Diner discretion is advised: the folks at Scituate Lobster Pound consider a two-pound lobster prepared in this classic fashion a single serving, but you may find it sufficient to feed a couple or even a small family… Fair warning.
- 1 two-pound very fresh lobster
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2–3 tablespoons minced scallion or baby leek
- ¼cup minced bell pepper (red and/or green)
- 1 clove garlic or 1 scape, minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
- ¾ cup unflavored panko or cracker crumbs
- 6 raw medium shrimp, shelled and quartered
- 3 sea scallops; 2 quartered, 1 left whole
- 1 tablespoon sherry
- a few jots of hot pepper sauce, optional
- pinch of salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 ounces of Jonah or other local crabmeat
- 1 piece of thick applewood smoked bacon
- more chopped parsley & lemon wedges for garnish
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a frying pan. Add the scallion or leek and sauté very gently a few minutes until softened. Add the bell pepper and cook a minute more. Add the garlic and parsley, cook for 30 seconds and remove from heat. When the mixture has cooled a bit, mix in the crumbs, shrimp, quartered scallops, sherry, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Fold in the crab gingerly. Set stuffing aside while you do the dirty deed.
Dispatch the lobster on a sturdy cutting board with a large chef’s knife, preferably outdoors. Place it on its back, head toward you, and swiftly and surely bisect its head with the point of your knife. Then use your knife to split its belly clear down through the first tail segment. Pull out the viscera and discard, and press down on the lobster’s upper carapace, with a bit of force if necessary, to splay flattish.
Place the lobster on a baking pan, and administer the stuffing, pressing gently. Gild the lily by topping with the remaining scallop, wrapped in bacon. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the thickest part of the tail reads 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and allow to cool a couple minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.
Serves 1 to 3.
