Ingredients
- cooked lobster 1 whole about 800g, see notes below
- whole milk 700ml
- bay leaf 1
- black peppercorns 1 tsp
- unsalted butter 35g
- plain flour 2 tbsp
- parmesan 100g, finely grated
- gruyère 100g, grated
- amori or other small tubular pasta 300g
- chives a small bunch, finely chopped
MAC 'N' CHEESE TOPPING
- breadcrumbs 50g
- parmesan 50g, finely grated
- cayenne pepper ½ tsp
Method
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Step 1
Break off the claws from the lobster, and gently tap them with a rolling pin to break the shell and wriggle out the meat. Cut into large pieces. Cut the body in half lengthways, remove the shell and roughly chop the meat – you want to keep it chunky.
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Step 2
Put the lobster shells into a pan with the milk, bay leaf and peppercorns, and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and strain.
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Step 3
In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook, stirring regularly, until it turns a nutty brown colour. Slowly add the infused milk to the pan, in small additions, stirring well in between until you have a smooth sauce. Stir in the cheeses and cook gently for a few minutes until completely melted.
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Step 4
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and stir this through the cheese sauce, season and add the chives and chopped lobster meat. Tip into a large baking or gratin dish.
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Step 5
Heat the grill to medium-high. Mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan and cayenne in a bowl, sprinkle evenly over the pasta and grill for 5 minutes until golden brown (keep a careful eye on it so it doesn’t catch or burn).
Order whole cooked lobster from the fishmonger or look out for packs of frozen or fresh cooked lobster tails in supermarkets. They are often on special offer at this time of year. You could also use crayfish or crab as an alternative – you’ll need around 200g of cooked meat.
Nutritional Information
- Kcals 553
- Fat 23.5g
- Saturates 14.2g
- Carbs 48.7g
- Sugars 6.5g
- Fibre 3.1g
- Protein 35g
- Salt 1.3g
