Practice Makes Perfect - Shrimp & Lobster Fra Diavolo

You may have heard, I'm a touch bit neurotic. This will come as no surprise to the poor folks (friends, family, workmates, and strangers) who've endured my constant yammering about the fact that, for the third year running, I'm hosting our family's annual Christmas Eve meal - a traditional Italian multi-course  Feast of the Seven Fishes. 

Rock Shrimp & Lobster Fra Diavolo over Fettucine, Photo: NK

I yammer when I'm nervous. 

Even the most practiced cooks can come down with a case of stage fright around the holidays. I am no different. I like everything to come out perfectly seasoned and satisfying, and I often end up driving myself a bit bonkers in the process. But that's the good thing about this blog - I drive myself nuts so you don't have to! Our recipes are all tried and true, and where possible, I've added tips and tricks to increase the ease of each dish as well as minimize any potential for error.

Still, the number one way I keep my culinary cool is to try and practice new dishes in advance. There's nothing like the peace of mind that comes from having made a dish before. It's also true that the more you make it, the easier it gets until one day, it's become second nature. That's just what we're doing today as we try our hand at Rock Shrimp & Lobster Fra Diavolo over Fettucine. It's a lot like last year's Christmas Eve dish of Shrimp Arrabiata. I just happen to find pasta and spicy tomato sauce to be the perfect vehicle for seafood.

Now, a few words for Lidia Bastianich on her recipe that we've adapted today:

The amount of peperoncino you use to obtain the “Fra Diavolo,” or “Brother Devil”, is to your liking. Fra Diavolo sauce, originally used with lobster chunks still in the shell, is a creation of Italian immigrants in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century.

The Results:
Shrimp and Lobster Fra Diavolo is, as I predicted, pretty easy to make. After gobbling it all up ourselves last night, the husband and I feel pretty confident that it will be well received on Christmas Eve. I've included my "make-ahead" strategy below so you too can make this dish company-ready, although I think it could certainly be prepared fully and fridged for 5 or 6 hours in advance (just reheat low and slow so the fish doesn't get tough). Start to finish, it only takes about 35 minutes, so it's a great addition to your easy to execute repertoire. Stay tuned for the full play-by-play of our Feast of the Seven Fishes meal next week. Enjoy!

Shrimp & Lobster Fra Diavolo
Adapted from Lidia Bastianich
Serves 8 as an Appetizer or 6 as a Main Course

Ingredients: 

San Marzano Tomatoes, Photo: NK

1.5 Lbs Long Pasta of your choice - we used Fettucine
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 large cloves of Garlic, peeled and crushed 
5 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
1 teaspoon Sea Salt, divided

1.5 Lbs Rock Shrimp OR 1 Lb Rock Shrimp & 1 8-Oz Lobster Tail, cut in bite-sized chunks

1.5 cups diced Celery (inner stalks)
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper or to taste
1 - 28 Oz Can Whole Peeled canned San Marzano Tomatoes 
1 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Capers, drained
1/4 Cup Italian Parsley, chopped 

Searing the Shrimp, Photo: NK

Method:
1. In a very large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and garlic cloves. As the garlic begins to sizzle, add the sprigs of thyme 

2. Now add shrimp (and the lobster if using). Season the seafood with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and toss it around the pan for about 2 minutes until shrimp and lobster are opaque and somewhat firm. Using a slotted spoon, remove shrimp and lobster to a plate and set aside.

3. Add the celery to the skillet. Cook until wilted, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crushed red pepper and allow to toast about 1 minute. Pour in all the contents from the canned tomatoes plus about 3/4 cup water. Using a potato masher, crush the whole tomatoes a bit right in the pan. Season with another 1/2 teaspoon of salt. 

 
4. Now is the time to start some salted pasta water to boil. Once boiling, prepare pasta according to package instructions. 

Preparing the Sauce, Photo: NK

5. Bring the sauce to a simmer and allow to cook until the celery becomes tender and the sauce thickens - about 15 minutes or a bit more should do it. 
Now, stir in the capers and return the sauce to a boil. Add the shrimp (and lobster, if using) back into the skillet. Warm through, stirring, for another 2 minutes or more until fully cooked. Stir in the parsley. 

6. Plate each portion of pasta and top with a scoop of the sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Make Ahead Strategy:
To serve this meal for guests, I recommend preparing the recipe as above, all the way through, but skipping step two (where you cook the fish). About 20 minutes before you'd like to serve the meal, set a pot of water to boil for the pasta and put a low flame under your already prepared sauce. About 5 minutes before your pasta is finished cooking, cook the seafood in a separate saute pan with hot oil, tossing until cooked through. Add the fish to the pasta sauce, plate, serve, enjoy!

The Easy & Fast Way - Marc Forgione's Chili Lobster & Texas Toast

 Marc Forgione/TriBeCa, Photo Courtesy of Restaurant Marc Forgione

"Chef Way, Real Way" is one of my favorite features in Food and Wine Magazine. In it, the magazine's contributors figure out ingenious ways to make even the most involved and time consuming pro chef dishes more accessible to the home cook. 

