Have You Ever Mayoed a Lobster?

The traditional accompaniment to lobster is melted butter. If you want to serve something a little different, try a flavored mayonnaise.

After some experimenting, I recently devised a sesame-orange mayonnaise to go with lobster. I whisked store-bought low-fat mayonnaise with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, orange juice and grated orange peel. Then I stirred toasted sesame seeds into the mixture. The sauce took only a few minutes to assemble and held up beautifully in the refrigerator for several hours.

I served both melted butter and the newly created sesame mayonnaise side by side on the table. At the end of the night, the bowl of sesame mayonnaise was almost empty, and everyone asked how it had been made.

This sauce would make a good addition to a summer repertoire. It could be used with other shellfish; you could try it with cooked shrimp or scallops, for example, or you could offer it as a sauce for artichokes or as a dip with crudites.

Rosbottom is author of “First Impressions” (William Morrow).

LOBSTERS WITH SESAME-ORANGE MAYONNAISE

SESAME-ORANGE MAYONNAISE

5 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

4 teaspoons dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

2 teaspoons orange juice

LOBSTERS

4 (1 1/4- to 1 1/2-pound) lobsters

6 quarts lightly salted water

1 small bunch watercress, cleaned and dried for garnish, optional

SESAME-ORANGE MAYONNAISE

Toast sesame seeds in heavy skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until seeds are light golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk mayonnaise, sesame oil, vinegar, orange peel and juice in bowl to mix well. Stir in sesame seeds. Cover and refrigerate until needed. (Sauce can be made 3 to 4 hours ahead. Bring sauce to room temperature 30 minutes before using.)

LOBSTERS

Bring water to rapid boil and cook lobsters until done, about 10 minutes per pound. To test for doneness, pull on 1 small leg; it should be loose and come off easily.

To serve, arrange cooked lobsters on large serving tray and garnish center with watercress. Serve bowl of sesame-orange mayonnaise on the side.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

337 calories; 573 mg sodium; 81 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams protein; 0.10 gram fiber.