Ingredients

1/2 gallon vegetable oil, plus more for the mold
2 tablespoons achiote (annatto) oil, plus 4 tablespoons, recipe follows
2 (2-pound) Caribbean lobster tails
2 yucca, peeled, boiled, and cubed
4 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
12 prawns, peeled, cleaned, and deveined
4 cups sofrito broth, recipe follows

Directions

Heat vegetable oil to
375 degrees F in a heavy-duty 4-quart stockpot.

Heat 2 tablespoons achiote oil in a skillet and saute the lobster meat until just warm.
Remove from pan and place on a clean plate. Cover the lobster with plastic wrap and keep
warm while preparing the yucca.

Place the yucca in the hot vegetable oil and deep fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4
minutes. When the yucca is ready, place in a bowl and add the remainder of the achiote oil
and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and toss to distribute all ingredients evenly.
Mash the yucca until there is an even red color throughout the mixture. Add the warm
lobster to the yucca and fold together. Using your hands, fill a greased 1 cup mold
(pilon) with the mofongo and pack firmly to form a mold. Remove the mofongo from the mold
by turning the mold upside down and tapping gently. Repeat this procedure with remaining
yucca mixture. You should have 4 pilon shaped mofongos. Place on a plate, wrap in plastic,
and keep warm while preparing the prawns.

For the prawns, heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Season the prawns with salt and
pepper and cook 30 seconds per side. Add 4 cups of the sofrito broth to the prawns and

simmer until prawns are cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. To serve, place 1 mofongo in
the middle of 4 pasta bowls and arrange 3 prawns around each of the mofongo. Ladle broth
over mofongo and serve immediately.

Ingredients

Achiote Oil:
2 cups Spanish olive oil
1 cup annatto seeds

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a 2-quart saucepot.
Add the annatto seeds and remove from heat. Let steep at room temperature for 4 hours.
Strain oil into a glass container. Keeps for up to 1 month.

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

Sofrito Broth:
4 tablespoons achiote oil
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup diced aji dulce pepper (substitute a bell pepper)
1/2 cup diced onion
4 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tomatoes. peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup minced recao (substitute cilantro)

5 cups shrimp stock or clam juice
1 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup sliced pimento stuffed olives
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions

Heat the achiote oil in a
saucepan. Add the bell pepper, aji dulce, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and recao and saute for
4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the shrimp stock, tomato puree, and olives and simmer
gently for 20 minutes until all flavors are combined to an aromatic broth. Remove from
heat, stir in cilantro, and serve.

Yield: 1 quart

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe
provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions
indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.