Enchilado de Langosta
Cuban lobster in creole sauce: lobster gently stewed in sofrito, tomato, white wine, and warm spices.
The Cook
Tap a number to check off a step. Tap a time to start a timer. Stuck? Serg picks it up from whatever step you're on.
Split the lobster tails down the underside of the shell with kitchen shears. Pull out the meat, devein, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Reserve a few shell pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot or wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent with no browning, about 6 minutes.
Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, and paprika. Stir constantly for about 60 seconds. Fragrant, not burnt.
Stir in the tomato paste and let it darken a few seconds. Add the tomato sauce, wine, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and the reserved shell pieces. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and cook uncovered 15 minutes to concentrate the flavors.
Pull out the shell pieces. Slide the lobster chunks into the sauce, spooning it over each piece. Cover and simmer gently about 7 minutes, until just opaque and tender. Pull it immediately when done. Lobster turns rubbery fast.
Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the vinegar and most of the parsley. Adjust salt.
Plate over white rice, spoon plenty of sauce on top, scatter the remaining parsley, and serve with lime wedges. Maduros and avocado salad complete the plate.
Serg's Notes
These amounts are already at my 1.5x bold profile. Lobster deserves a sauce that shows up.
Don't brown the sofrito for this one. Low and slow keeps it sweet, not bitter. And pull the lobster the second it turns opaque.
A splash of dry sherry alongside the wine is a traditional touch. Shrimp swap works beautifully, just cut the simmer to 3 or 4 minutes. For a deeper sauce, simmer the empty shells in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes and use 1/2 cup of that stock in place of half the wine.
Questions about this cook?
Substitutions, timing, scaling it up for a crowd: just ask. The chat will already know you're on this recipe.
Ask Serg about this recipe