Summery seafood salads

Lobster, with a luscious twist

Motif makes a luscious salad of lobster, avocado, artichoke, bacon and a hard-boiled egg, tossed with organic greens in an aromatic lemon-verbena vinaigrette. For a summery lunch, have it with one of the 30 mineral waters on hand. (Nova Scotia lobster Cobb, $18.50.)

Motif, St. Regis Monarch Beach Hotel, 1 Monarch Beach Resort Drive, Dana Point, (949) 234-3320.

Hearty, spicy and unusual

There are two unusual salads at La Cachette. The spicy one is blackened yellowtail on a bed of peppery watercress in a ginger-plum dressing spiked with a touch of wasabi mustard. On the side of the plate stands a tower of alternating slices of avocado and heirloom tomatoes. A heartier salad is fresh seared sardines on a mound of fingerling potatoes in horseradish lemon vinaigrette; a spoonful of sour cream and caviar goes on top. (Blackened yellowtail with spicy watercress, lunch appetizer, $15; lunch entree, $26; dinner appetizer, $18. Fresh seared sardines on a fingerling potato salad, lunch appetizer, $14; lunch entree, $25; dinner appetizer, $17; dinner entree, $26.)

La Cachette, 10506 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City, (310) 470-4992.

Dig in -- it’s organic

At Puran’s, which specializes in healthful and organic food, the seafood salad is grilled shrimp, ahi, calamari, salmon and whitefish served on tomatoes, basil and romaine tossed with a citrus dressing. (Grilled seafood salad, $10.95.)

Puran’s, 2064 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz, (323) 667-1357; 142 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 933-5742.

Louie and his many, many pals

The Lobster makes two salads overflowing with shrimp. The shrimp Louie features medium-sized rock shrimp with chopped romaine, diced tomatoes, sliced eggs, radishes and Kalamata olives, all tossed in a creamy Louie dressing. The shrimp chop is iceberg lettuce topped with bacon, tomato, avocado, sweet peppers and large chunks of shrimp in a smoky, spicy chipotle ranch dressing. (Shrimp Louie, $16; shrimp chop, $9.)

The Lobster, 1602 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica,

(310) 458-9294.

-- Jessica Strand