Cedar-Planked Lobster Tails with Corn and Smoked Chile Relish
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
Ingredients:
For the relish
8 ears corn, silks removed, husks left on, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. chipotle puree
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp. mild vegetable oil, such as canola
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the lobster:
4 cedar planks (about 10×12 inches each)
4 (8-10 oz.) lobster tails or 8 smaller tails in the shell
mild vegetable oil; such as canola
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
To make the relish:
Heat your grill to medium-high.
Place the wet corn on the grill and close the grill hood. Cook, turning once, for 15-20 minutes until steamed through and hot but still crisp (test by carefully piercing with a knife).
When the corn is cool enough to handle, strip off the husks and cut the kernels from the corncobs by standing them on end in a large bowl and cutting downward with a small knife. Place in a medium bowl and add the onion. Whisk the chipotle, lime juice, and oil together in a small bowl and pour over the corn mixture. Mix in the cilantro and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. (The relish can be made a few hours in advance, covered, and kept refrigerated.)
For the lobster:
Heat your grill to medium-high.
Remove the cedar planks from the water and place them on the grill to heat. Brush the lobster tails with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the tails meat side down on two of the planks (leave the planks on the grill). Using tongs, place the two remaining planks on top (the planks will be hot). Close the grill hood and cook until just cooked through, 12-15 minutes. Remove to a platter and top with corn relish. Serve immediately.
Recipe by Bobby Flay with Julia Moskin from Bobby Flays “Boy Gets Grill” (Scribner, 2004).