Grilled Red Claw with Citrus Dust, Globe Artichoke & Lambs Lettuce Salad

Serves 4
12 red claw crayfish, halved & cleaned
1 recipe citrus dust (recipe follows)
2 large globe artichokes
2 tbs olive oil + 1 tbs for frying
2 tbs white wine vinegar
1 ltr water
1 tbs salt
4 handfuls lambs lettuce
1 tbs vinaigrette
Maldon salt & freshly milled pepper

Artichokes - Remove all outer leaves to expose artichoke heart, cut 3 cm from the top of the choke & snap off the stem. Place in saucepan with olive oil, vinegar, water & salt. Cover with a circle of greaseproof paper & simmer gently till tender. This should take around 20 minutes. When cool remove hairy choke with a teaspoon & cut heart into neat wedges. Pan fry in a little olive oil till golden. Season lightly & set aside.

Red claws - Season lightly with salt & pepper then dredge flesh in citrus dust. Fry on BBQ plate till just cooked.

Presentation - toss lambs lettuce with artichokes & vinaigrette. Season lightly.
Place salad in centre of plate & arrange red claws on top. Drizzle with any remaining vinaigrette & citrus dust.

Citrus dust
½ cup lemon zest, cut into julienne
½ cup orange zest, cut into julienne
½ cup lime zest, cut into julienne
Cover zests separately in cold water. Bring to boil. Immediately refresh in ice cold water & repeat process twice more. Dry well. Place zests on a sheet of silicone paper allowing plenty of space. Microwave on medium heat for 8-10 minutes. The pieces of zest should now be totally desiccated. Simply blend to a dust in a blender or with a pestle & mortar.

Recipe supplied by Alastair McLeod
Head Chef
Bretts Wharf Seafood Restaurant
Brisbane