Baked Stuffed Lobster - better than any restaurant!

Anyone who knows me knows I don't care for seafood.  It's not that I don't WANT to like it, but when and where I grew up (Kansas in the 60's and 70's) it simply didn't exist - at least not in our family. I just never developed a taste for it.

My wife however, is a different story. She mainly sticks to a vegetarian diet, but sometimes she wants seafood. Just because I don't eat it doesn't mean I won't make it for her. This is one of her favorites and I can't actually vouch for it since I won't eat it, but she swears it's better than any lobster you get in a restaurant - even the ones on the shore with the freshest ingredients possible.

I believe it's a combination of the method of cooking and the stuffing itself (which she swears by). Again, I don't eat it so I can't personally vouch for it but I have to believe from how much she enjoys it that it must be pretty good. She also says that the same stuffing is fantastic in baked stuffed shrimp as well.

So, if you like baked stuffed lobster and have never attempted to do it yourself, here's your chance!

All the ingredients are ready.  The small alien-looking
thing in the front is the calamari. The device that looks
like a medieval torture device is really just a juicer.

Ingredients

• 1 lobster (1 1/4 - 2 pounds)
• 30 -36 Ritz crackers, crushed (one sleeve)
• 1 1/2 tbsp Grandpa's Best seafood rub (Slap My Bass & Call Me Sally)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium lemon (keep both juice & zest)
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 lb fresh calamari, chopped*

*NOTE: You can use any type of seafood you like. My wife likes calamari so that's what we generally use, but you can chop up scallops, shrimp, etc.

This is what the calamari looks like when it's chopped up

Directions

Prepare the stuffing

1. Melt butter in medium sauce pan

   

   Sauté the onions in the butter

2. Add chopped onions and sauté until just soft (not browned)
3. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant

   

   The onions, garlic and calamari

4. Add chopped calamari and cook for 1 minute

   

   All of the stuffing ingredients mixed together
5. Add remaining ingredients and stir until mixed

   

   The stuffing mixture should be moist enough to mold when pinched together.
   In order to show that (and because I was bored) I made a shape out of the stuffing.
   Behold, Batman stuffing!  Something you're not likely to see on any other blogs.

6. Mixture should be moist enough to mold when pinched
7. Preheat the oven to 425

Prepare the lobster

1. Place the lobster flat on its stomach. With a very sharp, heavy knife pierce the lobster just behind the head and cut down vertically all the way to the end of the tail

   

   The point of the knife indicates where you should insert the knife when cutting
   the lobster. You will insert the knife vertically and slice down through the head.
   Remove the knife and put in the same place, pointing towards the tail. Slice
   downwards, cutting through completely, making two pieces.

2. At this point, the lobster should be cut in half down the middle. Remove all of the "innards" from both halves. Some people like to eat this part, and if so you can fold it into the stuffing. If not, simply discard

   

   Immediately after slicing but before removing the "innards" (above)
   After cleaning (below). For some reason every time I look
   at this I think of the creatures in "Alien".
   

   

3. Crack each claw by hitting it with the back of the heavy knife so that the meat in the claws can cook thoroughly

   

   Crack the claws so the meat can cook

4. Place the lobster halves on the tray with the now hollow sections next to each other

   

   Add the stuffing to the lobster, not packing too tightly
5. Take the stuffing that you have prepared and spread over the center and into the hollows so that the lobsters look whole again. Do not pack the stuffing tightly, or it may affect the even baking of the lobster

   

   Out of the oven

6. Put in the oven and check after about 15 minutes. Cook longer if necessary

   

   Serve with extra lemon and butter and enjoy!!!