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….

Ingredients

Mayonnaise:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup finely diced sweet pickles (about 2 pickles)

Sandwiches:

• 4 (4 to 6-ounce) albacore tuna steaks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil for drizzling, plus 1/4 cup
• 4 teaspoons herbs de Provence
• 4 slices sharp white Cheddar
• 1 (1-pound) loaf ciabatta bread halved horizontally
• 2 cups arugula, thinly sliced

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and sweet pickles until smooth.

For the sandwiches: Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the herbs de Provence. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of fish during the last minute of grilling. Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom half of the bread with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Cut into 4 pieces, each about 4-inches long and 3-inches wide. Grill, cut side down, for 30 seconds to 1 minute until toasted and golden.

Spread the grilled bread with the sweet pickle mayonnaise. Place a tuna steak on top. Top with the arugula and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Ref: www.FoodNetwork.com

Loved it. Hands down a fantastic sandwich! I was running low on extra virgin olive oil so I had to skimp a tad, but it still came out great. I’m sure using the recommended amount of olive oil would have only added to the flavor. Never really used arugula before, but it’s a GREAT flavor with the fish. The only thing that we did differently was cooking the tuna steaks well. Still good but I’d still like to try it a little more rare. I was pleasantly surprised with the sweet pickle mayo. I’m generally a dill pickle girl and still may try it will dill later but the sweet ones were delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 small avocado, diced
• 1 cup 1/3-inch cubes cantaloupe
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon grated lime peel

• 4 6-ounce mahi-mahi fillets (each about 1 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Jamaican jerk seasoning

Ingredients

• 12 slices applewood smoked bacon or other thick-cut bacon
• 12 (U-10 size) sea scallops
• 2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 (6-inch) bamboo skewers, soaked in warm water for about 30 minutes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

• Recipe from “New New Orleans Cooking”, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the bacon strips on the parchment paper and bake until just beginning to get golden around the edges but still very pliable, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

Season the scallops on all sides with the Essence and salt. Wrap each scallop in 1 piece of the bacon, securing it through the center with a bamboo skewer. Repeat with the remaining scallops.

When the grill is hot, brush the grates lightly with oil, then place the scallops on the grill and cook, turning frequently, until just cooked through about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish each scallop with a dab of the butter and serve immediately.

Ref: Food Network

I interpreted “season the scallop on all sides” as “roll the scallop in it”. Yea don’t do that. Too intense and you lose the flavor of the scallop, so yes, SPRINKLE in a better word to use. haha! Great flavors though. Also it was decided that the bacon strips could be cut in half. But overall, quite delicious! And thank you Mike for taking on grill duty. Cooking scallops scare me… I’m still afraid I’ll turn them into rubber…. 😀

Ingredients:
Rub

• 1 TBSP brown sugar
• 1 tsp course salt
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Salmon

• 4 – 6oz salmon filets
• 1 cedar grilling plank, soaked
• honey for drizzling

Asparagus

• grape seed oil
• chopped garlic
• salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium low heat, about 350 degrees
In a small mixing bowl, combine rub ingredients
Rub salmon with desired amount of rub and set aside
Place soaked plank on pre-heated grill, close lid and heat for 3 min
Using tongs, turn plank over and place the salmon on the heated side of the plank
Close lid and grill for 12-15 min or until desired.
Remove planked salmon from grill and drizzle with honey

For the asparagus, I tossed it with the grape seed oil, garlic and pepper and let it marinate for a few hours, then I just put them on the grill till done.

Wine:
2008 Spiral Wines Cabernet Sauvignon
(Trader Joe’s recommendation)

Ref: Fire & Flavor
www.FireAndFlavor.com

This was super easy. I’m always shocked when something this easy comes out so delicious. I guess that’s my being “domestically challenged” again. HA. Anyways, I bought the cedar planks from Ralphs for $7.50 for two. That seemed kinda high for a stupid piece of wood. So after doing some googling, it’s nothing more than untreated cedar so I’m going to check out Home Depot later and see the price difference. Especially since after this dish, I’ll definitely be grilling on a plank more often! Note, UNTREATED cedar. I take no responsibility if you get high off fumes from treated cedar. haha! It’s a great flavor and I plan on trying some other meats on a plank later on, so check back. I just may have a recipe floating around that’s Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp and Scallops on a plank… Hungry now aren’t ya? 😀

Ingredients:
For the Salmon

• 3 sprigs of fresh basil
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs of fresh cilantro
• 1 medium lemon, juice and zest
• 2T fresh ginger roots
• 2c strong green tea brewed
• 2- 4oz salmon steaks
• 1 c baby greens

For the Salsa

• 1/2 mango peeled and chopped
• 1 ripe apricot, pitted and chopped
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1T fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1t lemon zest
• 1T lemon juice
• 1T crystallized ginger, minced
• salt to taste

Directions
Gently tie the basil, thyme, and cilantro stems with a white cotton string. (herb bouquet)
In saute pan bring the herb bouquet, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh ginger, and tea to a simmer.
Add the salmon filets and poach for 7 minutes or until opaque
Remove pan from heat and let salmon cool down in the poaching liquid

Salsa
Transfer all salsa ingredients to a bowl.
Hand toss the fruit and season with salt

Baby greens
I used baby bok choy, lightly stir fried in grapeseed oil with a splash of lemon juice and 1t of lemon zest. I also tossed in some roasted garlic I picked up from the La Jolla farmers market

Rest each salmon filet on a bed of baby greens, top with salsa!

Wine:
Ponte’s 2008 Chardonnay
(Coconut, marshmallow, green apple, vanilla)
www.pontewinery.com

Ref: Fork Me, Spoon Me Cookbook
(fyi, this cookbook is rad not only for the hilarious “sensual” writing style, but she uses herbs and spices together that I would have never thought to use.)

Ok, not gonna lie, I had a heck of a time tying those herbs together! I’m sure it was amusing to watch. lol Anyways, I did get lazy and didn’t measure out the zest and lemon juice to specifications because I only bought 1 lemon instead of 2 (Read the freaking recipe, right? ha!), so I think it was supposed to be a little more citrusy than it was. Still yummy, but I dig citrus and fish so I highly recommend not pulling a “jami” and follow the directions. 😀 I’m also going to admit that I had NO idea what “poaching salmon” was and I did google it because I was confused. Little did I know, just follow the directions for cooking the salmon and that style is “poaching”. wooooo.

I really liked the salsa even though I only used mango because I could not find fresh apricots after 3 stores. Yes that’s right THREE stores. Way too much effort for 1 stinkin piece of fruit. So I made due without. The crystallized ginger was an awesome and different “kick” to the salsa.