Indulge in the epitome of culinary extravagance with Lobster Thermidor, a luxurious and iconic French dish that promises an unforgettable dining experience. This classic recipe combines the delicate flavor of lobster with a rich, creamy sauce, encased in an elegant pastry shell. Our comprehensive guide presents three variations of this delectable dish, catering to diverse preferences and skill levels. Embark on a culinary journey as we unveil the secrets to crafting the perfect Lobster Thermidor, exploring variations such as the traditional Lobster Thermidor, a simplified Lobster Thermidor without brandy, and a vegetarian Lobster Thermidor for a plant-based indulgence. Prepare to tantalize your taste buds with this exquisite masterpiece, fit for any special occasion or celebratory meal.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
LOBSTER THERMIDOR
This stunning lobster dish is surprisingly simple to make. Lobster shells are stuffed with cooked lobster in a creamy white wine sauce, then topped with Parmesan cheese and broiled until golden.
Provided by EXCELUK
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European French
Time 40m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Cut the lobster in half lengthwise, and remove the meat from the claws and tail. Leave to one side. Remove any meat from the head and set aside. Cut the meat up into pieces and place back into the shell.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot; cook and stir until tender. Mix in the fish stock, white wine and double cream. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half. Mix in the mustard, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Preheat your oven's broiler.
- Place the lobster halves on a broiling pan or baking sheet, and spoon the sauce over the lobster meat in the shell. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, just until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 653 calories, Carbohydrate 13.5 g, Cholesterol 322.9 mg, Fat 28 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 76.7 g, SaturatedFat 16 g, Sodium 2059.6 mg, Sugar 3.7 g
LOBSTER THERMIDOR
The basis for Thermidor sauce is a traditional French bechamel, which is composed of a light roux with milk added to make a creamy sauce. This one is thicker than usual as it is used to make a filling. We suggest you make additional room for the Thermidor stuffing by pulling the crawlers or front legs from the head region of the lobster shells. Make sure you keep the tail and head portions of the shell intact while removing the meat, as the large half shells make an impressive presentation when stuffed.
Provided by Food Network
Categories appetizer
Time 57m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
- Bring a pot of salted water containing the lemons, quartered onion, and bouquet garni to a boil. Add the lobsters and cook until red and firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the lobsters to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise with a heavy sharp knife and carefully extract the tail meat. Remove the large claws from the body and gently crack with the back of a heavy knife to extract the meat. Gently pull the front legs from the shell and discard. Dice the tail meat and claw meat and set aside.
- Place the halved lobster shells on a baking sheet, cut sides down, and roast until dry, 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Add the cognac and cook, stirring, for 10 seconds. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly to incorporate. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly, until all is incorporated. Cook, stirring, over medium heat for 1 minute. (The mixture will be very thick.) Add the salt and pepper and stir well.
- Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese, the mustard, tarragon, and parsley. Fold in the lobster meat. Divide the mixture among the lobster shells and place stuffed side up on a clean baking sheet. Sprinkle the top of each lobster with a portion of the remaining cheese and broil until the top is golden brown, 5 minutes.
- Place 1 lobster half on each of 4 large plates, garnish with additional parsley, and serve immediately.
- Place the bay leaf, thyme, parsley sprigs, and peppercorns in the center of a 6-inch square piece of cheesecloth or a large paper coffee filter. Draw up the sides to form a pouch and tie with kitchen twine or unflavored dental floss.
CHEF JOHN'S LOBSTER THERMIDOR
I used a nice light sauce on this iconic special occasion dish--lobster thermidor--rather than the thick, cheesy sauce popular in the '80s. Lobster is sweet and rich tasting on its own, so the lighter sauce makes so much sense. And what's even better, you can prep these ahead of time and just pop them in the oven when your guests arrive!
Provided by Chef John
Categories Seafood Shellfish Lobster
Time 1h
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Cut bottom shell of lobster tails using kitchen shears along each side where it meets the top shell; do not remove the shell at this point.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place lobster tails cut side down in the butter. Cook, covered, about 3 minutes. Turn lobster tails over (they are curved so will lean to 1 side); cover and cook 1 minute. Lean them to the other side; cover and cook 1 minute more.
- Remove from heat. Transfer lobster tails to a bowl. Remove any shell pieces from the skillet.
- Place 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet over medium heat; add shallots and pinch of salt. Cook and stir until pan starts to deglaze and shallots soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook stir until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add flour; stir until mushrooms are coated and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in cognac; use a kitchen torch to flame cognac to burn off alcohol. This will take just a few seconds. Add milk; cook and stir until pan is completely deglazed and milk begins to thicken and turn bubbly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in creme fraiche. Let cool.
- Remove lobster meat from the shell, leaving top shell intact. Remove any bits of bottom shell from the meat.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking pan with crinkled up foil. Make 4 channel-like indentations in the foil to hold and stabilize the lobster tails as they bake.
- Slice lobster meat down the middle and check for and remove any dark veins. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer meat to a mixing bowl. Add cooled sauce, tarragon, pinch of salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir gently until well blended.
- Divide mixture among the lobster tail shells; place in prepared foil-lined pan. Sprinkle each lobster tail with about 1/2 teaspoon bread crumbs and 1/2 teaspoon grated cheese. Drizzle melted butter on the stuffed shells.
