Seafood Nachos

Serves 8-10

Note: If you’re using cooked lobster or shrimp, stir it into the chili right before you build the nachos. DeAngelis makes his own tortilla chips, but store-bought will do; just make sure they’re thick and substantial and won’t collapse when the chili is spooned on.

1⁄4 cup olive oil

1⁄2 cup diced sweet onion

1⁄2 cup diced celery

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1⁄4 cup red wine

2 cups canned diced tomato with their juices

1 teaspoon chili powder

1⁄2 teaspoon each ground cumin and oregano

1 cup red kidney beans

1⁄2 pound small raw shrimp

1⁄2 pound raw lobster meat, preferably claw meat, cut into

large pieces

1⁄4 pound sea scallops, quartered

Salt

12 ounces of thick tortilla chips

2 cups grated cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese

Sour cream, sliced scallions, and pico de gallo, for serving

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until almost reduced, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Gently stir in the beans.

Add the shrimp, lobster and scallops and cook over low heat until the seafood is cooked through and the chili is thickened, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and season well with salt. If desired, pull a few pieces of seafood from the chili to decorate the nachos. The chili should be loose but not wet; if necessary, drain off some of the liquid.

Preheat the broiler. Layer half the tortilla chips in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Cover the chips with half the seafood chili and shredded cheese. Make an additional layer of chips, chili, and cheese. Cook a few inches from the heat until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Garnish with sour cream and scallions and any reserved seafood, and serve from the dish with pico de gallo on the side.

Adapted from Paul DeAngelis, chef and partner at the Lobster Roll aka Lunch.