Lobster Tails Thermidor
4 (6 to 8-ounce) packaged lobster tails, shell jumbo shrimp or
prawns can be substituted
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Splash dry white wine or dry sherry
1/2 cup milk, eyeball it
1/3 cup grated white cheddar
1/2 teaspoon paprika or crab boil seasoning, recommended: Old Bay
2 tablespoons Parmesan
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Handful parsley leaves mixed with 2 cups baby greens, for plate
garnish
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Bring a pot of water to a boil, 3 or 4 inches deep. Add lobster
tails to the water and boil 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and shock under
cold water to cool. Use kitchen scissors to cut away soft underside
of tails. Remove meat and save the shells, arranging them in a
shallow casserole dish. Chop the cooked meat on an angle into
chunks.
Preheat your broiler to high.
Heat a medium skillet and a small saucepot over medium heat. To the
small saucepot, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add finely chopped onion
and cook 3 to 5 minutes until very soft. To the skillet, add
remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter melts, add chopped
lobster meat and saute.
Add flour to sauce pot with onions and cook together another 1 to 2
minutes. Whisk in wine or sherry, then milk. Remove sauce from heat
and stir in cheddar cheese and paprika or crab boil. Season sauce
with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over lobster meat and stir to
combine. Pour lobster into and over the shells in a casserole dish
and top with Parmesan and bread crumbs. Broil on high until golden,
2 or 3 minutes. Serve each tail, spilling over with lobster bits in
sauce, on a bed of mixed baby greens and parsley with wedges of
lemon along side.
To make this dish with jumbo shrimp, cut up peeled, deveined raw
shrimp. Saute the shrimp in butter, as with cooked lobster. Cook
until pink and firm and proceed with method. Place the shrimp and
sauce into a small casserole, then spoon completed shrimp Thermidor
over bed of greens and parsley leaves.
Serves: 4 |