Boiled Lobster With Cilantro Butter & Basil Sea-Shell Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaf
• additional basil leaves (to garnish)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup small shell pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 live lobsters (1 to 1-1/4 lbs. each)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• fresh cilantro stem (to garnish)
• 1 lime, quartered

Directions

1. 1

   Fill medium saucepan with water for pasta and fill large deep pot with water for lobsters. Place both pots over high heat.

2. 2

   Make salad: place 1 cup basil, the lemon juice and zest, 1/2 t. salt, and the pepper in a food processor or blender. With machine running, pour oil through feed tube in thin stream and process until blended.

3. 3

   Add pasta and 1/4 t. salt to boiling water. Cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer pasta to bowl and toss with basil mixture. Let stand at room temperature.

4. 4

   Make cilantro butter for lobster: slowly melt butter; let stand 10 minutes. Skim off foam from surface. Reheat over low heat; stir in cumin and cook 30 seconds. Keep warm.

5. 5

   Cook lobsters: Whe water is at a rolling boil, remove bands from lobsters and drop headfirst into water. Cover and cook 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lobster to colander set in sink. Put oven mitts on and pull claws from lobsters. Crack thickest part of each claw. Pour off liquid and arrange on serving platter. Place lobsters belly-side up on cutting board and split from heat through to tip of tail. Remove veins from tails and arrange halves on serving platter. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

6. 6

   Stir chopped cilantro into butter. Serve lobsters with butter, lime, and pasta salad.