Warm lobster taco with yellow tomato salsa and jicama salad
FLOUR TORTILLAS (makes 10-12 tortillas)
(serves six)
2 cups sieved plain flour
1tsp baking powder
½tsp salt
½tsp sugar
1tbs vegetable fat (shortening)
½ cup warm water
Sift together flour baking powder salt and sugar. Cut in fat until flour looks as though it has small peas in it.
Add enough warm water to make a soft dough. "Gently on this one " warns Fearing - don't make it too wet.
Mix well and knead on a well-floured board for three to five minutes or until shiny and elastic.
Cover dough and rest for 40 minutes out of any drafts. Without resting it is impossible to roll the dough out Fearing says.
Form dough into balls about 2-2½in in diameter. On a floured board roll into circles about 7in in diameter and ¼in thick.
Cook on a hot ungreased griddle for two minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Turn and cook on the other side for about one minute or until edges are brown.
Keep warm by wrapping in foil if serving right away or reheat in tightly wrapped foil.
YELLOW TOMATO SALSA
1lb yellow tomatoes
1 large shallot finely minced
1 large clove garlic finely minced
2tbs finely chopped fresh coriander
1tbs white wine vinegar
2 serrano chillies seeded and minced
2tsp lime juice
Salt to taste
1tbs maple syrup (if tomatoes are not sweet)
Chop tomatoes well but do not purée. Combine tomatoes and their juices with shallot garlic coriander vinegar chillies lime juice and salt mixing well. If needed add maple syrup to balance flavour and sweeten slightly.
Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
For a crunchier more typical salsa put tomatoes through fine die of a food processor.
JICAMA SALAD
Jicama or yam bean is a native root vegetable of central USA. It can be described as somewhere between a potato and an apple.
Fresh jicamas are white-fleshed - older ones go off-white. If jicamas are unavailable Fearing suggests substituting apple.
½ small jicama peeled and cut into fine strips
½ small red pepper finely julienned
½ small yellow pepper finely julienned
½ courgette with skin attached cut into fine strips
½ small carrot peeled and finely julienned
4tbs cold-pressedpeanut oil
2tbs lime juice
Salt to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
Combine vegetables oil lime juice salt and cayenne. Toss to mix well.
FOR THE LOBSTER FILLING
4 1lb lobsters
3tbs corn oil or olive oil
1 cup grated jalapeno jack cheese
1 cup shredded spinach leaves
Cook lobsters in lightly salted water for eight minutes or until just done. Drain and cool.
Remove meat from lobster tails taking care not to tear it. Cut into thin medallions (or medium-sized dice if meat breaks apart).
Heat oil over medium heat and sauté lobster until just heated through.
Spoon equal portions of warm lobster medallions into the centre of each warm tortilla. Sprinkle with equal portions of grated cheese and shredded spinach. Roll into a cylinder shape.
Surround with yellow tomato salsa and garnish each side with jicama salad.
ADVANCE PREPARATIONS
* Lobsters may be boiled up to a day ahead. Remove tail meat and slice. Store covered and refrigerated.
* Yellow tomato salsa must be prepared at least two hours (but no more than eight hours) ahead and refrigerated. Adjust seasoning.
* Jicama salad may be prepared several hours ahead and refrigerated. In that case omit salt until ready to serve.
* Cheese and spinach for tacos may be shredded several hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
