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Lobster Sauce

Also known as Lobster Sauce (Nigerian Style)

Nigerian Lobster Sauce is a premium seafood dish from the Lagos and Calabar fine-dining scene — whole lobster tails or halved lobsters cooked in the richly spiced Nigerian tomato and pepper sauce. The natural sweetness and luxurious texture of lobster paired with the bold, deeply fried Nigerian pepper sauce creates a dish of extraordinary indulgence.

Lobster Sauce, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 2 medium whole lobsters, halved and cleaned — OR 4 large lobster tails
  • Lemon juice and salt for cleaning
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste FOR THE PREMIUM NIGERIAN SAUCE:
  • 4 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 3 Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 3 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 3 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 1 tablespoon of butter — for finishing
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Preparing the Lobster. If using live lobsters, place in the freezer for 30 minutes first to humanely kill them. Halve each lobster lengthwise. Clean the digestive tract. Rinse thoroughly with lemon juice and salt. Season with curry, garlic powder, 1 seasoning cube and salt.

  2. 02

    Making the Premium Pepper Sauce. Heat 3 cooking spoons of oil in a wide pot. Add sliced onion and fry 2 minutes. Add blended tomatoes, Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry for 25 minutes until very deeply cooked and oil floats prominently on top. Add ground crayfish and remaining seasoning cube.

  3. 03

    Cooking the Lobster. Place the seasoned lobster halves cut-side down into the hot pepper sauce. Cover and cook on medium heat for 8 to 12 minutes until the lobster shells are bright orange-red and the meat is cooked through (white and opaque, not translucent). Do not overcook — overcooked lobster becomes rubbery.

  4. 04

    Finishing. Add the butter to the sauce. Stir gently around the lobster to incorporate. Taste and adjust all seasonings.

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