Lobster Recipes!

By Ann Hazard Lobster Puerto Nuevo Thirty miles south of the Tijuana border is what used to be a fishing village called Puerto Nuevo (or Newport in English). In recent years its size has multiplied many times over until it has reached resort proportions. Puerto Nuevo is renowned throughout Southern California for its succulent lobster. In the old days, local fishermen cruised the shoreline in their pangas (two tor skiffs) and free dove for the lobster off the rocks -- often without wet suits -- or scuba gear in the fall when the ocean wasn't exactly at its warmest. These days everything's a little more sophisticated, but the lobster is still fresh and delicious. There are lots of big restaurants in Puerto Nuevo now, most of which seem to be named "Ortega's," but when I first went there in the late seventies, there were only three plywood and tar paper shacks with dirt floors that served lobster this way. And what they served the lobster with back then was nothing more than refried beans and corn tortillas. So guess what I had?! Puerto Nuevo lobster is deep fried in lard, the Mexican way. If you don't want to fry your lobster, try grilling it on the barbecue or boiling it in water plus a half cup of beer for five minutes. When served with beans, rice, tortillas, Wilted Cabbage Salad and an array of different salsas, the meal takes on a festive atmosphere all its own. Frosty beers or Cokes a must with this one. Serves six to eight. 6 large Mexican lobsters, cut in half lengthwise 2 cups lard or solid vegetable shortening (optional: see above) 1 tbsp seasoned salt 1 tsp pepper 2 cups frijoles 2 cups Spanish rice 18 corn and/or flour tortillas 2 cups salsa fresca 1 cup salsa verde In heavy, deep skillet heat lard over medium high heat. Fry each half lobster for five minutes on each side, until meat is crisp, tender and will pop out of the shell on your fork. Continue for all lobsters. Drain on paper towels and place on serving dish in the oven on warm until ready to serve.Heat frijoles and rice. Place in serving dishes. Heat tortillas in microwave one to two minutes until warm. Place in covered bread basket. Serve lobster with frijoles, rice, tortillas, salsas. People can eat the lobster either ina burrito with beans and salsa, or solo. The Mexicans use tortillas the way our ancestors used bread, to scoop up and mop up their beans, rice, excess pan juices and salsa. Try it out yourself. Bay Of L.A. Lobster Tacos The first time I ever heard of lobster tacos was at Mama Diaz' restaurant in Bahía de Los Angeles. (Bay of L.A., as we gringos call it, is a remote but spectacularly scenic fishing village on the Sea of Cortez, a third of the way down the Baja peninsula.) That trip was almost thirty years ago, before there was even a paved road south of El Rosario (barely the other side of Ensenada). We flew in with Francisco Muñoz, a World War II ace who ran Baja Airlines and was a great buddy of both my Grand pappy and Erle Stanley Gardner. Francisco's leaflets advertised the Bay of L.A. as, " ... the Fabulous Fishing Resort in Baja." A flight left Tijuana every Friday morning at 11:00 and returned every Saturday at 2:00 pm. Round trip tickets went for $47.52. Flying time was a little over two hours in one of his two Douglas B-18's (World War II cargo planes similar to DC-3's). After we'd traveled with Francisco a few times, he and my dad (who were the same age) became great amigos in their own right. Often, over the years, when we flew with him, one of my folks would sit up in the cockpit and hang out with him. Sometimes Nina and I got to also, but our favorite jobs were when we got to serve canned drinks, sack lunches and other snacks to the passengers -- which to two girls under 12 was -- in today's gringo lingo -- way cool. I saw Francisco this past Christmas and even though he's in his late 70s, he's still going strong, although his flying days are long since over! I'll never forget his dare-devil landings, some of which were on dirt runways barely wider than a truck. A few years ago I went back to the Bay of L.A. Sure enough, the Casa Diaz was still there, even though Mama and Antero had both passed away. And sure enough, they still served lobster tacos, even though they weren't on the menu. Some things don't ever change and one of those facts of life is that the best things in Mexico are not always on the menu! Especially in the obscure places. I like that. Lobster tacos are best served as soft tacos in fresh corn tortillas. Makes 12 tacos. 2 pounds cooked, diced lobster meat 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, minced (hot) 1 tb sp fresh Mexican lime juice Heat all ingredients in medium sized saucepan. Serve as you would any tacos with a variety of condiments, such as shredded cabbage, cheese, diced tomato, cilantro and onion. And of course, don't forget the salsa!   Ann Hazard is a third generation Baja aficionada. She's followed her grandfather's and father's footsteps up and down the peninsula since was a small child. Her family's adventures are woven into the 175 recipes contained in COOKING WITH BAJA MAGIC, along with vibrant, festive artwork from Laguna Beach artist, Bob Bonn. COOKING WITH BAJA MAGIC retails for $21.95 plus tax and shipping in the U.S. Call Renegade Enterprises at 888/7366433 for details or email: CookBaja@aol.com.

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