A Pinch of Lobster

We haven't had a tradition to be in the area over the July 4th weekend, but this year, we had a good friend, David come and visit, so we stayed put. And what better way to celebrate the 4th than with a good bbq?

By popular request, I opted for a seafood theme with the king of crustaceans as the star! Again, my sauce philosophy reigned over the menu - very simple preparation with three sauces to choose from; Chile Verde, Mentaiko Mayonnaise, and Carrot Orange. The lobsters were around 3.5 lbs from Maine and very very sweet. I reserved the lobster bodies and have frozen them for a lobster bisque kind of day (time to reserve your seats in advance).




Me showing everyone how it's done - my hat says "Chef Laura"

We started out with the best - Lobster tails and claws, (1/2 lobster per person), and then rolled out the rest of the food:

Idiot Fish, Barbecued Oysters, and Baby Squid



Steamed Clams and Mussels



Grilled Razor Clams



Corn Salad (Party Favorite), Quinoa Salad, and Veggie Salad



We finished almost everything, except about 20 oysters, and I had a surprise request for Oyster Omelette, which, even at the last minute, turned out super delish!



To finish, we can roasted Bailey Bananas and a Peaches and Cream cake (apparently, I can now bake!)



My favorite thing on the menu was Chile Verde sauce, that I twittered it's "awesome-nest" a week before. It's slightly spicy, with a nice tang, and the roasted peppers add a whole 'nother layer of depth to it. For this bbq, I only used it as a sauce for the seafood, but it would go extremely well with other white meats as well. I'm using the leftovers to braise some pork this week and I'm sure it will rock the boat or knock you off. Another way to use it would be to mix it in with cream cheese and serve it up as a guac alternative at parties.

Here's the recipe:

Chile Verde
Makes about 3 cups

6 ea Anaheim Chilies
2 ea Poblano Chilies
2 ea Jalapeno, Chilies
1 ea Green Pepper
2 ea Limes
1/2 ea Yellow Onions
2 ea Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Roast the chilies and green pepper on a grill or over an open flame until the skin is charred
Place roasted veggies in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap
Leave to cook for about 20 minutes
Peel skin and remove seeds from chilies and peppers, reserve any liquid
Zest and juice limes, combine with chilies, peppers, onions and garlic
Blend till smooth, then slowly drizzle in olive oil while blades are running
Season with s & p