Baked Stuffed Lobster Tail

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 2-lb lobsters

2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning

1 bay leaf

3 lemons

1 c panko breadcrumbs

2 egg yolks

1/2 onion

1/2 head of celery

1 c white wine

1/2 lb butter

2 Tbsp thyme (picked)

2 Tbsp tarragon (chopped)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the bay leaf, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and lemon. This will be the cooking liquid for the lobsters. While that is coming up to temperature, you can start to finely dice the onion and celery. When the celery and onion are ready, heat half of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Slowly cook the vegetables until they are translucent. Deglaze with the white wine and let it reduce for another five minutes over medium heat, or until the alcohol is cooked off.

When it’s finished cooking, set the onion and celery aside to cool while you tend to the lobsters. Cook the lobsters in the boiling seasoned water for four minutes. Be sure to have a large ice bath with ice and water ready to cool the lobsters quickly after the four minutes is up.

Once the lobsters have cooled, you can break the tails off, then break off the claws. Reserve all the claw and knuckle meat to mix into the stuffing while carefully removing the tail. When the tail is removed, split it down the middle and remove the shell.

To assemble the stuffing, mix together the cooked vegetables, egg yolks, breadcrumbs, herbs, and cooked knuckle and claw meat. Stuff each tail with an equal amount of filling and bake in a 425-degree oven for 35 minutes. While the lobsters are baking, warm the rest of the butter in a small sauce pot and skim off the white foam that rises to the top to clarify the butter. When the tails come out, you can spoon a small bit of clarified butter over the top.