DINNER TONIGHT If you're going to splurge, why not go for lobster?

By CAROL MIGHTON HADDIX
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
It's nice to splurge. Even when rushed on a weeknight, you may run across times when a celebration is in order. Bring out the lobster, I say! Stashed neatly in your freezer, of course, ready to be thawed quickly (or not, if you've thought ahead) and turned into a festive main-dish salad.
Be as generous as you like. This salad is imminently flexible, so you can serve as much lobster in it as you can afford. And, if this is all too fancy for you, shrimp makes an excellent stand-in.
Serve with a flute of Champagne, some crusty bread and a chocolate tart from the bakery and you'll soon forget that it's just a weeknight.
MENU
Mango salad with lobster and a lime vinaigrette
French rolls with butter
Chocolate tart
Champagne
TIPS
Buy already cooked lobster or crabmeat at the fish counter.
Or, cook the lobster ahead of time and chill.
Buy chopped and packaged bell peppers in the produce aisle.
MANGO SALAD WITH LOBSTER AND LIME VINAIGRETTE
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, minced
Juice and zest from 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon each: sugar, salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup canola oil, about
Salad:
1 (12-ounce) frozen lobster tail or 12 ounces cooked shrimp
1 ripe mango
8 ounces mixed baby greens
1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, diced
Combine cilantro, onions, lime zest and juice, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper to taste in small bowl; whisk until smooth. Whisk in oil until smooth. Taste for seasoning; whisk in more oil, if too tart.
Prepare lobster or shrimp according to package directions; cool. Remove from shells; cut into pieces.
Holding the mango upright, carefully cut the two rounded sides away from the large seed. Score the fruit into cubes without cutting through the peel; push the peel side to turn the cubes inside out. Cut the mango cubes away from the peel.
Divide greens among four dinner plates; top each with mango cubes, yellow pepper and lobster pieces. Drizzle each with lime vinaigrette.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 351 calories, 53 percent of calories from fat, 22 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 23 g carbohydrates, 19 g protein, 442 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.