Lobster curry

23.2.21 | Recipe by Renz


This Caribbean-style curry lobster will have you licking your fingers while eating. Lobster tails simmered down in a rich curry sauce.

Lobster tails curried down in coconut milk in a black pot

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What's better than a good curry and some delicious seafood? A well-flavored curry dish is one of the best dishes to eat. And this lobster curry falls into that bracket.

Using some delicious Caribbean curry powder, and other spices, the lobster meat is simmered down till there is a thick coconut milk sauce.

I come from a curry country. This spice is one of the main staples in our cooking. The indentured Indian laborers brought the use of it to our country and it has become a staple across all ethnic households.

We "curry" just about any meat you can think of: shrimp, chicken, duck, goat, beef. We also use some of it in our side dishes when we are making them.

For this curry lobster, I decided to use lobster tails. It's easier to clean and cut up and it's also easier for me to find them in my area. If you do have access to get a whole lobster you can simply cut it up into pieces prior to cooking.

How to clean lobster tails


Most lobster tails are said to be cleaned prior to being stored to sell but I still want to clean them to my liking.

I first rinse the exterior in some cold water so that any preservatives or debris that may be transferred during storage is removed.

I then remove the little legs on the underbelly of the shell. You do not have to do that if you don't want to. Then I take lime or lemon half and rub it up and down the shells.

I put the tails to soak in some water and lemon juice mixture for a few minutes. Not too long as we don't want the meat to retain too much water.

I cut the tails up into pieces here. Three pieces for the size of the tail. Then turn each piece over and cut the bottom shell.

Once that is done, I pry the meat out from the shell a bit so that it's easier to access the meat when eating.

If you want to fully deshell the tail you can do that. Remove all the meat. But know that the shell gives additional flavor.

How to make lobster curry


This is a simple curry recipe. For seafood, the main thing is to make sure your sauce base has the full flavor before adding your meat to it. Seafood cooks quickly, so you don't want to have it in the sauce too long because you are still seasoning it up.
  
A bowl of seasoned lobsters prior to cooking


If you ever wondered why your cooked lobster is rubbery, it's because it has been overcooked.

I season up my lobster tailpieces with a few staples: green seasoning, tomato, fresh thyme, season with salt and black pepper, and set aside. It can stay for a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge.

I also, use coconut milk. Fresh is always best so if you can, go ahead and make some using fresh coconut. If not, then canned is also a great option, just make sure you are using unsweetened milk. And if you also happen to have the powder version, just follow the mixing direction to make the same amount of milk I have listed.

Some people like to make a curry paste base when currying, but I do not do that for this recipe. I just add the spice powder blend directly to my hot oil.

  
Spices used to curry lobster: curry, geera, masaala, turmeric



I started with what we call "choonkay-ing", which is to burn garlic cloves (or a garlic puree) in hot oil then add our curry spices to cook a bit until the flavor of the spices come out.

When the spices begin to look grainy in texture and dark, add your lobster tail pieces to the pot and mix so that it gets coated in the curry base.

Then add your coconut milk, boiling water, pepper, bring to a boil then lower it to simmer away covered.

How do I know my lobster is cooked?


Make sure the tails have turned pink in color.

Use a sharp-tipped knife, poke the underside of the shell where the meat is, it should be white in color. That means it is fully cooked. If it is still translucent, then a little more time is needed.

If while it's cooking, you think the lobster is done, but your sauce is still thin, then you can remove the lobster and leave the gravy to thicken to your liking. You do not want to overcook the lobster.




Storage and Reheating




I'm not a massive fan of reheating seafood much less curry seafood. The lobster can stay in the fridge maximum of three days after cooking. If you are going to freeze it, freeze it as soon as possible.

I would not freeze it after being in the fridge for two days.

To reheat, If taking it from the freezer, leave it in the fridge to defrost, then reheat it on the stove. Add some water to the pot and then on medium heat and cover, cook till warmed all the way through. ALL THE WAY.

You can microwave it also for faster heating, but a stovetop is the better method. Whichever way, just make sure it is heated all the way through.

  
A plate of lobster curry with white rice and lemons.

What to pair with this lobster


This finger-licking dish can be paired with plain white rice, coconut rice, or even with some dumplings.

Plain white rice is my favorite though.

If you love a good curry dish, then make sure you check out some of my other Caribbean curry recipes:














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