Ingredients
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8 tablespoons unsalted butter
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3 tablespoons butter, melted (for brushing)
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1 medium onion, finely diced
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2 sprigs tarragon, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
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2 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
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4 ounces cooked crabmeat or 4 ounces lobster meat, cut into 1/2-inch dice
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kosher salt or sea salt
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freshly ground black pepper
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2 hard shell select lobsters (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)
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3 ounces oyster crackers or 3 ounces dried cornbread, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Melt 8 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft but not browned.
- Stir in the tarragon and parsley.
- If using raw shrimp or scallops, add them with the herbs and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- If using cooked lobster or crabmeat, remove the pan from the heat as soon as you stir in the herbs, let cool, and then add the lobster or crabmeat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- With a cleaver of chefs knife, split the lobsters in half lengthwise.
- Remove and discard the head sac and intestine.
- Remove the tomalley and the roe if present and place in a small bowl.
- Break into small pieces using a fork.
- With the back side of a knife, crack the center of each claw on 1 side only.
- Season the lobsters lightly with salt and pepper.
- On a large roasting pan or baking sheet, place the halves together to resemble a butterfly.
- The tomalley and roe are optional for the stuffing.
- If you want to include them, mix them into the seafood mixture.
- Gently fold the crumbled crackers into the mixture.
- Divide the mixture evenly between 2 lobsters.
- If you are serving 1 lobster per person, spread the stuffing over the center so that the lobsters look whole again.
- Do not pack the stuffing tightly, or it will affect the even baking of the lobster.
- Brush the 3 tablespoons melted butter over the exposed meat tail, stuffing and claws.
- Bake until the lobster is cooked through and the stuffing is crisp and golden.
- Bake 17 minutes for a 1 1/2 pound lobster and 24 minutes for a 2-pound lobster.