Lobster Tacos with Toasted Ancho Chile Salsa

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you are still having a lazy holiday break.

Louisa is back in action after suffering pretty severely from the flu. Nothing like the allure of a couple dozen Christmas presents to raise a girl’s spirits. The kids got some fun stuff, Hiro’s coolest gift was a crane truck that came with a child’s-sized drill so he can put it together and take it apart—perfect for his alter ego, Señor Destructo. Louisa got a Fitbit for kids called a LeapBand that has different physical challenges she can do and tracks her progress—she loves it. The Professor and I got a trip to Miami which we will be paying off for the next 6 Christmases.

With all the sickness floating around our house Christmas proved to be a bust in the food department. Instead of the tamales and pork shoulder we were planning on having I’ve made nothing but chicken soup for the past week. I plan to make up for it on New Year’s however, starting first and foremost with these lobster tacos.

Tacos are an everyday affair type of food, but filled with succulent lobster is a whole other story. Lobster gets eaten in our house once every 12-24 months so it is nothing short of glorious when it does appear for a very special occasion. I like to treat it with a delicate hand, nothing fancy here, just some lime zest and tequila to help it shine, these tacos are all about the buttery nature of the lobster topped off with some fiery salsa. Perfect for relishing the year that has passed and getting ready for all that awaits us—a celebratory taco if there ever was one.

If you are looking for more fun ideas for New Year’s Eve, how about:

• Mexican Salt Cod Crostini
• Deviled Eggs with Tarragon and Capers
• Apple Hot Pepper Jelly with Cheddar Pie Crust Crackers
• Oven Baked Avocado Fries with Harrisa Ranch

Lobster Tacos with Toasted Ancho Chile Salsa

Arbol chile salsa can be made up to a week in advance. Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

• Author: Kate Ramos
• Yield: 8-10 Tacos 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Tacos:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound cooked lobster meat
• 2 tablespoons tequila
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

For the Salsa:

• 1 cup dried arbol chiles (about 32 chiles)
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For Serving:

• Warm corn tortillas
• Cilantro-Lime Slaw

Instructions

To make the Salsa:

1. Heat a dry cast iron skillet or comal over medium heat. Add chiles (remove the seeds if you’d like it less spicy) and toast until fragrant and skin has darkened. Transfer chiles to a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit 30 minutes to soften.
2. Place onions and garlic in the dry skillet and toast on all sides until almost blackened, transfer to a blender.
3. Once chiles are soft, remove them from the soaking liquid (saving the liquid) and place them in the blender. Add remaining ingredients plus 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt or lime juice as needed.

For the Tacos:

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two, then add remaining ingredients. Let cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and serve immediately with warm tortillas, slaw, and a drizzle of salsa.

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