This week, motivated by a fierce, ever-burgeoning obsession with a restaurant dish that "had me at hello," we're tackling Iron Chef Marc Forgione's bestselling appetizer "Real Way" style:

Chili Lobster with Texas Toast

Restaurant Marc Forgione in NYC's TriBeCa is a delightful place for a special night out. Check out their website HERE.  Forgione's creative and playful take on New American fare is as unique as it is well executed. The restaurant's rustic yet still modern ambiance is warm and inviting, and the service is always on point.  Order Chili Lobster as your appetizer. Please. You won't be sorry. What's it like? Well just imagine bite-sized chunks of Lobster bathed in a super spicy, buttery, and herbacious Asian Chili Sauce served along with thick slices of Sourdough Texas Toast that's just begging to be dipped. So now you know why we just had to to remake this showstopper recipe for the home cook.

Photo Courtesy of ChefShop.com

Our Changes to the Forgione Version:
Forgione's original recipe calls for Lobster Stock. Stock can be time consuming to make and requires you to have several lobster carcasses on hand, which both drives up the price of the recipe as well as the time it takes to prepare. Some specialty food markets do carry a paste-like Lobster base specifically for Lobster Stock. If you can find it, that would be a great option. Instead, my gourmet market carried a more widely available high-quality seafood stock concentrate that listed Lobster as one of its ingredients - it's called Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold from a brand called More Than Gourmet. Use this appropriately red-hued concentrate at full strength for this recipe and you will be left with a fast and fantastic lobster-ish stock that does the job. If you can't find it, regular Seafood Stock is another great option. We like the one from Kitchen Basics. 

Photo: NK 

Forgione also calls for various parts of the Lobster to be sauteed and baked separately. To make our Chili Lobster the faster home-cook way, we exclusively use easy to find frozen Lobster Tails that need only to be thawed, sliced in the shell, and very briefly stir fried in a blazing hot wok. Our version of Chili Lobster will save you time and the hassle of buying and processing several whole lobsters. As an added bonus, you don't have to worry about boiling live lobsters if you are squeamish about executing the poor guys - which I absolutely am, hypocrite though I may be.

Time to get out your fish forks. We're ready to cook. 

NK's Chili Lobster with Texas Toast
Adapted from Chef Marc Forgione of Restaurant Marc Forgione 
Serves 2 as a large appetizer or light entree 

Ingredients: 
1 Lb of Lobster Tails - Four 4 Ounce Tails (defrosted if frozen)

1 Cup Lobster Stock - Or prepare your own Mock Lobster Stock according to the below* OR 1 Cup Seafood Stock (We prefer Kitchen Basics) OR** 3/4 Cup Clam Juice mixed with 1/4 Cup Water

Mint Chiffonade and Scallion Threads, Photo: NK

2 Tablespoons Sriracha
1 Tablespoon regular Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Ginger, minced
1.25 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tablespoons Mint, cut into a chiffonade
2 Scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced lengthwise into skinny threads (optional) 
4 Thick Slices of Sourdough, toasted
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

*Ingredients & Prep of Seafood Stock 
(Yields 3.75 Cups/Adjust to the amount you desire - **you will only need 1 cup of stock per every 2 servings)
3.75 Cups Water
1.5 Ounce Container of "Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold" Stock Base by More Than Gourmet 

~To make Seafood/Lobster Stock, simply combine the entire 1.5 Ounce container of Glace de Fruits de Mer with water and stir over low heat.

~**Alternate Seafood Stock Substitute**- Simply Mix 3/4 Cup Clam Juice with 1/4 Cup Water

Chili Lobster & Texas Toast, Photo: NK

Method:
If you haven't already, toast the Sourdough and set aside. 

Using a kitchen scissor, clip all the tiny legs off the underside of the Lobster Tails.
Place Tails on a cutting board and cut, keeping the shell on, into 1 inch pieces. Note that it is easiest to cut through the crease in the shell segments and it requires a little elbow grease. 

Pan Sauteeing the Lobster Pieces, Photo NK

Over a medium flame, add Canola Oil to a Large Saute Pan or Wok and heat until the oil begins to smoke. 

Add the Lobster Tail pieces carefully (the oil may spit) and cook about 1 minute, stirring. Flip pieces over and cook for another minute. 

Toss the Garlic and Ginger into the wok and deglaze the wok by adding 1 Cup of Lobster Stock or Storebought Seafood Stock. 

Remove Lobster to a plate.

Turn flame up just a bit and allow Stock to reduce by half. This should take a few minutes but make sure to keep your eye on it. 

Next, add Sriracha (less if you are spice sensitive), and whisk in the Butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, into the wok. Stir to combine. 

Add Soy Sauce, several generous squeezes of the Lime, and Salt and Pepper according to your taste. Turn off the flame and toss Lobster back into Wok and give it a quick stir to coat. 

To Plate: Portion out Lobster Pieces into two bowls. Pour equal amounts of Chili Sauce over each serving. Perch 2 Slices of Texas Toast on the rim of each bowl. Garnish the Toast with Scallion Threads and the Lobster with the chiffonade of Mint. Serve with fish forks and enjoy!