Grilled Baja-Style Spiny Lobster

Okay, I know it's almost Christmas and you're wondering, "why would I eat lobster during the holiday season?" But believe me, seafood is quite the popular dish during the holidays, especially for Italian families. When I lived in Boston I used to attend Chuck & Sheila's (who are of Italian descent) annual Christmas party and I looked forward to their celebration of the 7 fishes. I still don't quite understand where that tradition came from, but this recipe is quite good because it's easy and, come on, who doesn't like lobster? Basically we cook our lobster in Baja California like this all the time and I'm pretty sure you can try this with Maine lobster (I haven't yet), but just make sure you use kitchen shears or a cleaver to cut the tails in half. Lightly char green onions alongside the tails on the grill. Serve with ice-cold Mexican beer, but champagne works too!

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

Lobster:

• 6 (8-ounce) rock or spiny lobster tails
• 12 green onions
• Cooking spray

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash of hot sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Flour tortillas
• Mexican rice and beans, baby!

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat grill.
2. To prepare lobster, cut each lobster tail in half lengthwise. Coat lobster tails and onions with cooking spray. Place lobster tails, cut sides down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes. Turn lobster; grill 5 minutes. Place onions on grill rack; grill 3 minutes or until tender.
3. To prepare sauce, combine rind and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add butter, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle sauce over cut sides of lobster tails.
4. Warm the tortillas and serve with lobster and lime wedges, if desired, and the rice and beans on the side. Happy Holidays!

Linguine With Lobster And Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I was at Henry's today and they had lobster tails on sale for $5 each! So, of course I bought some. I came up with this recipe because I really wanted the comforting taste of a pasta dish, but I also wanted the fresh, buttery taste of the lobster meat. All of my measurements on this recipe are approximate because I forgot to measure my ingredients. I also used curry because I love the flavor of it with a heavy cream sauce, but this is optional. By the way, this is enough for two servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large red bell pepper, roasted and peeled (if you don't want to roast your own red pepper, you can use jarred roasted red peppers)
• Chicken broth
• About 1/4 cup your favorite marinara sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of finely minced Serrano pepper or poblano pepper
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 generous pinch of curry powder (optional)
• Unsalted butter
• Heavy cream
• 5 asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces
• A few basil leaves torn
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 large or 2 small fresh lobster tails
• About 1/4 cup red onion, finely sliced
• 1/2 lb Linguine pasta

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the roasted red pepper to your blender. Add about 1/4 cup of chicken broth, and 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Taste for seasoning, and add salt, if necessary and puree a few seconds more. Set aside.
2. With kitchen sheers, cut a slit in the underside of the tail. Remove the meat, using a fork if necessary. Pull the meat from the wide end to the tail tip.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the lobster tails and sauté until done, about 5 minutes, turning a couple times to cook evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and chop the tails into 1/2" pieces. Set aside.
4. In the same pan, add the Serrano pepper, onion, garlic, curry powder, if using, and a pat of butter. Cook for about 3 minutes, until soft and tender and fragrant.
5. Add the white wine and let this cook out thoroughly, about 5 minutes more. Add the roasted red pepper puree and cook a few more minutes. In the meantime, start to boil water in a large pot. Cook your linguine until al dente.
6. Add a few splashes of cream to the roasted red pepper sauce, and bring it to a simmer (I think I added about 1/3 cup of heavy cream), and the asparagus spears. Cook 2 more minutes then add the cooked lobster pieces and torn basil leaves, and remove the sauce from the heat so that the lobster doesn't overcook.
7. Drain the pasta and place on a serving platter. Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.