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BEL_Belizean Stuffed Lobster_Free_shutterstock_112416134

Caribbean Belize loves its lobster – so much so that a number of its towns even host annual festivals to celebrate it! If you can’t make it to LobsterFest in Placencia, Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker, fear not, as we’ve brought you our own version of a classic Belizean dish. The subtle coconut in this fresh and tasty recipe is a classic flavour of the Caribbean and we hope it will transport you, metaphorically at least, to sunnier climes for an evening.

  • Prep: 20 minutes
  • Cook: 45 minutes
  • Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
  • Recipe serves: 2

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-sized live lobsters
  • 1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
  • ½ leek, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup of fresh chopped tomato (de-skinned)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Butter or olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Pinch of paprika
  • Fresh parsley to garnish

Instructions

  1. Plunge the tip of a sharp knife straight down just behind the eyes of each lobster (in the space between the back of the head and the carapace) to cut the spinal cord and humanely kill the animal, then carefully remove the meat from the shells. Reserve shells.
  2. In a large frying pan heat the butter or oil and add the onion, pepper and leek. Simmer for 5 minutes or until soft, then add the tomato. Simmer until reduced (around 10-15 minutes).
  3. Meanwhile, boil the lobster shells to bring out the red colouring.
  4. In a separate pan, fry the lobster meat for one minute only in heated butter or oil.
  5. Add the coconut milk and fried lobster to the tomato mixture. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Simmer for around five minutes.
  6. Remove mixture from heat and spoon into the lobster shells to serve. Squeeze lemon juice over the top and garnish with parsley.

 

Variation:

This recipe can also be adapted to make an equally delicious baked lobster dish. Instead of frying the lobster, add it raw to the vegetables and tomato along with the coconut milk, then stuff the empty shells with the resulting mixture. Top with a breadcrumb mix made from melted butter, breadcrumbs (crushed Ritz crackers also work well) and grated parmesan and bake in the oven at 400 degrees F (gas mark 6) or until the meat is tender and cooked through. Garnish and serve.

 

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  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Heloise
    Heloise Buxton - Travel Expert

    Heloise started her Latin American journey as an exchange student in Santiago, Chile. With extended summer holidays this was the perfect opportunity to backpack through Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

  • Sophie
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Maggie
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

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