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Ainsley Harriott’s Coconut Tempura Lobster with Rum Pineapple Salsa & Piña Colada Sauce

by Ainsley Harriott from Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen: Delicious feelgood cooking from the sunshine islands

Serves 4

Transport yourself to the Caribbean with Ainsley Harriott’s recipe for tempura lobster served with boozy rum salsa and coconut piña colada sauce. As seen on ITV’s Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen.

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Ainsley Harriott

Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen: Delicious feelgood cooking from the sunshine islands

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Introduction

This dish looks great on the plate and is a joy to eat. Sweet, savoury, spicy and fruity, all with a little kick of rum – what’s not to like? The sweet sauce and spicy salsa are a perfect match for the delicate and lightly crisp lobster tails. Tempura batter should be cold – remember, the colder the batter, the crispier the tempura. If it’s too warm, you can always add a handful of ice cubes to cool it down.

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Ingredients

sunflower oil, for deep-frying
125gplain flour
75gcornflour
1egg, beaten
200mlsoda water, chilled
4 x 175globster tails, cut in half lengthways and meat removed
200gdesiccated coconut
For the Rum Pineapple Salsa:
1 tbspolive oil
1red onion, finely chopped
1red pepper, finely chopped
½red Scotch bonnet chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
½small pineapple, peeled and finely chopped
100mlgolden rum
3Thai basil sprigs, roughly shredded (or leave whole if leaves are small)
For the Piña Colada Sauce:
150mlcoconut cream
150mlpineapple juice
1small red chilli, halved
11 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbspdouble cream (optional)

Essential kit

You will need a large deep heavy-based saucepan.

Method

First, make the salsa. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a high heat, add the red onion and sauté for 2–3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the red pepper and chilli and continue to cook for 1–2 minutes. Add the pineapple, making sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom, and cook for a further 3–4 minutes, continuously stirring and tossing (if you’re brave enough), then remove from the heat. Deglaze the pan with the golden rum and flambé to burn off the alcohol. Place the pan back on the heat and reduce until slightly sticky, then remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the piña colada sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a small pan, bring to a simmer and continue to cook until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to serve.

To make the tempura batter, mix together the flour, cornflour, egg and chilled soda water in a large bowl. Place the lobster tails into the batter, making sure they are well coated, shake off any excess batter, then roll the lobster tails in the desiccated coconut. Carefully lower the lobster tails into the hot oil and fry for 3–4 minutes or until golden and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove to drain on kitchen paper.

To serve, spoon the pineapple salsa down the length of a long plate. Stir the Thai basil into the piña colada sauce, then drizzle the sauce over and around the pineapple and place the crispy lobster tails on top. For a more casual supper with friends, serve the lobster tails in a serving dish in the centre of the table with the salsa and the pina colada on the side for dipping – tuck in and enjoy!

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Ingredients
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