Welcome to week 2 of my Nigerian Nights series! In this series, I am taking a culinary journey to Nigeria, my homeland and a country that holds a very special place in my heart for a variety of reasons. Nigeria is a case study in variety from it's variable landscape to its numerous languages, colorful culture and rich cuisine. This week I will not be featuring a typical Nigerian dish, but a Nigerian inspired dish and one of my own creations! My home city of Port Harcourt is home to some of the freshest seafood the Niger-delta region of Nigeria has to offer. I recall my childhood in Port Harcourt with Mum bring home freshly caught seafood which she concocted into the most delicious dishes. That memory is the inspiration for this dish where I have combined fresh seafood with coconut rice, one of my favorite Nigerian dishes.
Coconut rice served with baked lobster tail in a passion fruit sauce
Preparation time 20 minutes (does not include marinating time)
Cooking time: 65 minutes
Total time: 85 minutes
Ingredients (serves 4)
Lobster
2 lbs/32 oz/900 g lobster tails – 4 tails
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon allspice, ground
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Coconut Rice
1 cup black or brown rice
3 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can coconut milk (about 13.5fl oz. or 400ml)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh or dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage)
1 vegetable bouillon/stock cube
¼ teaspoon allspice, ground
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ onion (½ cup), diced
1 green onion, diced
½ green bell pepper (½ cup), diced
½ red bell pepper (½ cup), diced
½ yellow bell pepper (½ cup), diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
Salt to taste
Passion fruit sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 passion fruit, flesh removed
½ cup of water
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon honey
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Method
Place lobster tails in a large shallow bowl so they do not overlap. Do not remove the shell.
Mix the olive oil, garlic, allspice, salt and black pepper in a small bowl and pour over the lobster tails. Cover and leave to marinate. For best results marinate overnight.
Place the lobster in an oven dish and cover with foil paper. Bake at 350°F/180°C for 20 minutes.
While the lobster tails are baking in the oven, prepare the coconut rice
Rinse the rice with cold water for about 30 seconds.
Place the rice and water in a medium saucepan and cook over high heat partially covered for about 20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated; set aside.
Place a saucepan over medium heat and fry the garlic for about 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk, bay leaves, fresh or dried herbs, vegetable bouillons/stock cube, allspice and black pepper and bring to a boil.
Add the boiled rice and cook covered over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquids have evaporated and there is just a little bit of fluid at the base of the saucepan.
Add the onions, green onions, bell pepper, carrots and salt, then cook covered for 4–5 more minutes until all the liquids have evaporated
Next prepare the passion fruit sauce
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat, then add the garlic and fry until it just starts to slightly brown and gives off a fragrant smell (about 1 minute).
Increase the heat to medium, then add the passion fruit, water, bay leaf, nutmeg, honey, black pepper and salt.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 4 minutes
