Warm lobster salad with mango, lime and cardamom vinaigrette and curried mayonnaise

Michael Caines

Michael Caines

28th July 2026
Michael Caines

Warm lobster salad with mango, lime and cardamom vinaigrette and curried mayonnaise

90 min

This warm lobster salad recipe by Michael Caines at The Stafford pairs tender lobster with mango, Ratte potato and a fragrant lime and cardamom vinaigrette. 


Finished with curried mayonnaise, lobster jelly and delicate herbs, it is an elegant seafood starter balancing sweetness, acidity, gentle spice and rich shellfish flavour.

Ingredients

Lobster salad

  • ½ lobster, cooked in court bouillon and cut into 5 diamond-shaped pieces
  • Lobster claw
  • Lobster oil, taken from the top of the lobster jelly stock
  • Lobster jelly, cut into 5 cubes
  • Potato, mango and lobster salad
  • Curried mayonnaise
  • Cardamom and lime gastrique
  • Mango, lime and cardamom vinaigrette
  • Green and purple basil micro leaves
  • Ice plant
  • Coriander
  • Lemon balm
  • Chive flowers

Potato, mango and lobster salad

  • 200g Ratte potatoes, cooked and diced
  • 200g ripe mango, diced
  • 200g lobster claw meat, diced
  • 3g basil, finely chopped
  • Finely grated zest of ¼ lime
  • 60g lobster mayonnaise
  • 20g curried mayonnaise
  • Lime juice, to taste
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Cardamom gastrique

  • 50g cardamom pods
  • 300g stock syrup, made with equal quantities of water and sugar
  • 50g glucose
  • 100g lime juice
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lime

Mango, lime and cardamom vinaigrette

  • 250g Alphonso mango purée
  • 170g cardamom gastrique
  • 100g groundnut oil, or good-quality vegetable oil for a nut-free alternative
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Lime juice, to finish

Curried mayonnaise

  • 300g mayonnaise
  • 300g thick Greek yoghurt
  • 20g Madras curry powder
  • 30g vegetable oil
  • Freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Salt

Veal’s feet jelly

  • 25kg veal’s feet
  • 25 litres water
  • Salt

Method

Potato, mango and lobster salad

Combine the cooked Ratte potatoes, diced mango and lobster claw meat.
Add the finely chopped basil and grated lime zest.
Fold through the lobster mayonnaise and curried mayonnaise.
Season with lime juice, salt and pepper.
Reserve until required.

Cardamom gastrique

Place the cardamom pods in a food processor and blend until the seeds are broken.
Toast the cardamom seeds in a dry pan until hot and aromatic.
Add the stock syrup and any strained, reboiled liquid.
Bring to the boil and reduce until the mixture reaches 110°C.
Add the glucose, lime juice and finely grated lime zest.
Return to the boil and cook until the mixture reaches 110°C again.
Strain the gastrique through a sieve, pressing firmly with a ladle to extract as much liquid as possible.
Reserve the strained gastrique for the vinaigrette.
Return the spent cardamom pods to the pan and cover with water.
Bring to the boil, transfer to a container and reserve for the next batch.

Mango, lime and cardamom vinaigrette

Place the mango purée in a blender.
Blend in the cardamom gastrique.
Add the groundnut oil and blend until combined.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add lime juice if additional acidity is required.
Leave to cool, then check the seasoning.

Curried mayonnaise

Toast the curry powder in a dry pan.
Add the vegetable oil and leave to infuse.
Mix the mayonnaise and Greek yoghurt together.
Pass the curried oil through a sieve and whisk it into the mayonnaise mixture.
Add lime juice and salt to taste.

Veal’s feet jelly

Place the veal’s feet in a container and cover with water.
Add salt and leave to soak for 3 hours.
Drain and rinse thoroughly.
Place the veal’s feet in the Frima and add the measured water.
Close the lid and cook at full pressure for 12 hours.
Once cooked, skim the fat from the surface.
Drain through a fine sieve into a clean container.
Leave to set in the fridge.
Skim away any remaining fat from the surface.
Divide into bags and freeze any jelly that is not required immediately.

assembly

Arrange the warm lobster pieces on the plate.
Shape the potato, mango and lobster salad into a large quenelle and position it alongside the lobster.
Add the lobster claw and cubes of lobster jelly.
Spoon over the mango, lime and cardamom vinaigrette.
Add the curried mayonnaise and cardamom gastrique.
Finish with lobster oil, micro herbs and chive flowers.

Built by Chefs. Powered by You.

For 18 years, The Staff Canteen has been the meeting place for chefs and hospitality professionals—your stories, your skills, your space.

Every recipe, every video, every news update exists because this community makes it possible.

We’ll never hide content behind a paywall, but we need your help to keep it free.

If The Staff Canteen has inspired you, informed you, or simply made you smile, chip in £3—less than a coffee—to keep this space thriving.

Together, we keep the industry connected. Together, we move forward.