MEMORIES: MY LOBSTER AL MOJO, PUERTORRIQUEÑO y PONCEÑO!

This is a dish that I used to eat back home a lot. There were two restaurants in Ponce that made the best of the best Langosta al Mojo. I think that I remember the names; La Cuevita and Lydia’s. Of course, I had to taste the dish time and time again, to identify the ingredients they used to make it, smile, it was a well kept secret. Through the years, however, I came up with my own recipe to mimic theirs because I simply love their light and secret Mojo sauce. Now I have my own and it's not secret but super delicious!
 
Category:  Entrée 
Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 1 hour
Approximate Cost:    $32.84 or $10.95 per serving
Difficulty Level:  Advanced
Allergens, Other:  Gluten Free   
Servings: 3+
 
Ingredients to season the lobster
1 lobster tails ($27.99/lb.)
1 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.20)
1 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.50)
 
Ingredients for the Mojo Sauce
½ cup Angie’s basting olive oil (for the lobster Mojo Sauce and season the lobster (.70)
10 large cloves of garlic (.35)
1 large onion sliced (.50)
1 red ajicito - cachucha or ½ bell pepper sliced (.50)
¼ cup of fresh Cuban oregano and/or cilantro, chopped (use some to garnish) (.30)
2 tbsp. capers rinsed and drained (.25)
1 tbsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.20)
2 tbsp. Goya tomato sauce (because I don't like a thick red sauce) (. 25)
½ pimento pepper, sliced (.20)
3 bay leaves (.15)
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (.10)
2 lemons (to drizzle the juice over the final dishes, garnish and to add early on as seasoning) (.65)
Salt and pepper to taste to adjust season at the end if needed.

Directions
If you didn’t prepare the lobster yesterday, then clean the tail with a wet paper towel. Carefully cut it in half either with your kitchen shears or a butcher knife. (Keep the shell to garnish or for stock.)
 
Carefully, remove all the meat from the shell and also, the rubbery skin, it is very tough. (Use it though to make lobster stock, see my hack, from yesterday.
 
Season the lobster with the aforementioned ingredients, refrigerate until time to use.
 
In a skillet add some of the ½ c. of the olive oil to sauté the garlic, onion, sliced red pepper, and some of the Cuban oregano or cilantro.
 
When the garlic/onions mix is translucent and light golden, add what’s left of your ½ cup olive oil for the lobster Moho Sauce, stir. Add the bay leaves, tomato sauce, capers, my dry seasoning, sliced pimento pepper, apple cider vinegar, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper to taste to adjust season at the end if needed.

Finally, add the lobster meat. Cook for under 3-4 minutes until the lobster begins to turn white, then turn off the heat and remove from the burner immediately.
You are now ready to plate and once done, squeeze lemon juice over the final dishes.
 
ALSO: you can serve this lobster as is with a side or yellow rice, or pasta or do what I did. I purchased a bag of frozen Yucca, cooked it according to the bag directions, drained it and placed it in the bottom of the plate. Then added the lobster over it and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.