- Bake in preheated oven until nicely browned and heated through, about 10 minutes. If you like, you can turn on the broiler and broil 1 minute until tops are golden and crispy.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 590.3 calories, Carbohydrate 13.8 g, Cholesterol 220.2 mg, Fat 35.3 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 41.4 g, SaturatedFat 21.5 g, Sodium 1007.8 mg, Sugar 4.6 g
LOBSTER TAILS THERMIDOR
Provided by Rachael Ray : Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- 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 saucepot over medium heat. To the small saucepot, 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 saute.
- 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 along side.
- To make this dish with jumbo shrimp, cut up peeled, deveined raw shrimp. Saute the shrimp in butter, as with cooked lobster. Cook until pink and firm and proceed with method. Place the shrimp and sauce into a small casserole, then spoon completed shrimp Thermidor over bed of greens and parsley leaves.
LOBSTER THERMIDOR
Steps:
- Plunge lobsters headfirst into an 8-quart pot of boiling salted water*. Loosely cover pot and cook lobsters over moderately high heat 9 minutes from time they enter water, then transfer with tongs to sink to cool.
- When lobsters are cool enough to handle, twist off claws and crack them, then remove meat. Halve lobsters lengthwise with kitchen shears, beginning from tail end, then remove tail meat, reserving shells. Cut all lobster meat into 1/4-inch pieces. Discard any remaining lobster innards, then rinse and dry shells.
- Heat butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushrooms, stirring, until liquid that mushrooms give off is evaporated and they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add lobster meat, paprika, salt, and pepper and reduce heat to low. Cook, shaking pan gently, 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon Sherry and 1/2 cup hot cream and simmer 5 minutes.
- Whisk together yolks and remaining tablespoon Sherry in a small bowl. Slowly pour remaining 1/2 cup hot cream into yolks, whisking constantly, and transfer to a small heavy saucepan. Cook custard over very low heat, whisking constantly, until it is slightly thickened and registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Add custard to lobster mixture, stirring gently.
- Preheat broiler.
- Arrange lobster shells, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan and spoon lobster with some of sauce into shells. Broil lobsters 6 inches from heat until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve remaining sauce on the side.
- When salting water for cooking, use 1 tablespoon salt for every 4 quarts water.
LOBSTER THERMIDOR
Make and share this Lobster Thermidor recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Tonkcats
Categories Lobster
Yield 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Saute onion and mushrooms in butter.
- Blend in flour and seasonings.
- Cook over low heat until bubbly.
- Remove from heat and stir in cream, chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil, stirring constantly.
- Boil 1 minute. Add egg yolk, flavoring and lobster.
- Place mixture in shell of lobster or individual baking dishes and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons fine buttered cracker or dry bread crumbs.
- Bake 5 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 126.5, Fat 10.8, SaturatedFat 6.6, Cholesterol 60, Sodium 206.7, Carbohydrate 3.7, Fiber 0.2, Sugar 0.5, Protein 1.8
LOBSTER THERMIDOR RECIPE RECIPE - (4.2/5)
Provided by á-42919
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Boiling Live Lobsters Remove lobster meat, but leave shells whole. Do not twist head from tail and leave antennae on head. Wash and drain lobster shells. Place meat, roe and liver in a large bowl. Cover bowl and wrap shells, refrigerate both. About 25 minutes before serving, in 3 quart saucepan over medium heat, in butter, blend flour, salt, nutmeg and paprika. Stir in half and half and sherry. cook stirring, until thickened. Add meat, cook just until heated. Stirring occasionally. Preheat broiler. Place shells on rack in broiling pan. Fill with mixture. sprinkle with cheese. Broil until mixture is hot. Place lobsters on plate. Garnish with parsley. "Our Lobster Thermidor is one of our lobster delicacies that everyone will love, with sweet chunks of Maine lobster and plenty of tender mushrooms in a hearty, cheesy cream sauce. Serve over puff pastry, toast points or pour over rice or pasta. Just microwave and enjoy! Each Lobster Thermidor is an appetizer portion that serves 2-3 or an entree for one How to make Clarified Butter Lobster Stir Fry
Tips:
- Use the freshest lobster possible: The quality of your lobster will greatly affect the final dish, so make sure to use the freshest lobster you can find.
- Cook the lobster properly: Overcooked lobster is tough and chewy, so be careful not to overcook it. The best way to cook lobster is to steam it, which will help to preserve its delicate flavor and texture.
- Make sure the sauce is thick and creamy: The sauce is one of the most important parts of lobster thermidor, so make sure it is thick and creamy. You can do this by using a combination of butter, flour, and milk or cream.
- Use a variety of cheeses: Lobster thermidor is traditionally made with a combination of Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, but you can also use other types of cheeses, such as cheddar or Swiss.
- Serve the lobster thermidor immediately: Lobster thermidor is best served immediately, as the sauce will start to thicken and become less creamy as it sits.
Conclusion:
Lobster thermidor is a classic French dish that is perfect for a special occasion. It is a rich and decadent dish that is sure to impress your guests. With a little planning and effort, you can make lobster thermidor at home that is just as good as anything you would find in a restaurant.
Are you curently on diet or you just want to control your food's nutritions, ingredients? We will help you find recipes by cooking method, nutrition, ingredients...
Check it out »
#time-to-make #main-ingredient #cuisine #preparation #seafood #french #european #lobster #shellfish #4-hours-or-less
You'll also love