Serves 4
Preparation Time: 25 Minutes
Chilling Time: 1 Hour
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

This goes down a storm with everyone I make it for. There’s something so comforting and satisfying about the combination of warm, sweet lobster and soft English muffin. It’s a luxurious way to enjoy a childhood classic. Lobster may seem rather an extravagance, but you don’t need a lot to serve four people. If you prefer, you can use white crabmeat instead.

* 450g Desiree or Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized pieces
* 25g butter, plus extra to spread on the English muffins
* 200g cooked lobster meat, flaked
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
* Juice of ½ lemon
* 100g plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 100g breadcrumbs vegetable oil, for frying
* 4 English muffins
* 8 small Little Gem lettuce leaves

First, make some mashed potatoes. Place the potatoes to the boil over a medium heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until tender. Drain thoroughly, then return the potatoes to the hot pan. Mash with the butter until smooth, but don’t use any milk as the final mixture will be too wet. Leave to cool. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, gently mix them in a bowl with the lobster, Dijon mustard, chives and lemon juice. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Take a small handful of the lobster mixture and shape into a large ‘finger’. Repeat so you end up with 8 lobster fingers. Place them on a plate and leave to chill in the fridge for an hour.

When you’re ready to cook the lobster fingers, line up three shallow bowls in front of you. Place the flour in one, the beaten eggs in another and the breadcrumbs in the third. Dip each lobster finger first in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, so that they are fully coated on all sides.

Deep fry the lobster fingers at 180 ° C for about 3-4 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and crispy and the middle is piping hot – test by inserting a metal skewer, but be careful not to burn yourself. If you don’t have a deep-fat fryer, shallow fry in a little oil for a couple of minutes on each side, until golden brown. Meanwhile, split open the muffins and get them toasting under the grill or in a toaster.

To serve, spread a little butter on each muffin, and top with 2 lettuce leaves, 2 lobster fingers and relish.

From Luke’s Cookbook

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