Queues de langoustes grillées Kinshasa is a collaborative effort.  The marinade comes from the diplomatickitchen, one that successfully prepares a crustacean of any sort for grilling, either in the kitchen on a stove-top grill or out-of-doors.  A very capable chef in Kinshasa improved on the original recipe with his neat method for grilling that contributes to the beauty of the finished result.

Queues de langoustes grillées Kinshasa ~ Grilled Rock Lobster Tails Kinshasa Style (for 6 people)

Note: To print this recipe, or any other diplomatickitchen recipe, go to the bottom of the page, at the end of the post, and click on the icon: Print & PDF. You will have the option of printing in smaller text size and without photos.

Timing Note:  The rock lobster tails marinate at least an hour or more before grilling.  The bamboo grilling skewers soak in water for 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 12 Rock Lobster Tails, thawed if frozen
• 1 cup of Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup of chopped Parsley, curly or flat leaf
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh Lime Juice
• 2 Tablespoons of Louisiana Hot Sauce…Tabasco is a good substitute
• 3 whole cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon of Tomato Paste
• 2 teaspoons of dried Oregano Leaves (not powdered)
• 1 teaspoon of Salt
• 1 teaspoon of Coarse Ground Black Pepper
• 6 cups of Roquette (aka Arugula):  chopped Hakurei Turnip Greens (stems and leaves) or whole leaves of Baby Spinach may be substituted for the Roquette if the Salad of Romaine with Arugula Dressing is served in the same menu as it is in Surf and Turf Chez Laeuchli.
• Optional Garnish for each serving:  chopped Parsley and a whole pickled Piment

Equipment:

• 12 slender wooden bamboo grilling skewers
• Aluminum Foil
• an Outdoor Grill:  the photographed rock lobster was grilled over a charcoal fire.  (The tails may be prepared on an stove-top grill instead.)
• a wide, heavy-bottomed Pan or a Wok for stir-frying the roquette

1.  Soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes.

2.  Make the marinade:  Mix together the olive oil, parsley, lime juice, hot sauce, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper.

3.  Remove the shells from the rock lobster tails, leaving the tail fan at the end attached.

4.  Place the tails in the marinade and marinate them, refrigerated for at least one hour.

5.  Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade for stir-frying the roquette (aka arugula).

6.  Dry off the skewers.  Remove the tails from the marinade and run 2 skewers lengthwise through each lobster tail.  The skewers will keep the tails straight as they grill.  Wrap foil around the tail tans so that they don’t burn during grilling.  (See the photo above following the ‘Equpment’ list.)

7.  Heat the grill and when the coals are gray, grill the tails, scoring them well with grill marks on each side, for about 6 minutes on each side.  Alternatively, the tails may be grilled indoors on a stove-top grill.

8.  Transfer the tails to a platter and cover them loosely to keep them warm for a few minutes while you sitr-fry the roquette.

9.  Mix the roquette with the 1/3 cup of reserved marinade.  Heat the pan or wok over medium heat until it is quite hot and add the roquette with the marinade.  Sitr fry just until the greens begin to wilt.  Set the pan of greens aside.

10.  Remove the skewers and aluminum foil from the grilled lobster tails.  Divide the greens among the plates and place two tails on top of each bed of roquette.  An optional decoration is a sprinkling of chopped parsley and a whole pickled piment on each serving.

A Note:  Queues de langoustes grillées Kinshasa ~ Grilled Rock Lobster Tails Kinshasa Style is the First Course of the Dinner Menu:  Surf and Turf Chez Laeuchli.  It will make a very good Main Course for a Light Lunch, as well.

An Invitation: You are invited to request suggestions from the diplomatickitchen for your own menus for any occasion by clicking on the feature ‘Ask and Tell’ here or in the Menu at the top of the page. Do you have a menu concept with a gap or two that wants filling…or perhaps you are an expat looking for ways to adapt your recipes to what is available in your temporary home…maybe you are just looking for a new way to use a familiar ingredient or would like suggestions on how to adjust quantities of a recipe from the diplomatickitchen for smaller or larger groups…Replies will be published in ‘Ask and Tell’ or sent by email if you prefer.

© Elizabeth Laeuchli, the diplomatickitchen, 2011-2013