Tours Travel

Grilled Lobster Tails Marinated in Coconut Milk and Sour Orange

In the sparkling turquoise waters around Spanish Wells, Bahamas, where galleons fell into the embrace of Davy Jones’ Locker in the hidden corals of The Devil Backbone Reef, the skin of spiny lobster. Caught for generations by sailors on this smallest inhabited island of the 700 Islands of the Sun, lobster offers a delicious dish.

If you want to visit Spanish Wells and buy lobster at the docks, you’ll need to fly into Nassau, then take a puddle bridge to North Eleuthera, where you’ll take a taxi to the shore and then a water taxi across the channel to the off-island. . Trust me though; worth the trip. Lobster doesn’t get any fresher than this. And you’ll find no shortage of coconuts or tart oranges for this sweet marinade. Palm trees line the pink sand beaches of this little treasure and sour orange trees, planted long ago by local farmers, have gone wild.

When you get to the dock, ask for Chuck. You’ll find him on his 78-foot boat, the Sea Gem. A third generation fisherman, he can tell you the Spanish Wells spiny lobster story better than I can. Be sure to ask him about the time he drove home from the banks of the Grand Bahamas in the middle of a hurricane. And after he tells you his story, be sure to tell him that I said “Hi!”

The recipe

3-4 spiny lobster tails (also known as crabs)

1 cup coconut milk (canned is fine)

½ stick of butter

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 gloves of crushed garlic

Juice of one bitter orange or two fresh limes

pinch of sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1. Using kitchen shears, cut lobster tails in half lengthwise and remove intestinal tract.

2. In a large skillet, combine coconut milk, butter, onion powder, minced garlic, bitter orange or lime juice, sea salt, and pepper. Heat until butter melts. Remove from heat.

3. Soak lobster tails in marinade, meat side down, for 20-30 minutes.

4. Spray grill with nonstick spray or brush lightly with olive oil and heat over medium-low heat.

5. Grill lobster 3 to 5 minutes on the meat side, then 3 to 5 minutes on the shell side, watching for opacity to disappear and color to turn white. Don’t overcook.

6. Baste occasionally with ¼ cup of marinade while cooking

7. While lobster cooks, bring remaining marinade to a boil and reduce by half.

8. Serve grilled lobster with reduced marinade as a side sauce.

9. Enjoy!

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