Puerto Nuevo-Style Lobster Tacos

Ingredients

Tacos

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
  • Toasted-Garlic Rice with Fresh Herbs and Lime
  • Crunchy Pear Salsa
  • Warm flour tortillas
  • Lime wedges
  • 6 1 1/2-pound live lobsters, rinsed

Toasted-Garlic Rice with Fresh Herbs and Lime

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
  • 3 cups low-salt chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 12 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel

Crunchy Pear Salsa

  • 3 8-ounce firm but ripe Bosc pears, peeled, cored, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 large serrano or jalapeño chili with seeds, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 3 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)

Directions

Lobster Tacos

Fill very large bowl with ice water. Bring large stockpot of water to boil. Plunge 2 lobsters headfirst into boiling water. Cook 3 minutes (lobsters will not be fully cooked). Using tongs, transfer lobsters to ice water to cool. Repeat procedure twice more with remaining lobsters. Using heavy cleaver or large knife, immediately cut each lobster lengthwise in half. Remove intestinal tract and rinse away green tomalley. Crack claws; remove claw meat. Place claw meat in body cavities.

Preheat broiler. Arrange 6 lobster halves, meat side up, on each of 2 large baking sheets. Brush lobster meat generously with some of melted butter. Broil 1 sheet of lobster halves until meat is just opaque, about 3 minutes. Repeat with second sheet. Arrange lobster halves on platter. Drizzle remaining butter over.

Spoon rice, then lobster meat and salsa onto warm tortillas. Fold up tortillas and serve with lime wedges.

Toasted-Garlic Rice with Fresh Herbs and Lime

Place rice in strainer. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well. Bring broth and lime juice to simmer in medium saucepan.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté until golden and sticky, about 1 minute. Add rice; stir 2 minutes. Add hot broth mixture and 3/4 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Cook until rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Turn off heat; let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Add herbs and lime peel to rice; fluff with fork. Season with additional salt, if desired.

Ref: www.epicurious.com

Not gonna lie, I had much higher expectations for this. It was good, just not great. And I think we agreed that we could have done without the tortilla and made it more about the lobster. I really liked the rice even though I only used about 2 cloves of garlic instead the of the suggested 12 cloves (holy stinky breath!) and no cilantro… I know, I know…. but a certain someone doesn’t care for cilantro…. lol I was super excited about the salsa after the last cantelope salsa came out so terrific, but this one was only ok… Mike also grilled the lobster tails on the grill stuffed with the salsa which I thought was a great twist and possibly the start of a better recipe next time with perhaps a different type of filling….

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