RECIPE AND RUB FOR WEST AFRICAN-STYLE BROILED LOBSTER TAILS

Ingredients

Rub ingredients:

1-inch piece of roughly chopped fresh turmeric or 2 teaspoons of powdered turmeric
1/2 bunch roughly chopped flat leaf or curly parsley
2 stalks roughly chopped celery stalks, leaves and all
3 sliced green onions
7 cloves smashed fresh garlic
2 roughly chopped fresh shallots
1 small sliced red onion
1-inch piece of roughly chopped ginger
1 small Scotch Bonnet pepper (spicy), or 1 medium chopped up red bell pepper stem removed (not spicy)
1 crushed small Maggi cube (you should be able to find Maggi cubes at an international or African Market)
1 Tbsp of canola oil

Tail ingredients:

Rub directions:

Add all wet rub ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is fully pureed. Scrape down sides, and process again. Repeat until it is more or less smooth.
Pro Tip: You can prepare in large batches and freeze them in ice cube trays. After the ice cubes of rub are frozen, remove the cubes from the trays and store in snack bags for easy and convenient use later.

Tail directions:

Thaw lobster tails in the fridge for about 24 hours before you plan to use them.
Using a sharp knife, halve each lobster tail lengthwise, cutting almost all the way through the soft side, and use your hands to pull gently at each side to lay the lobster flat.
Place split lobster tails on a flat surface and season with the wet rub. Place in a resealable plastic bag and close securely.
Allow lobster tails to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours.
Pull lobster out 30 minutes before broiling and allow to come to room temperature.
Heat your broiler to 450-500. Place lobster tails seasoned side up. Cook until the meat becomes opaque white and the shell turns bright red, or for about 8-10 minutes.
Brush with melted butter and serve immediately.