Baked Stuffed Lobster New England Style
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 2
About This Recipe
“Seafood stuffed lobster in the New England tradition. Recipe courtesy Jasper White”
Ingredients
8tablespoonsunsalted butter
3tablespoonsbutter, melted( for brushing)
1mediumonion, finely diced
2sprigstarragon, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
2sprigsItalian parsley, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
4ouncespeeled raw maine shrimp or 4ouncesraw scallops or 4ouncescooked crabmeat or 4ounceslobster meat, cut into 1/2-inch dice
kosher salt orsea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2hard shell select lobsters( 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)
3ouncescommon crackers or 3ounces oyster crackers or 3ouncesdried cornbread, crumbled
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft but not browned.
Stir in the tarragon and parsley.
If using raw shrimp or scallops, add them with the herbs and cook for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
If using cooked lobster or crabmeat, remove the pan from the heat as soon as you stir in the herbs, let cool, and then add the lobster or crabmeat.
Season with salt and pepper.
With a cleaver of chefs knife, split the lobsters in half lengthwise.
Remove and discard the head sac and intestine.
Remove the tomalley and the roe if present and place in a small bowl.
Break into small pieces using a fork.
With the back side of a knife, crack the center of each claw on 1 side only.
Season the lobsters lightly with salt and pepper.
On a large roasting pan or baking sheet, place the halves together to resemble a butterfly.
The tomalley and roe are optional for the stuffing.
If you want to include them, mix them into the seafood mixture.
Gently fold the crumbled crackers into the mixture.
Divide the mixture evenly between 2 lobsters.
If you are serving 1 lobster per person, spread the stuffing over the center so that the lobsters look whole again.
Do not pack the stuffing tightly, or it will affect the even baking of the lobster.
Brush the 3 tablespoons melted butter over the exposed meat tail, stuffing and claws.
Bake until the lobster is cooked through and the stuffing is crisp and golden.
Bake 17 minutes for a 1 1/2 pound lobster and 24 minutes for a 2-pound lobster.
Reviews
“Excellent! I made this for my husband for our anniversary. “
“Perfect preparation method…made this for my husband’s birthday dinner. I’d bought a huge shallot at the farmer’s market so used that for the onion and used garlic instead of tarragon. This would be tough to do with a crowd, but for two-four people, it’s the best way to prepare a lobster dinner.”
“Lovely Baked Stuffed Lobster Recipe!As mentioned by a previous reviewer the Tarragon infused stuffing is just delightful.For the stuffing I used 6 large raw scallops, 1 can of Crab meat & 400 grams of raw Hollandse Ganarlen (Flavorful Mini-Shimp, a speciality here in the Netherlands).The lobsters I used were about 2 pounds each.I’m a New Englander and this is pretty much how my mother used to make her Baked Stuffed Lobsters, the only diffrence is that she used to get them right off the boat from “Joe” the local fisherman… and I have to purchased them in the store…”
“I found that I liked it better by omitting the tarragon and adding 1/2 tsp. minced garlic and adding 1 tbsp. sherry to the stuffing mix.”
“This was excellent.I made it with scallops and 1 1/2-1 3/4 lb lobsters for my wife and her friend who was visiting from out-of-town (I made 1 1/2 recipes for 3 lobsters).We really liked the buttery, tarragon-infused stuffing, which can be sauteed and eaten if you have extra, as I did.My wife suggested that a bit of sherry might have been an interesting variation on the stuffing. I’d have to agree – I’d probably bring it to a boil before adding the butter to the pan.One other change: I don’t particularly enjoy killing the lobsters with a knife, so I boiled/steamed them for four minutes before splitting and stuffing them.”