This is my recipe that won the 2014 Lobster Chef Cook-off at Bugfest By-The-Sea in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. This is my version of the lobster roll. Instead of boiling the lobster and putting it in a hot dog roll, we cook our tails on the grill and put a little tropical spin on the recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 spiny lobster tails (8 oz. each)
1 stick of unsalted butter
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
1 clove garlic chopped
Plenty of fresh key limes
1-2 dashes of hot pepper sauce
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
Fresh parsley
Coconut oil
2 large yellow plantains
Smoked paprika
King’s Hawaiian Original Sweet Rolls
Preparing the Key Lime Butter
Squeeze ¼ cup of fresh key lime juice. Blend garlic, salt, pepper and key lime juice together until well blended. Melt butter and slowly add to mixture while continuing to blend until smooth.
Grilling Your Spiny Lobster Tails
Prepare lobster tails for the grill by splitting them in half lengthwise and brushing with key lime butter. Grill tails cut side down for about 4-5 minutes until shells are bright in color. Turn tails over and brush the meat with more key lime butter. Grill for another 4-5 minutes until meat is white in color. Do not turn again. Do not overcook. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Frying the Plantain Chips
Mix paprika spice: 2 parts smoked paprika with one part each of salt and pepper. Slice plantain chips about a quarter inch thick and fry in coconut oil; flipping just once until golden brown. Remove chips from oil, toss with a generous amount of paprika spice and let cool on a paper towel.
Spiny Slider Time
Remove lobster meat from shells and chop into large chunks. Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, hot pepper sauce, green onion, a pinch of chopped parsley and 1 ½ tsp. of key lime juice. Lightly toss lobster meat into mixture. Slice sweet rolls down the middle, lightly butter both sides with key lime butter, then toast the rolls on the grill. Place generous amount of lobster meat on sweet rolls and serve with plantain chips. Garnish with key lime wedges and a sprig of parsley. Enjoy!
Suggested beer pairing: Floridian Hefeweizen, Funky Buddha Brewery
Executive chef Rich Barnhart, By The Sea Realty www.bythesearealty.com
