Spanish Lobster Tail Tapa, is my take on a Galician-style tapa, with lobster tails served in briny boiled potatoes, olive oil and smoked paprika.
The Intrigue Of Spanish Tapas
The traditional Spanish style of eating ‘small plates’ of various types of food, has finally made a splash here in America.
Having grown up in a Mediterranean influenced home, this concept of dining is not new to me.
In our home, it was called ‘Mezze’ while in the home of some of my Greek friends, it was called Mezethakia, and for Japan, it is called Izakaya.
Lobster Tapas
I can’t think of a better way to dine because lots of small plates, of a variety of interesting dishes, means we can sample so many delicious items.
The small plates could be anything from olives, cheese, breads, sliced meats or shellfish served in shells, to more elaborate single item dishes wrapped in savory pastry.
Abundantly speaking, can we imagine a more decadent tapa than one made from lobster tail?
Lobster Tails
Certainly, the entire lobster body will make for a fabulous seafood stock, of which I have done and turned into …. for other meals.
However, that meaty, delicious lobster tail is all I was after, to create my take on a popular Spanish tapa dish.
This lobster potato tapas spread is simple and yet profoundly decadent, as the lobster remains the star of a two-bite offering.
The Decadent Lobster
Can you believe I went all the way to Portland Maine just to enjoy a fabulous lobster? Well, I did, and it was a last minute trip I planned with one of my sons, a professional chef, who said it was where we’d have our best lobster.
He was right, in that we went to a dump of a restaurant, on a pier, because my son said Bourdain often ate there.
Of course, we had lobster rolls, and I’ve never seen an entire lobster tail sitting so proud on top of an unnoticeable bun. But it was fantastic!
One month later, it was the Christmas holiday season and I knew I had to serve lobster, of some sort, to my family.
Of course, my son purchased the best lobsters he could find for his mama.
How To Cook Lobster
I was told that I would have to kill the lobster, by putting a knife to the back of its head, for the quickest end to its life.
Fortunately, my son did it for me and gave me the lobsters immediately after the deed was done.
The recipe I wanted to create, only needed the lobster tail, but I also wanted to make stock from the shells, to cook the potatoes in.
And so, I simply separated the tail from the lobster and proceeded to make a stock by dropping the lobster tails and the remaining shells into a flavorful broth of:
- Onions
- Celery
- A chili pepper
- Garlic scapes, from my garden, or chives
Briefly, the lobster tails remained in the broth until they turned a bright orange, then they were removed while the stock continued to simmer and deepen its flavor.
Preparing Lobster Stock To Cook Potatoes
During the summer months, I grow lots of edible things in my yard, but come October, I discovered it was the time to plant garlic and onions.
By December, even though cold weather was setting in, an abundance of garlic scapes (the green stalks from the garlic), were popping up from the ground.
I used a bundle of the scapes in the stock, but you can use spring onions, chives or simply lots of garlic.
Finally, I would simmer the lobster shells with herbs, strain, and use this luscious lobster stock to boil the potatoes, infusing flavor into them.
Potatoes Are Way Better Than Rolls For Tapas
In my opinion, these lobster tail potato bundles are way better than a lobster roll, which often uses a poor quality bun as the carrier.
Who doesn’t love a flavorful potato! The potatoes have been boiled in the briny stock, reserved from cooking the lobsters.
So much flavor in the potatoes, you’ll want to boil a mound of potatoes and reserve them for another dish.
Having cooked the potatoes, they are ready to assemble the Spanish flavors for a lobster tapa, but wait… there is one more element to infusing flavor.
Assembling Spanish Lobster Tail Tapas
The lobster has been cooked to perfection, the potatoes boiled and flavorful from the lobster stock, now we assemble and serve.
We will want the best quality olive oil we can find, simply because great olive oil has such an amazing flavor that I use it in much of my cooking, sweet recipes as well!
Trust me, I once went to an olive oil tasting, on an olive ranch in California and boy is there a difference!
There are two more ingredients we need to bring this beautiful platter together; roasted red peppers, thinly sliced, smoked paprika (which I often make myself), and coarse salt of course!
Simply place one fourth cut of the lobster tail in the center of an opened cooked potato, a generous drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of smoked paprika and coarse salt. Lovely!
Equipment Needed
- Large stock pot
- Tongs
- Slotted spoon
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Serving platter
- Stovetop
Ingredients Needed
- Lobster tails
- Potatoes
- Roasted red peppers
- Olive oil
- Coarse salt
- Smoked paprika
- Onions
- Celery
- Chili pepper
- Garlic scapes or chives
Spanish Lobster Tail Tapa
Course: SeafoodCuisine: SpanishDifficulty: Easy4
servingsA Spanish influenced Tapa with lobster tails, served in briny boiled potatoes, olive oil and smoked paprika.
Ingredients
Lobster tails – 2, cooked
Potatoes – 8 small (2 inch diameter)
Roasted red peppers – 1/2 cup, thinly sliced
Olive oil – 1/4 cup
Coarse salt – to taste
Smoked paprika – 1 tbsp
Lobster Stock
Lobster shells
Onions
Celery
Chili pepper
Garlic
Salt
Garlic scape or chives
Directions
- Once the lobster tails have been cooked in the lobster stock and removed from their shells, cut each lobster tail into four pieces and set aside.
- Having cooked the potatoes in the lobster stock, set them aside and make a one-inch cut on the tops to open the potatoes, but keep them together.
- On the tapas platter you will be using, arrange the potatoes. Place one piece of lobster tail inside of the partially opened potato. Arrange the thinly sliced roasted red peppers across the tops, a generous drizzle of olive oil, salt and finish with the smoked paprika. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe Video
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.
