Lobster Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Lobster Pot Pie.  Photo found on charmandsalt.com

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese may sound a bit odd, but trust me, it tastes delicious and it's a relatively simple way to serve lobster.

In the past, I've simply made it by combining sauteed lobster to a good mac and cheese recipe. I recommend Martha Sewart's - as she uses a perfect combination of gruyere, fontina, cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano - plus nutmeg and cayanne pepper to give it a deliciously complex flavor. Rough recipe as follows:

Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

- 1 to 2 small lobsters or 3 lobster tails

- 8 ounces elbow macaroni
- 6 slices white sandwich bread for the bread crumb crust

- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter

- 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion

- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

- 3 cups whole milk

- 2 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

- 3 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (1 cup), 1/3 cup reserved for topping

- 6 ounces extra sharp white-cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups), 1/3 reserved for topping

- 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (1 cup), 1/2 cup reserved for topping

- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1/8 tsp nutmeg

- black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Steam the lobsters (15 minutes), cool, pick out the meat then sautee in butter (7 minutes) and set aside

2. Cook and drain the pasta

3. Make the bread crumbs by tearing the bread into large pieces and pouring over melted butter.

4. Prepare the baking dishes by buttering eight 6-ounce shallow baking dishes or one 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

5. Make the cheese sauce: Melt butter in a 4-quart pot over medium heat, add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until bubbling but not browning, about 45 seconds. Add milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon (scrape across the bottom and around edge of pot to prevent scorching), until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add fontina, 2/3 cup grated Gruyere, 1 2/3 cups grated cheddar, and 1/2 cup Parmigianno-Reggiano, stirring until completely melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper, add cayenne and nutmeg, and stir to combine.

6. Assemble and add cheese topping: Add pasta and lobster to sauce and stir to thoroughly combine. Pour into prepared baking dishes and sprinkle evenly with the reserved cheeses, followed by the bread crumbs.

7. Bake: Place dishes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until bubbling and cheese is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

I found another lobster macaroni and cheese recipe on Epicurious but I question the mix of ingredients (it includes carrots, celery, tomato paste, etc) .

If any of you try these recipes let me know how they go!

As of the 8th of June, 2012 I am adding a quick update to this post to let readers know that I've now published a book, How To Catch A Lobster In Down East Maine, which includes a version of the above lobster macaroni and cheese recipe along with other lobster recipes and details on what it's like to lobster fish for a living!