Many of the stews in Argentina are garnished with fresh fruit or even dried fruit. This spicy, creamed seafood dish is very elegant and makes a gorgeous presentation dish. Accompany the dish with a simple green salad and a chilled Argentine white wine.
Ingredients
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2 cups long grained white rice
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½ cup butter
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1 2-inch thread of saffron
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½ teaspoon salt
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4 cups chicken stock, boiling
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1/4 cup minced jarred pimientos, or substitute red bell pepper, cooked in water until soft
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½ cup cooked tiny green peas
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2 tablespoons flour
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1 ½ cups milk
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1 tablespoon habanero hot sauce
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1/4 cup minced onion
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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3 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
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2 pounds lobster, cooked and cubed
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1 pound medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined
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½ pound crabmeat, cooked and flaked
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3 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced into circles
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2 ripe avocados, peeled and sliced
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2 grapefruits, peeled and sectioned
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16 lime wedges
Instructions
Combine the rice, 3 tablespoons of butter, the saffron, salt, and the boiling chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. When the rice is tender, stir in the pimientos and the peas and keep the rice warm.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy saucepan and sprinkle in the flour and stir for 30 seconds until it is well blended with the butter, taking care not to burn the mixture. Add the milk, all at once, and the hot sauce, stirring constantly until the mixture starts to thicken. If the mixture is not smooth, beat it with a whisk. Then, remove the cream sauce from the heat and set aside.
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot, and add the onion, the garlic, and the bell pepper and saute for 3 minutes. Then, add the lobster, shrimp, and crabmeat and toss the mixture lightly. Add the cream sauce to the seafood mixture, and heat slowly, until the mixture is hot. Serve the creamed seafood over the cooked rice and garnish with the oranges, avocados, grapefruit, and the lime wedges.
