Lobster Panzanella Salad

Celebrate the flavors of summer with this bright and colorful Lobster Panzanella Salad with generous chunks of sweet lobster hugged in a tangy champagne vinaigrette. This Italian inspired salad is easy enough for any night of the week yet special enough to entertain with.

Pop open the bottle of chilled rosé and say cheers to the summer! This vibrant salad combines cool and crisp vegetables with sweet grilled corn, succulent lobster, and crunchy charred bread perfect for absorbing the light and sunny dressing. So fire up your grill, split those lobster tails, and let’s make a salad that will wow your friends and family.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Versatility – I used grilled lobster tails for this recipe but you can use any type of already cooked lobster. You can even take the help of your seafood market and buy already cooked whole lobster or lobster tails, making this salad that much easier.
• Customizable – This grilled panzanella salad includes vegetables traditional to this dish like tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers and then adds charred sweet summer corn which pairs well with the lobster. However, you can easily swap out any of the vegetables for your favorites. You can also play around with the vinegar a little in the dressing.
• Make Ahead – You can prepare all of the components for this salad a day in advance and then assemble it just before you’re ready to serve. That makes this dish ideal to entertain with.
• Easy Process – The only real cooking required for this recipe is to cook the lobster, char your bread, and quickly char the corn. The rest is simply assembly.

What Is Panzanella?

Sign me up for any salad that makes bread a required ingredient and celebrates the tomato! Panzanella salad is a rustic Italian summer dish from Tuscany that combines stale bread, onions, and tomatoes with oil and vinegar. The stale bread absorbs the juices from the tomatoes and onions along with the oil and vinegar.

Until the 20th century tomatoes weren’t a part of panzanella with onions being the main focus. Now, not only are tomatoes a key component, but you will also find other ingredients such as cucumbers, basil, mozzarella, and proteins like anchovies and tuna. This dish is a great way to give stale bread an entirely new life.

Key Ingredients for Lobster Panzanella

• Lobster – You will need 1 1/2 pounds of cooked lobster for this recipe, or about 1 1/3 cups. If you have a little more or a little less that is okay. I used grill ready lobster tails from LobsterAnywhere for this salad but whole lobster, lobster tails, or claw and knuckle meat will all work.

• Bread – You will want either a baguette, boule, or demi loaf of sourdough, Italian, or French bread. It’s better bought a couple of days in advance so it can get a little stale and dry.
• Vegetables – In addition to tomatoes, red onion, and cucumbers this salad also has corn. This is very much a summer salad so use fresh.
• Vinaigrette – Olive oil, champagne vinegar, lemon juice and zest, Dijon mustard, and honey make up the components of this light and bright dressing.
• Basil – Not only does basil just belong with tomatoes but it’s slightly sweet anise flavor pairs perfectly with lobster.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano – This is completely optional but adds nuttiness, salt, and umami. Plus, is cheese ever a bad idea?

How to Make Lobster Panzanella Salad

This seasonal summer salad comes together in just a few simple steps. Whether you grill your lobster or use boiled lobster it still only takes minutes to prepare. It is a hearty yet light lunch, beautiful brunch dish, and perfect for those hot summer nights when you want to cool down.

• Add your tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion to a bowl and salt them. Allow them to sit for 15-30 minutes or while you prepare your grill. The salt will draw out their juices and season them while making their juices part of the salad dressing.
• Prepare your grill for direct grilling. If using a charcoal grill spread your charcoal out in a uniform layer. If using a gas grill, you will want to heat it to about 400 degrees.
• Brush your bread and corn with olive oil. Place the corn and the bread over direct heat. The bread will char quickly, only taking a couple of minutes per side. You are looking for grill marks on the bread and to dry it out even more. Turn your corn every couple minutes allowing all sides to char. Remove from the grill and allow to cool.

• Remove the corn from the cob and cut your bread. Once your corn has cooled remove the kernels from the cob. Cut or tear your bread into about 1″ cubes.
• Cut your lobster. Chop your lobster into about 1/2″ bites.
• Make your vinaigrette. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a mason jar and shake to combine. You can also whisk it together if you like.
• Add the bread to the bowl. Add the bread cubes into the bowl with the tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.
• Add your corn, lobster, and basil. Finally add the lobster, corn, and basil. Pour the dressing over the top and carefully fold over to combine and coat all of the ingredients in the dressing.
• Garnish with grated or freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and extra basil. Grate a little fresh parmesan over the top and garnish with extra basil.

