Baja style Grilled Lobster

 

What makes this Baja style.  A few things, mainly its a close copy of the grilled Lobster I had in Puerto Nuevo, Mexico years ago.  Its smoked pimenton (paprika) and ancho chili powder in a garlic butter basted with a squirt of lime juice before you flip them over.  Say what...yes you briefly flip them over just to get a little grill line and finish them off before serving.

What's the aluminum foil log on the side?  Thats another element of making it Baja style.  My first exposure it was grilled over a bed of mesquite coals.  To add that element to your gas grill take a sheet of foil, layer about a cup or so of mesquite chips, fold it up into a tight package and then puncture a few holes in it to let the smoke out.   Place the packet over a burner kept on high to get it smoking.  Et voila...mesquite smoke on a gas grill.

I'd be remiss in letting you think I broke the bank for 6 lobster tails to celebrate my daughter and her families visit for the 4th (and Hurricane Beryl).   I have a source for wholesale priced seafood that can't be beat.  It's Here Ya Geaux Live Crawfish and Seafood here in League City TX.  They serve the bordering communities and will be expanding as they grow their clientele.  Crawfish may be a specialty but they have other excellent seafood choices that are uber affordable.   If you're in my area definitely check them out.

Baja Style Grilled Lobster

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp Smoked pimenton 
• 1/2 tsp ancho chili
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Juice of one lime
• 6, 10-12 oz Lobster tails

Preheat grill on high.  Add foil packet of mesquite chips.

Place lobster on cutting board and make a lengthwise split through the hard back shell down through to the membrane underneath.  Fold the lobsters in half lengthwise to expose the meat inside.  Hint if you don't have a knife sharp enough to split the back, use kitchen shears to but the back then the knife to cut through the flesh.  Place prepared lobsters on a tray.

Melt butter and stir in garlic, salt, pimenton and ancho chili powder.  Baste the lobster tails with butter mixture.

Reduce heat for all burners except the mesquite packet to low.  Place tails shell side down and cook 4-6 minutes with the lid closed.  Just as the tails are bright coral and the top is nearly raw still baste with remaining butter and squirt lime juice on the tails.  Turn over and grill lightly 2-3 minutes until finished cooking through.

Remove from heat and serve with any Mexican style rice you like and a veggie.  To remove meat grasp the tail and insert a fork in the meat next to the tail.  With a little effort lift the tail meat out of the shell and enjoy!

Lobster Potstickers and Hong Kong Supermarket lovin'

I love the Hong Kong Supermarket that opened in my 'hood about a year ago.  Tons of impossible to find Asian ingredients.  And stuff that isn't so hard to find, but priced so good you can't walk away.  That's exactly how these lobster potstickers came about.  Cooked lobsters at $8/lb easily a quarter the price of what the local mainstream groc down the street from me charges.

When I spotted these beauties a few things crossed my mind, but since I've been in an Asian cookery state of mind the last few months lobster potstickers or dumplings came to mind.  I grabbed two and headed over to produce and picked up the fresh dumpling skins...dough already made, rolled thin and cut uniform size, 150 pieces for only $1/49, again something way cheaper than you'll ever find at the groc.

I scoured the web for recipes and eventually settled on a couple that sounded somewhat Thai in flavor profiel and went for it.  One called for ginger, a vague amount "thumbsized" so I went with my thumb which was way too effing big....my recipe here is a realistic amount, enough to flavor but not overpower the sweet of the lobster.

This is a recipe where having a food processor will come in handy.  A quick whizzaroo and you are done and avoided all the hassle of having to mince all those ingredients.

This recipe like all other potsticker recipes is excuted easiest with a nonstick pan.  The easy release ensures no broken potstickers in your skillet.  It also enables you to reduce the amount of oil used which helps you keep in a heart healty balance.

Lobster Potstickers

• 1 lb cooked lobster meat
• 1/4 c water chestnuts
• 2 4" pieces chinese garlic
• 2 T ginger
• 1 T  minced basil
• 1 T lemon grass
• 1 egg white
• 1 T corn starch
• 1 T Rice wine or cooking sherry
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t ground pepper
• 30-40 Dumpling skins (about 3 inches in diameter)
• water

In food processor add chinese garlic ( or 2 whole garlic cloves) and ginger to bowl of food processor.  Pulse until finely minced.  Add basil, lemon grass, egg white, wine, corn starch salt and pepper.  Pulse until combined.  Add lobster and water chestnut, then pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.

Take a dumpling skin in the palm of your hand.  Take a finger and dip it in water and wet the outside edges of the dumpling skin.  Place two teaspoons lobster filling into center of skin, fold edges over until they meet folding the dough skin in half.  Pinch edges firmly and place on baking sheet.  Repeat until all the filling has been used.

In a very large non-stick skillet over medium heat spritz it with cooking oil.  Arrange potstickers in pan in one layer.  (You may need to cook in batches if your skillet can't hold them all).  Cook 5 minutes then add 1/2 water to pan.  Cover and steam 5 minutes longer.  Remove lid, turn potstickers over and cook another minute or two until browned and all water has evaporated.  Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Prepared dumplings waiting to be cooked

Potsticker dumplings after they are cooked

Butter Poached Lobster

I've "heard" that lobster has dropped in price.  Locally here in my corner of L.A, not that much.  My local market did have 4oz tails on sale this week so I grabbed a few.  I decided to replicate "Butter Poached Lobster" that we had on our anniversary at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak last year.  The efforts were worth it as the lobsters natural sweetness shines when it is poached in butter much more so than when you just boil, grill or broil it. Simple ingredients simply prepared. Total success.

I did some research on the web and found that the butter used to poach isn't just melting the butter but rather creating a "Beurre Monte" or "Monte Beurre" butter sauce depending on the source you are looking at.  You use either unsalted butter or ghee a clarified butter.  I opted for the whole butter version as that is the most commonly used in the recipes I reviewed.

The sauce is tricky in that you have to whisk constantly over a low flame.  You can't allow the heat to break 190F or it will begin to break apart.  Letting it come to a boil you have lost it and need to start over.  I used my smallest burner and brought the water to a boil first, then reduced the heat to lowest setting and started whisking in the butter.  It worked for me.

After the lobster has been poached, you can strain the butter and use it for other cooking like sauteing or tossing in freshly steamed veggies.  Nothing goes to waste.

Another important step that appeared in a lot of the recipes I reviewed included par-cooking the lobster to make it easier to remove from the shell in one piece.  I used that step to minimize the waste and ensure I got every luscious morsel.  It is important to have this pre-cooking done prior to starting your butter poaching liquid as turning your back on the butter for even a second you run the risk of the sauce breaking.

Butter Poached Lobster

• 1 lb small lobster tails
• 1 lb unsalted butter cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 T water

Prepare a bowl with water and ice.  In a large pan bring 2 quarts water to a boil.  Add lobster tails and cook 2 minutes.  Remove and plunge in ice water to stop the cooking.  Cutting down the back of the lobster tail make a slit from stem to stern.  Split open the shell and extract the lobster meat.  Set aside while making butter poaching sauce.

In sauce pan add water and bring to boil. Just as bubble start reduce heat to low and start adding butter 1 cube at a time.  Whisk constantly and add butter one cube at a time when the previous one has melted. Whisk constantly to maintain the emulsion.

When all the butter has been incorporated add the lobster.  Maintain low heat and do not allow to boil.  Poach the lobster in the butter 4-5 minutes until cooked through and still tender.  Stir while poaching to maintain the emulsion and ensure good coverage of the lobster with the butter.  When done remove and plate!

Serve over a rice pilaf.