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!

Lime Custard Pie

I love Key Lime Pie, but here in my corner of L.A the Key Lime is not easily found, and if you do find it, its stupid expensive.  Step in the trusty basic Lime found at the corner groc...its limey and tasty enough and much easier to juice than a Key Lime.

Hint, and this applies to all citrus, to get maximum juice out of them.  Have them at room temp, zap in the microwave 10 seconds and roll them on the counter with firm pressure prior to halving and juicing.  This ensures maximum juice for your effort.

Salt.  Its what balances sweet and sour and needed in this recipe.  Don't omit as your cutting salt in your diet, remove elsewhere...there isn't much and it does make a difference in taste.

I'm assume you have your own favorite pie crust recipe and will skip providing here.  I actually made an all butter crust for this that was really flakey and tasty, but any pie crust will work.  

Lime Custard Pie

• 1 9" pie shell prebaked

filling

• 1 c Lime juice
• zest of one lime
• 2 cans (14.5  oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/4 t salt
• 2-3 drops green food color

Bake pie shell according to your recipe instructions.  When lightly browned remove from oven.  Reduce heat to 325F.

Zest one lime first then juice.  Juice enough limes to make 1 cup lime juice.  Mix, zest, juice, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, salt and food coloring until well blended.  Pour into baked pie shell and place in oven for 25-30 minutes until just set.  It will still jiggle some and should not be browned on top.  Cool to room temp then place in fridge for at least 2 hours until well chilled.  Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream...or cool whip if thats your thing.

Margarita Tart

I got the idea from the Guy Fieri show last week. He did a "Tequila Lime Tart" and I thought that looks good! As usual I can't stay in the lines and do a recipe the way it was presented. This one got the wheels turning...why its almost the same flavors as a margarita. All that is missing is the hint of orange in the back to be a margarita.

I looked at the recipe a little closer and decided it needed to be a little limier too. So I opted to add in 1/2 t lime zest. And then I decided...hmm let's go for the Margarita profile and added in 1/2 t orange zest. Tasty stuff was the result for Bill and Stacey's Carne Asada BBQ tonight.

Margarita Tart
For the crust: 10 ounces vanilla wafers 1/3 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup butter, melted

For the filling: 2 egg whites 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 cup tequila 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
½ t lime zest
½ t orange zest
4 egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Fresh whipped cream, for serving

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Add wafers and pine nuts to food processor, pulse until well ground up. Pour into bowl and add melted butter.
Mix by hand, with a wooden spoon, and press into 10-inch tart pan. (reserve 4 tablespoons of crumbs to sprinkle on top when done baking.)

Place tart pan in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.

For the filling:

In a mixing bowl add egg whites and sugar, beat until there are soft peaks.
In another mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Fold in the egg whites. Pour into tart shell and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved crumbs.

Let cool before cutting and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Now for some of the tips and things I have learned over the years. Always bring your ingredients to room temp. Things mix better and actually let the flavors blend better than if you just pull them out cold.
Always make very certain your egg whites are at room temp. Always beat in a copper bowl. I don't understand the chemistry behind it but there is a reaction between the copper and the egg whites that allows them to incorporate more air. A pinch of tartar will help stabilize them as well.

When folding beaten egg whites into the base flavor mixture which is always much denser start by adding 1/2 your whites to the base and fold that in. When it is well incorporated you can pour that into the remaining whites and fold them in. This tempering allows you keep maximum air in the mixture while still getting it well mixed.

Bake your shell by putting it onto another sheet pan. This protects the bottom from cooking to fast. It also will catch any filling dribbles or boil overs and prevent a mess on the bottom of your oven. Lastly, doing that makes it easy to put the full shell into the oven without spilling as well as getting out easy without sticking your finger into the baked filling.