Havana’s hot little number

Dear SOS: I had one of the best things I’ve ever eaten at a Cuban restaurant called Mambo in Atlanta. The dish was called “chipotle” -- a combination of lobster, scallops and shrimp in a chipotle cream-broth sauce. Any chance you could get the recipe?

Jonathan Markovitz

San Diego

Dear Jonathan: The chef at Mambo Restaurante Cubano, Lucy Alvarez, is from Havana. She likes to serve this dish over rice. You’ll find canned chipotles in adobo sauce in the Latino aisle of supermarkets.

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Chipotle

Total time: 20 minutes, plus 8 hours marinating

Servings: 4

8 jumbo shrimp, about 1/2 pound

8 large scallops, about 3/4 pound

8 cloves garlic, divided

2 teaspoons salt, divided

3 tablespoons oil, divided

2 chipotle peppers, packed in adobo sauce

1/2 small onion, chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 pound uncooked lobster meat

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup whipping cream

1. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails intact. Place in a bowl. Rinse the scallops and pat dry; add to the shrimp.

2. Use a fork to mash together 4 cloves of garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Add to the shrimp along with 2 tablespoons of oil; mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. The next day, place the chipotles, onion, lime juice and remaining garlic and salt in a food processor; pulse until a paste forms.

4. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chipotle mixture and the wine and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and scallops along with the lobster. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add the cream, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the seafood is opaque and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Each serving: 203 calories; 957 mg. sodium; 115 mg. cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 24 grams protein; 0.33 gram fiber.