Lobster Vegetable Spaghetti

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Lobster. Yum. Harris Teeter, my BFF, had buy one get one free lobster tails...obviously those went in my basket! Usually we broil them (Nick broils them), but this go around I wanted to do something different and had some vegetables to use up. I decided to throw some zucchini and carrots into the mix. I decided to wing the sauce, and it came out well! My only improvement for next time would maybe be to add more ingredients for more sauce but this was sufficient! I'm just obsessed with sauce. This is definitely a great spring or summer treat!

Ingredients:
2 lobster tails, approximately 4 ounces each
dash of lemon pepper seasoning
dash of garlic powder with parsley seasoning
1 tb olive oil
2 tb butter, each tb used separately
1 large garlic clove, diced
1/2 cup carrots, sliced in halves
1/2 cup zucchini, sliced in halves
3 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn or chopped
approximately 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (I used grated)
1/2 pound pasta (I used spaghetti)
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
dash of Italian seasoning

Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta as directed.

Cut the shell of the lobster tails down the middle. Gently pull away the meat as much as possible. Rub a little butter on each tail and sprinkle each tail with a dash of lemon pepper and garlic powder. Broil on high for approximately 5-10 minutes (depending on size). Once done, remove the meat from the shells, cut into pieces, and set aside.

While the water is coming to a boil, heat 1 tb butter and 1 tb olive oil in a skillet. Cook the zucchini and carrots until barely crisp or beginning to get tender (your own preference). Remove from heat. Bring the pan back to a medium heat and add the garlic. Cook for approximately 2 minutes making sure not to brown. Toss in the white wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer to reduce down if need be. I decided to use all of the liquid, so I added the lobster meat, Italian seasoning, a dash of pepper, and stirred together. Remove from heat. Toss in the pasta, vegetables, basil, and cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Red Wine, Balsamic & Blue Cheese Filet & Lobster Tail with Zucchini

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

I have a hard time walking away from the fresh meat section at Harris Teeter - and the seafood section, sigh. So, why not get both? This meal wasn't too difficult and you can choose to serve the steak with or without the sauce. I also cooked up some zucchini and diced tomatoes to have on the side. Note: This recipe is for medium cooked filet.

2 filet mignon (mine were about 7 ounces)
2 lobster tails
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Meritage (you can use a red wine of your choosing)
1.5 tb brown sugar
3 tb butter
approx. 1 tb Montreal steak seasoning
2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 zucchini, cubed
1/3 cup diced tomatoes
1 tb Italian seasoning
2 tb olive oil
dash of lemon juice

Steak: Leave the filet mignon out for about 30 minutes to bring to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500 with an oven proof skillet or cast iron skillet in the oven. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel. Top each side of the filets with the steak seasoning. When the oven is finished preheating, take the dry skillet out and insert the steaks. Sear approximately 2 minutes per side. Place back in the oven for approximately 4 minutes per side (this may vary depending on the size of steak). Remove from oven, top with the blue cheese (feta also works) and cover the steaks with a foil tent for approximately 10 minutes on a platter.

Sauce: Combine the wine and vinegar and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Stir in the brown sugar and 2 tb butter and cook to your desired consistency. I let mine boil for about 10 minutes. Drizzle over the steak.

Lobster Tail: Cut the top shell of each lobster tail down the middle. Pull away the sides a bit. Season each tail with lemon pepper seasoning, a dash of lemon juice, and 1/2 tb butter. Broil on high for approximately 10 minutes until the tails are firm to the touch. Pull out of the shell and top the steak.

Zucchini: I decided to spice up the zucchini with some diced tomatoes. Toss the zucchini in a bowl with 1 tb olive oil and the Italian seasoning. Add the olive oil to a saute pan. Toss in the zucchini and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes until lightly browned. Add in the tomatoes and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Seafood Feast for my Dad!

My dad and his girl friend Bev came to visit this past weekend, which was very exciting! They requested a Plated Perfection meal :) so that's what we did. Nick made lobster tails and I made crab cakes and roasted lemon chive vegetables. Dad and Bev provided the vino -- can't go wrong with that combination! I highly recommend this recipe!

Crab Cakes:

• 1/4  cup  finely chopped red onion
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 3  tablespoons  light mayonnaise
• 2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard
• 3/4  teaspoon  Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 2  egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1  pound  lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 3/4 cup  panko or Italian breadcrumbs

1) To prepare crab cakes, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup panko. Cover and chill 15-30 minutes.

2) Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. If using panko, place 3/4 cup panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and panko. This step isn't necessary if using the Italian breadcrumbs (which is what I used).

3) Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. if desired. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.

Roasted Lemon Chive Vegetables:
 * The vegetables you use can vary depending on what you are in the mood for. The key is to have them all cut so that they will cook evenly.  I usually rely on zucchini, squash, carrots, yellow onion and and potatoes. This go around I left out the carrots. I also peeled the vegetables this go around.

• 1 zucchini, 1 squash, 1-2 potatoes, half an onion (all chopped evenly in size)
• 2  tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Olive oil, salt and pepper

1) Coat a 13 x 9 baking pan with cooking spray. Add the chopped vegetables and coat with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, and half a lemon juiced.
2) Bake at 375 for approximately 30 minutes. Juice the vegetables with the other half of lemon and sprinkle with the fresh chives. Bake for another 5 minutes or so.

Lobster Tail:

This is Nick's specialty so I'm going to take my best guess at how he provides these :) He cracks the top of the shell all the way down and separates the lobster tails (fresh from the grocery store) from their shells. He then tops the lobster tail with a little butter, lemon pepper seasoning, and garlic powder. He then broils the lobster tails in a baking dish until the meat has pulled away from the shell and they become a red color. They should be tender to the touch, and not slimy. SO GOOD. We served all of the above with remoulade sauce. I cheated and used a bottled brand I love (Louisiana Fish Fry Products).