This is another recipe that was on my Must Try List and that I had been really looking forward to trying. I guess I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to arise. An opportunity such as having some beautiful leftover lobster meat to use it in.

You see, the other night when we had our “summer kick-off” steaks, there was also lobster, but there was no way I could eat mine: it was wayyyyy too much food!!  So I ended up cleaning it and putting it away, knowing EXACTLY what I was going to do with it! I thought it would work perfectly with this salad

AND I THOUGHT RIGHT!!

This salad was just plain insane. In fact, I think I would buy lobster just to do it again! Of course, I guess, if lobster was  not available, shrimp would probably work fine too, but I am telling you, the chewiness of the lobster matched that of the wheat berries just beautifully! And the flavor combination was also superb.

Heidi’s recipe called for carrots but I decided to use orange bell peppers instead. Same color, different texture and taste. It turned out to be an excellent choice. It too, matched the lobster quite well.

The best thing about this salad is that if you have all the ingredients ready, it really comes together in no time. 10 minutes and you’re done. Sure, wheat berries do take a long time to cook, but the trick is to do them ahead of time, then you’re all set!

I guess the best way to go about it is to cook your wheat berries the previous day. Put them to soak in the morning before you leave for work, then cook them in the evening while you are making supper (they require no attention whatsoever, so they won’t even disrupt your schedule) and leave them in the fridge to cool until the next day (or until you are ready to use them… just don’t wait a month, you know!).

And if you have never tried wheat berries before, this, right here, is the perfect excuse for you to give them a go!

INGREDIENTS
(serves 1)

Salad

  • The meat of one lobster, cooked and cooled
  • ½ cup wheat berries, cooked and cooled
  • ½ orange bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 large stalk of celery, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Dressing

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp za’atar (or dried oregano)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Pinch black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. [The previous day] Soak wheat berries for 8 to 12 hours, then drain, rinse and cook in salted water (at least 4 parts water to 1 part berries) in a pot for an hour to an hour and a half, until chewy but tender and all water is absorbed.  Cool completely before adding to the salad.
  2. Chop veggies and lobster meat in small bite sized pieces and mix all together in a medium sized bowl.
  3. Mix together dressing and pour over the salad.
  4. You can serve this immediately or refrigerate for a half hour to an hour to allow flavors to fully develop.