Large Plates

OFYR Lobster Tacos with Avocado Crema, Radish, and Sprouts

Summer in New England would be incomplete without at least one lobster centered feast. Tacos make serving lobster to guests an affordable luxury with casual appeal. Nearly everyone smiles when they learn that tacos are on the menu and downright grin when they realize it is lobster protein that will keep the tortillas company. The avocado crema is zesty and citrusy and helps balance the rich buttery lobster meat. The radishes add freshness, bitterness, and crunch and are an all summer easy to find veg. This dinner is gobbled up in minutes (if not seconds) and is fabulous served with cold bottles of beer. Allagash White, a Belgian style wheat beer, has orange and coriander notes that compliment the lobster's naturally sweet flavor. If you are wine drinkers, chardonnay's buttery character always elevates lobster centered meals.
OFYR Lobster Tacos with Avocado Crema, Radish and Sprouts|Weston Table
cuisine American
difficulty Easy
season Summer
serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 pound cooked lobster meat, tails, claws and knuckles, chopped into bite-sized pieces 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 ancho chile, dried 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced 2 limes, zested and juiced 4 radishes, thinly sliced 1 cup radish sprouts, trimmed Sea salt, to taste 1 avocado, large, halved and peeled 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream 8 to 12 flour tortillas Cilantro sprigs and 1 lime cut into wedges for serving, optional

Directions

  1. To make the avocado crema: Add avocado, crema, 1/2 of the lime juice and lime zest to a high speed blender or food processor and blend/pulse until smooth. Season with salt, blend or pulse to combine and chill, covered, until ready to serve.
  2. Prepare the OFYR grill to a medium heat.
  3. Toast the ancho chile on the OFYR ring until fragrant and blistered in spots. Remove to a small bowl and cover with boiling water. After 15 minutes, remove chile, pat dry, remove stem and take out seeds out. Finely chop the chile.
  4. Heat the butter in a small pot over medium heat on the OFYR.
  5. Add garlic and simmer until garlic is fragrant and softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool before whisking in chopped chile, 1/2 the lime juice and zest and half of chives. Season with salt and reserve.
  6. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat on the OFYR. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the chile butter to pan, then stir in the lobster. Cook until just heated through, about 3 minutes.
  7. Add the remaining chile garlic butter and stir to combine. Season with salt, if needed, and sprinkle with remaining chives.
  8. Meanwhile, have guests heat their tortillas around the OFYR ring until pliable and toasty, about 1 minute per side. Alternately, heat tortillas and remove to a shallow bowl lined with a tea towel, wrapping hot tortillas in the towel as they come off the grill.
  9. To serve, spoon some avocado crema onto the tortilla, scoop lobster into tortillas, and top with shaved radishes and radish sprouts. Serve with lime wedges and sprigs of cilantro. 

Kitchen Notes

These tacos are divine with lobster but fresh shrimp would be lovely too. Substitute with an equal amount of peeled and cleaned raw shrimp and saute with chile butter until just cooked through.Radish sprouts can often be found at farmers markets, in the refrigerated section of finer grocery stores or Asian markets where they are known in Japanese as kaiware. If you can't find radish sprouts, substitute with tender pea shoots, other microgreens, or simply finely shredded romaine or cabbage.

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