Angry loster and a shitty photo

I went to our local fish market the other day since they are one of the only places in town where I can get fresh sushi rolls to take home. I could get some at the Super Walmart too but Walmart and sushi should not go together.

As I was getting the sushi, I noticed a sale on lobster. I am generally a fan of lobster and while cooking a whole live lobster is a goal of mine, I decided to stick with just a tail this time. The last time I made lobster, I poached it in butter and while it was awesome, I wanted something different.

So I hopped on epicurious and found a recipe for Angry Lobster. With a name like that, it can't be bad. So I got to work preparing the lobster, when this happened:


I should have gone to the prompt care to get stitches, much like my mandolin experience, but I was home alone with The Good Daughter, so I just had to tape it up and move on. This is round 1 with the tape. I bled through this set up two more times before I got things under control. No blood got on the food though.

Moving on to the lobster. This was a firey fried version of lobster and what is not to love about that? I didn't want to add too much heat to this and overpower the lobster, so I was pretty conservative with the spices. It turned out really well, despite the shitty photo. I blame that on the pain.

I also didn't follow the sauce directions at all really. I just cooked some garlic and chili flakes in butter and served it on top of the lobster.

Sine I was only working with one tail, I cut this recipe way down. The following are the ingredients to make 3 whole lobsters.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons coarse salt plus more to taste
3 2-pound live lobsters
1 cup peanut oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
1 cup lobster or chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 loosely packed cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup julienned Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
~Combine the flour, chili powder, cayenne, and salt in a plastic bag. Set aside.

~Remove the meat from the lobsters and place it into the seasoned flour. Shake to coat well. Remove the lobster from the flour and shake off any excess.

~Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

~Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Add the lobster pieces, cut side down, a few at a time, if necessary, and sear them for about 4 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the lobster to a baking sheet, and when all of the lobster is seared, place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.

~While the lobster is baking, prepare the sauce. Return the sauté pan to medium heat and add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the garlic is golden brown but not burning. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter and remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the lemon juice, basil leaves, and the tomato julienne. I pretty much eliminated this step. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

~To serve, spoon sauce over lobster and serve immediately.

Recipe inspired by: this