Spice Rubbed Bahamian Lobster Tail with Red Chile-Coconut Sauce

De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.

Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.

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Ingredients:

Red Chile-Coconut Sauce:

2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2″ piece fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
6 whole chile de arbol, stems removed
4 cups lobster or shrimp stock or fish stock
1 roasted red pepper, pureed
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Jerk Rubbed Lobster Tails:

1 Tbsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. habanero powder
1 tsp. dry thyme
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 spiny lobster (Bahamian lobster)
canola oil
fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

Red Chile-Coconut Sauce:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat and add the onion. Cook the onions until soft, then add the garlic, ginger and chile de arbol and cook for 1 minute.

Add the stock and roasted red pepper puree, and cook until the mixture reduces by half. Add the coconut milk and cook again until the sauce reduces by half, stirring occasionally. Add the lime juice, honey and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

For the lobster tails:

Whisk together all the spices in a medium bowl.

Bring a large stock pot filled with salted water to a boil and add the lobsters and parboil them for approximately 12 minutes.

Remove them and place in a bowl of ice water. Drain well and remove the meat from the tail and cut into 1″ pieces. Dredge the lobster meat in the spices and tap off any excess.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan over high heat until shimmering. Add the lobster and cook until golden brown on all sides.

Ladle some of the Red Chile-Coconut Sauce onto a large platter and top with the lobster meat. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Yields 4 servings.

Recipe by Bobby Flay.