Lobster Alert!

I called a good friend in Maine today, excited to tell her that I had received a hot tip on some lobsters for $7.99 per pound. She replied, oh yea they're $4.99 down here on the pier, a reminder that Maine does trump Boston for lobsters. If lobsters are the insignia for New England dining then there is no better place to get a cheap lobster than the deli at the local Market Basket store. This is a first rate New England grocery store where the lobsters are quietly hidden behind the deli counter, among other earthly delights. This is a place where you take an orange ticket and patiently wait your turn. The professionals at MB have a special repore with children who are dragged to the grocery store with their parents, kindly offering them slices of honey baked ham and roasted turkey.

Ever since that summer clambake in Truro, I've been known as the go to girl for lobster executions. I was adamant that the more humane way to kill a lobster was to stab its head to detach its nerve system instead of letting it steam slowly in a death pit. I think I methodically stabbed all 25 lobsters that day just to prove my own point.

But suddenly I was here in my kitchen with two lobsters on my hands and I didn't feel so righteous or brave. I was about to crack under the weight of my Buddhist guilt when I remembered Trevor Corson's article December 24, 2005 entitled,

How to Kill a Lobster, Dedicated to David Foster Wallace.

I could think of no better way to honor these fallen lobsters than to
make them the main attraction to my saffron scented Spanish Paella.



In a large pan, brown 1 large chopped onions, 2 sliced chorizo sausages, and 4 cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil. Add 6 cups of chicken stock, 1/2 tsp. saffron and 1/2 cup of dry white wine. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour out the liquid and set aside, keeping the onion and sausage mixture in the pan. Add the lobster claws and tails, cooking until hey turn slightly pink. Remove lobster from pan and set aside.

Return reserved stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Add 3 cups of aborio rice to liquid. Simmer, stirring often until 1/2 of the liquid is absorbed. Add a cup of frozen peas. Add two large handfuls of scrubbed mussels and 3 tbsp. of fresh chopped parsley, salt & pepper.



After the mussels are open, add the cooked lobster to the pan, stirring the mixture, on med-low for 5 minutes.



Here' s picture of the final product... Lobster Paella



We also enjoyed some lobster tamale toasts, stuffed clams, and fresh local, corn.