Crab-Stuffed Roasted Lobster Recipe
Photo Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
A native of New Jersey and father of three, Ben Pollinger graduated from Boston University and the Culinary Institute of America. He has worked with world-renowned Chefs such as Alain Ducasse, Christian Delouvrier, Michael Romano, and Chef Floyd Cardoz at Tabla. He has been the Executive Chef at the Michelin started restaurant Oceana since 2006. His debut cookbook, School of Fish, is out now from sister company Simon & Schuster and available wherever books are sold.
Every home cook should have some kind of fish–flounder, shrimp, or sole–stuffed with crab in their repertoire. Crab-Stuffed Roasted Lobster is Ben Pollinger's, Executive Chef at the Michelin started restaurant Oceana and author of the new cookbook, School of Fish, take on this classic combination. The lobster is butterflied – slip lengthwise but not quite in half' just enough to crack it open for stuffing. The crab is aggressively flavored with fresh herbs and lemon and topped with an herbed panko crust for texture. For even more flavor, you can drizzle the tails with basil-garlic butter instead of plain melted butter. Wow your guests with this special occasion recipe that is perfect for the upcoming holidays.
Photo Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Crab-Stuffed Roasted LobsterServes 4 as an entrée.
Ingredients
For The Crab Stuffing:
- 5 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise or good-quality store-bought mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons chopped shallot (about 1 small shallot)
- 2 tablespoons slivered seeded finger chile
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon slivered fresh Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon slivered fresh tarragon
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked through for shell and cartilage
For The Seasoned Panko:
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup teaspoon thinly sliced fresh chives
- ½ teaspoon slivered fresh Italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon slivered fresh tarragon
- teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For The Lobster:
- Four 1 ¼ pound live lobsters
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- For the stuffing, stir together the mayonnaise, shallot, chile, chives, parsley, tarragon, lemon zest and juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Gently fold in the crab so as not to break it into pieces. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary. Cover and refrigerate.
- For the panko, stir together the breadcrumbs, chives, parsley, tarragon, and olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and pinch of pepper; set aside.
- Place the lobsters on a cutting board, underside facing up. Pull off the claws and knuckles. Remove the vein from the tails and the grain sacs from the heads; crack the claws as you would a cooked lobster.
- Arrange two racks in the top and center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil. Arrange two lobsters cut side up on each baking sheet. Stuff each head cavity with one quarter of the crab mixture. Season the lobster tails with salt and pepper and drizzle each tail with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Cover with foil and roast the lobsters for 20 minutes, switching the baking sheets between the oven racks halfway through roasting for even cooking.
- Remove from the oven. Remove the foil and set aside the claws. Return the lobsters to the oven to continue roasting for 6 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the panko mixture over the stuffing in each lobster. Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Return to the oven and roast until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 4 minutes more.
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