tomato into rounds; dice remaining tomato. Halve, peel, and thinly slice half the shallot . Halve brioche buns .

   lemon: 1 unit, garlic: 2 cloves, baby lettuce: 1 bunch, tomato: 2 unit, shallot: 1 unit, brioche buns: 2 unit
2. 

   2

   Using kitchen shears, cut through thin shell along underside of each lobster tails , leaving meat intact and stopping at fanned end. Press down gently on each side of shell to crack; remove meat and discard shell. Cut lobster tail in half lengthwise. Remove large vein running down center if present. Roughly chop lobster meat into half-inch pieces. Set aside and wash cutting board.

   lobster tails: 2 unit
3. 

   3

   Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, turning occasionally, until crisp ⏱️ 8 minutes . Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Carefully discard all but one tablespoon bacon fat from pan and set pan aside. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop a quarter of the bacon and set aside remaining bacon.

   bacon: 6 strips
4. 

   4

   Meanwhile, in a large bowl , combine mayonnaise and half the dijon mustard . Add lemon zest, remaining minced garlic, and smoked paprika to taste. Season with salt , black pepper , and sugar .

   mayonnaise: 2 tbsp, dijon mustard: 1 tsp, smoked paprika: 1 tsp, salt: 1 tsp, black pepper: ½ tsp, sugar: ¼ tsp
5. 

   5

   Heat pan with reserved bacon fat over medium-low heat. Add lobster and cook until slightly opaque ⏱️ 3 minutes . Stir in one tablespoon butter until melted. Continue to cook lobster, spooning melted butter over meat, until opaque and cooked through ⏱️ 1 minute . Remove pan from heat and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Let lobster cool slightly ⏱️ 1 minute . Using a slotted spoon, transfer lobster to bowl with sauce and toss to coat. Wipe out pan.

   butter: 2 tbsp
6. 

   6

   In a second large bowl , combine chopped lettuce, diced tomato, croutons , chopped bacon, and sliced shallot. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with caesar dressing to taste. Melt remaining one tablespoon butter in pan used for lobster over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic, then add buns cut sides down. Toast until buns are golden ⏱️ 2 minutes . Remove buns from pan and season cut sides with salt and pepper.

   croutons: ½ cup, caesar dressing: 2 tbsp
7. 

   7

   Tear reserved lettuce leaves crosswise and add to bottom buns. Fill buns with reserved bacon, sliced tomato, and lobster, including sauce. Serve with Caesar salad and any remaining lemon wedges on the side.