Florida Lobster Bites with Avocado-Lime Puree

Nothing says fine dining like a lobster starter. Dig into these Fresh from Florida lobster bites with an avocado kicker.

Florida Lobster Bites with Avocado-Lime Puree

Serves four to six

• 2 9 oz. spiny lobster tails, removed from shell and cut into 1 oz. bites
• 20 3-inch bamboo skewers
• Canola oil for cooking
• Sea salt to taste
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1. Preheat a medium-sized sauté pan over medium-high heat. Skewer each lobster bite onto the bamboo skewers and lightly season with salt and pepper.
2. In a blender or food processor, add avocado, lime juice and season lightly with salt and pepper. Puree the avocado mixture until smooth, adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the desired thickness of avocado puree is reached. The avocado puree should be smooth and creamy and should be thin enough to pour into a small bowl or shot glasses.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil to the hot pan. Carefully add the skewered lobster bites to the hot pan being careful not to over crowd the pan. Cook lobster bites for just 30 seconds on each side. The lobster bites will cook quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. Once the lobster bites are cooked, remove them from pan, and let drain on a paper towel. Repeat the cooking process until all the lobster bites are cooked. This cooking process can be done ahead of time and the lobster can be served cold if desired.
4. To serve, arrange the lobster bites on a plate with a bowl of avocado puree, or add a small amount of avocado puree into the bottom of several shot glasses and top each glass with the cooked lobster bites. Garnish the lobster bites with the fine diced red pepper.

For more Florida spiny lobster recipes, click here.

The official Chef of Florida, Justin Timineri, shares some of his recipes with us. A proponent of eating healthy, locally-grown and harvested produce and seafood, Timineri’s recipes imbue that Fresh From Florida flavor. For more on chef Justin, click here.

   Recipes and images courtesy of Chef Justin Timineri and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For more recipes coming from Timineri’s kitchen, click here.