Lobster & Grits

Ingredients

Lobster & Veggies
1 lb. Phillips Lobster Claw & Knuckle Meat
3 oz. ancho chiles, destemmed & seeded
1 oz. guajillo chiles, destemmed & seeded
water to steep chiles
1/8 cup bacon fat (made from cheesy bacon grits recipe below)
2 ribs celery, diced
1.5 onion, slivered
1 green bell pepper, seeded & slivered
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded & slivered
1.5 Tbsp. dried oregano
3/4 cup reserved chile purée (made from toasting chiles below)
1.5 cups chicken broth
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Cheesy Bacon Grits
8 thick-cut slices of bacon
1/2 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Phillips Seafood Seasoning
1 1/2 cup 5-minute quick grits
1 cup sharp Cheddar, freshly shredded

Cooking Instructions

Note: before starting, read through all steps below to see what can be done concurrently.

Prepare Cheesy Bacon Grits:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF.
• On a parchment-lined baking sheet, cook bacon in oven for ~20 mins (or until desired doneness), turning halfway through. Remove from oven and transfer bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve 1/4 cup bacon fat from tray. Dice bacon, then set aside.
• In a small pot over medium-high heat, add half of the bacon fat and reserve the rest of it for the Lobster & Veggies. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from pot and set aside.
• Add cream, water, broth and Phillips Seafood Seasoning. Bring to boil. Add grits. Lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 5-7 minutes, occasionally stirring.
• Whisk in cheese until fully integrated, then remove from heat and fold in bacon, onion and garlic. Serve immediately topped with veggies & lobster.

Meanwhile, prepare Lobster & Veggies:

• Toast chiles in small pan over medium-high heat for ~1 minute per side, or until fragrant (pressing them with a spatula will ensure they toast more evenly). Then pour in just enough boiling water to cover them. Remove pan from heat and let chiles steep for 30 minutes. Remove chiles from steeping water and place in blender along with 1 cup reserved steeping water. Purée until smooth. Set aside.
• In a large pan over medium-high heat, add remaining 1/8 cup of bacon fat. Add celery, onion and bell peppers then sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until just beginning to get tender. Add 3/4 cup chile purée, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to simmer then simmer for ~10 minutes, or until flavors are fully integrated and sauce is slightly reduced. Stir in lobster and heat through. Serve immediately over Cheesy Bacon Grits. Serves 4-6.

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