BLT lobster slider with a Cape Malay aïoli

To cook your bacon, heat your oven to 190⁰C. Lay the bacon on a baking sheet and cook until crisp. Alternatively, pan-fry until crispy. Set aside until needed.

Place a small pot over a medium heat, add the oil and the onions, sweating the onions until they’re translucent and just starting to lightly colour. This should take about 15 minutes. Turn the heat down if the onions begin to brown.

While the onions cook, cut down the back of the lobster tails, through the shell, with a pair of kitchen scissors. Once the flesh of the lobster is exposed, check for the vein – if present, it will run along the back of the lobster just under the shell. If a vein is present, pull it free.

Place the lobsters into a steamer, cut side up, and steam for 5-9 minutes, or until the flesh is slightly firm to the touch and beginning to easily pull away from the shell. The timing will vary depending on the size of the tail.

Once cooked, remove the lobsters from the steamer and set aside until cool.

Chef’s tip: If you don’t have a steamer, place a colander into a large pot so that it fits snugly. Fill the pot with about 2cm of water and bring to the boil. Make sure your water doesn’t come through the base of the colander. Add the lobster tails to the colander base and cover the colander with a tight fitting lid, trapping the steam inside the colander. Steam as directed above.

Once the onions have cooked down, increase the heat and add the curry powder, tomato paste and grated garlic. Fry for 3 minutes on medium high. Remove the onion mix from the pan and set aside to cool.

While the onions cool, slice your buns in half. Lightly spread the insides with the 2 tbsp of mayo and then place on a pan to toast until golden brown.

Add 2 tbsp of the onion mixture to your remaining mayo and stir to combine. Season the mayo with salt and lemon to taste.

Remove the lobster meat from the shells and chop into bite-sized pieces. Add the tail meat to a bowl and spoon in enough of the mayo to lightly coat the lobster.

To assemble, add a spoon of mayo to the base of the brioche buns, top with lettuce, tomato, the saucy lobster meat and finally a slice or two of bacon. Add a skewer to hold it all together, then tuck in and enjoy.

Reprinted with permission from The Culinary Cartel. For more recipes check out their website or follow on Instagram.