Western Australian Rock Lobster with Goan Masala and a Cucumber and Lime Salad

Recipe from Rick Stein
serves 4

Ingredients

4 x 550g (1 ¼ lb) raw Western Australian Rock Lobsters
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
2 medium-hot green Dutch chillies, seeded and chopped      
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm (1 in) fresh root ginger, finely grated
For the cucumber and lime salad
1 cucumber
1-2 limes
salt

For the Goan masala paste

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1 tsp light muscovado sugar
2 tsp red wine vinegar
100g (4 oz) medium-hot red Dutch chillies, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ tbl lemon juice
5cm (2 in) fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

To make

1. For the Goan Masala paste, put the cumin and coriander seeds, peppercorns and cloves into a spice grinder or mortar and grind to a fine powder.  Transfer to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and blend to a smooth paste
2. Next, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.  Add the lobsters, wait for the water to come back to the boil, then boil for 5 minutes.  This partly cooks the meat and enables you to remove it from the shell.  Remove and leave until cool enough to handle.
3. To remove the meat from the lobsters, twist off the legs and discard, and crack the shells with the back of a knife or a hammer.  Remove the meat in as large pieces as possible.  Cut the lobster in half and remove the meat from the tail section.  Cut it into largish chunks.  Remove the soft, greenish tomalley and any red roe from the head section, set aside with the rest of the meat.  Pull out the dead man’s fingers and stomach sac – either leave in or remove the remaining head matter.
4. Place the shells onto a baking tray and set them aside.  Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 3.
5. For the salad, squeeze the juice from one of the limes and cut the other one into thick slices.  Peel the cucumber and cut into thick slices.  Overlap the slices on a plate and sprinkle them with the lime juice and salt.  Decorate with the slices of lime and set aside.
6. Slide the tray of lobster shells into the oven to warm through.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan.  Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for about 5 minutes until soft.  Add 3 tablespoons of the Goan Masala paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.  Fold in the lobster meat and cook gently until it has heated through.
7. Spoon the mixture back into the shells and serve with the cucumber and lime salad and some warm naan bread.