We know lobster gives the idea of it being hard to cook but in reality it’s not. If you can cook a fresh lobster, or if you opt not to get a live one, you'll love this relatively simple dish. If you can't stand the thought of cooking a live lobster, in the first place you're not alone, and in the second place we think you could probably adapt this using lobster tail. It just takes a little ingenuity and experimentation…. Live a little!
Ingredients:
1 (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds) live lobster
1 cup crushed buttery cracker crumbs (such as Ritz or Club)
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 cup minced celery
1/8 cup minced sweet onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided use
Salt to taste
Sweet Hungarian paprika
Additional melted butter for serving, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Plunge the tip of a sharp knife straight down just behind the lobster's eyes to cut the spinal cord and humanely kill the animal.
Place fresh lobster on its back. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears cut the lobster's body cavity open. Remove and reserve the tomalley (yellowish-colored liver). Remove stomach and intestines, being careful not to rupture them, and discard.
Combine cracker crumbs, melted butter, tomalley, celery, sweet onion, garlic powder, lemon pepper, 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan, and salt to taste. Pack the cracker mixture into the body cavity. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and dust lightly with paprika.
Bake stuffed lobster in an uncovered 2-inch-deep baking pan for 30 minutes. If needed, increase oven temperature to the Broil setting and broil for another 2 minutes to brown stuffing. Serve baked stuffed lobster with optional additional melted butter and lemon rounds.
