Chef John's Lobster Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
1 h servings 975- Adjust
- US
- Metric
Directions
{{model.addEditText}} Print- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter 2 gratin dishes.
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Cook lobster tails in skillet until slightly golden and about halfway cooked-through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer tails to a plate to rest. When cool enough to handle, remove lobster meat from shells and chop meat. Reserve shells.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook and stir until a paste forms and flour taste cooks off, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cold milk to flour mixture; whisk until completely incorporated. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, and stir in paprika, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
- Stir Cheddar cheese and Gruyere cheese into milk mixture until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and stir Worcestershire sauce into cheese sauce.
- Bring a large pot of water with reserved lobster tails and a pinch of salt to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Remove and discard lobster shells, drain pasta.
- Stir macaroni into cheese sauce with thyme leaves. Divide macaroni mixture between the 2 prepared gratin dishes. Top macaroni with chopped lobster meat, poking meat down into macaroni mixture with a fork.
- Stir bread crumbs and melted butter together in a bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and stir. Top each gratin dish with bread crumb mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
Footnotes
- Cook's Note:
- Make sure your mac and cheese mixture is wet and saucy in the pan, otherwise it might get dry when it bakes. Don't be afraid to add a splash of the pasta water to loosen things up.
- Tip
- Aluminum foil helps keep food moist, ensures it cooks evenly, keeps leftovers fresh, and makes clean-up easy.
Nutrition Facts
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Reviews
Read all reviews 2945 Ratings
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I added the Lobster chunks into the skillet then I loaded up the two boats..Absolutely delicious..And plenty cheesy...Defintely will make many times. Thanks Chef John. By the way, after going t...
This recipe is a lot of work. It was just okay. But I think that’s because I’m a bad cook. Not the recipe. I won’t be making it again because it was a lot of work.
I added the Lobster chunks into the skillet then I loaded up the two boats..Absolutely delicious..And plenty cheesy...Defintely will make many times. Thanks Chef John. By the way, after going t...
Excellent recipe! Nice flavor! I made a couple adjustments along the way; I used half n half instead of milk and I added an extra 1/4 cup to ensure the pasta didnt get too dry. I didn't put i...
I loved this recipe and I am a huge Chef John fan. I'm not a chef by any means but I do love to cook. One concern I had with this recipe was the lack of lobster throughout the dish. The second t...
Very good,A little dry, I could have added a bit more of the pasta water, I would make this again in a heartbeat!, love this recipe!
Delicious! Made this dish for my hubby and I...and wowzers! it was incredibly tasty to us. Perfect with lobster. I really enjoy Chef John's recipes. I've made several of them and have 5 star ra...
I love this classic! Especially appreciated the tip on adjusting the vollume of pasta to customize the creaminess of the sauce!! I've been trying to get a creamier texture for years and I have b...
Could not find gruyere at the grocery store (don't shop on Christmas eve...) so substituted havarti. Not a great substitution, the sauce was yummy but the texture was not creamy. Otherwise a tot...
Always turns out perfectly. Nice balance of mild spices to balance out the creamy cheese sauce and keep it from being bland. Don't skimp, go with a nice greyure cheese in the cheese blend if you...
I didn't make any changes and it came out delicious! I'm a huge Chef John fan so I'm not surprised. Since I had never cooked lobster before, it definitely helped to watch the video first.