Lobster Tails Thermidor

There’s a certain part of the lobster that’s the most desired, most delectable, most distinctive, and most decadent of the entire crustacean. That, friends, is the lobster tail! The thought of taking the most meaty portion of lobster and dipping it in drawn butter is what draws so many seafood lovers to lobster.

Now combine lobster tails with an even more decadent recipe, and you’ve got yourself an extraordinary hit. This recipe is from our friends at FoodNetwork.com and courtesy of Rachael Ray and her “30 Minute Meals” show episode entitled “Seductive Supper”:

Lobster Tails Thermidor Lobster Tails Thermidor Courtesy of Food Network

Total: 30 minutes

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 4 (6 to 8-ounce) fresh lobster tails, shelled 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
  • ½ cup milk, eyeball it
  • ⅓ cup grated white cheddar
  • ½ teaspoon paprika or crab boil seasoning, recommended: Old Bay
  • 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
  • Lemon wedges, for garnish
  • Handful parsley leaves mixed with 2 cups baby greens, for plate garnish


 

Directions

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 sauce pot over medium heat. To the small sauce pot, 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 sauté.

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 alongside.

To make this dish with jumbo shrimp, cut up peeled, deveined raw shrimp. Sauté the shrimp in butter, as with cooked lobster. Cook until pink and firm and proceed with method. Place the shrimp and sauce into small casserole, then spoon completed shrimp Thermidor over bed of greens and parsley leaves.

Served nice and piping hot with side dishes like steamed asparagus, string beans and broccoli, glazed baby carrots, a Caesar salad and a crisp Chardonnay, and you’ve got yourself one sexy meal!