Substitutions & Variations

• Shrimp – You can substitute the lobster in this recipe for shrimp. Pick larger shrimp that you can cut into generous chunks. You will need a pound of shrimp.
• Vegetarian – Not a fan of shellfish? No problem. Leave out the lobster and this is still a taste of pure sunshine.
• Mozzarella – You can add pearl mozzarella balls to this if desired.
• Grilled Zucchini/Squash – Go ahead and throw zucchini and squash planks on the grill with your corn and bread.
• Vinegars – Red wine vinegar is a classic choice for this salad. Sherry vinegar and white wine vinegar are also great options. I wouldn’t recommend balsamic vinegar as it would over power the lobster and also change the color of the bread.

How to Store Lobster Panzanella Salad

All of the components of this salad can be made ahead of time and stored separately.

• The lobster can be cooked up to three days in advance. You will want to keep it stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• The bread and corn can be charred on the grill a day or two in advance. Remove the corn kernels from the cob and transfer to a plastic storage bag or Tupperware and keep refrigerated. The bread can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container or plastic bag.
• You can make the champagne vinaigrette up to a week in advance. Keep it refrigerated in a mason jar. The olive oil will slightly harden so allow it to come to room temperature before shaking to emulsify it.
• Once you have assembled your salad you will want to ideally eat it within the same day, but it will keep for another day refrigerated. Just keep in mind that the longer the bread sits in the salad the softer it gets.

Tips From the Beach

• Don’t stress the measurements of lobster, bread, and vegetables. Especially the lobster it’s okay to add a little more or a little less. The bread you want to fully absorb the dressing but you still want it to have a little integrity. Go ahead and add more if you like a more firm texture.
• Know your lobster source. Lobster is a luxury ingredient so you want to make sure that you’re buying from a reputable source. Many times when buying lobster from the grocery store the lobster was previously frozen and then defrosted without you know how long its been defrosted in the case.
• Don’t skip the step of salting your vegetables and allowing them to marinate. Not only will it draw out their natural juices adding even more flavor to this salad, but it also mellows the bite of the red onion.
• Don’t use a soft bread for this recipe. Breads like brioche and challah are too soft and will get soggy sitting in the dressing. Instead use a good sourdough, Italian, or French bread. Ciabatta is also a great option.

Looking for more recipes that celebrate the tomato? Make sure to check out Fried Burrata with Burst Tomato Sauce.

Lobster Panzanella Salad

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Celebrate the flavors of summer with this bright and colorful Lobster Panzanella Salad with generous chunks of sweet lobster hugged in a tangy champagne vinaigrette. This Italian inspired salad is easy enough for any night of the week yet special enough to entertain with.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Salad
• Method: Grilling
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Lobster Panzanella Salad

• 1 1/3 cups cooked lobster meat, cut into 1/2″ chunks, about 1 1/2 pounds
• 6 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1″ slices
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup English cucumber, sliced, seeds removed
• 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
• 3 ears of corn
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
• Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Champagne Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey

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Instructions

1. Add your tomatoes, onion, and cucumbers to a large serving bowl and sprinkle the salt over them. Toss to combine. Allow to sit for at least 15-30 minutes or while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 
2. Prepare your grill for direct grilling. If using a charcoal grill spread your coals in an even layer. If using a gas grill heat your grill to about 400 degrees. Make sure your grates are clean.
3. Brush both sides of your bread with olive oil. Brush your corn with olive oil.
4. Place the bread and corn on the hot grates. The bread will char quickly. Flip after about two minutes. Remove from the grill once it has grill marks and has begun to dry out. You don’t want it to burn.
5. Continue to flip your corn until all sides are charred. Remove from the grill and allow to cool. 
6. Remove the kernels of corn from the cob and add to the bowl of vegetables.
7. Cute the bread into 1″ cubes and add to the bowl.
8. Add all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette to a mason jar and tightly close the lid. Shake vigorously to emulsify. You can also whisk it together if desired. 
9. Add the lobster and basil to the bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top and gently fold over to fully combine and coat all of the ingredients in the dressing.
10. Taste for salt and pepper, adjust if needed.
11. Garnish with freshly grated or shaved parmesan and extra basil. 

Notes

1. You can substitute the lobster in this recipe for shrimp.
2. Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, and sherry vinegar are all delicious in this salad.
3. Don’t skip the step of salting your vegetables ahead of time! This draws out their juices which becomes part of the dressing and also takes the bite out of the red onion.