Lazy Man’s Lobster is named for the lazy man (or woman) who’s lucky enough to be served a lobster that requires no effort whatsoever. A lobster that’s been parboiled, cracked open and shelled by someone else, then poached in herb-infused butter, and ladled into a bowl to be enjoyed with no mess, no shell-cracking implements, no splattering or dripping or bib-wearing.
This is a restaurant-style dish that’s just as elegant served at home. The only catch is the laziness part: unfortunately, someone’s going to have to do the work of cracking and shelling the lobster, and that would be you. However, that messy work is all done ahead of time – and in the kitchen, not at the table. A few minutes before serving this luscious lobster, you’ll gently reheat it while you stay cool and relaxed. Don’t worry, go ahead and use the cloth napkins – and you can even wear a nice shirt.
Once you’ve freed the lobster meat from the shells, the rest of the preparation is simple – no bold or extraneous flavors distract from the sweetness of the lobster. Nothing but clarified butter, a sprig of thyme, a tap or two on the bottom of a tin of Old Bay seasoning, and a splash of sherry to finish the dish and add warmth. To do justice to the luxuriousness of the lobster, take care with the presentation, arranging the tail slices and claws to fill the bottom of the bowls in a single layer, with the flavored butter spooned over the top.
To make 1/3 cup of clarified butter, start by melting ½ cup of salted butter. Pour the melted butter into a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Use a spoon to skim the white, foamy-looking milk solids off the top surface of the butter, doing your best to get the surface completely clean. Then, start slowly pouring the butter into another measuring cup or small bowl. Stop pouring as you get close to the bottom of the butter, where the butter turns cloudy with milk solids again – you want only the clear, bright yellow portion of the butter. You’ll probably have to leave a little bit of the clear butter behind; that’s preferable to pouring too much and getting some of the milk solids in your clarified butter. Discard the solids.
Prep tips, and making Lazy Man’s Lobster ahead:
- The clarified butter can be made ahead – see instructions above. It will keep for months in the refrigerator.
- You can parboil, cool, crack and shell the lobsters up to several hours ahead. For the freshest flavor, do this the day of serving – or at most one day ahead, not more than that. Chill the lobster until needed.
- Or, if you want to fully embrace the lazy spirit of this dish, buy cooked and shelled lobster meat from the seafood market. You’ll pay dearly for that convenience, but I’ll leave that to you to discuss with your wallet.
- Wait until just before serving to poach the lobster and finish the dish. Don’t plan on leftovers.
For another summery, restaurant-style seafood dish, try these Steamed Clams, Mussels and Shrimp in Garlic Broth. And to see this recipe as part of a spectacular summer seafood dinner menu, check out the post for Saturday July 10, 2021.
Lazy Man's Lobster
Ingredients
- Two live lobsters (about 1½ pounds each)
- 1/3 cup clarified salted butter
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
Directions
- Step 1 Fill a lobster pot or other extra-large pot 2/3 full of water and bring it to a vigorous boil over high heat. Lower the lobsters head first into the water, using tongs to submerge them in the water. Partially cover the pot. Cook the lobsters for 6 minutes. Carefully remove the lobsters using tongs and set them aside to cool completely. Once the lobsters are cool, remove the meat from the tails, claws and knuckles. (Discard the bodies and pincers or save them to make seafood stock.) Slice each tail crosswise into 6 slices.
- Step 2 Pour the clarified butter into a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the thyme sprig and heat the butter for 5 minutes to infuse it with the thyme.
- Step 3 Remove the thyme sprig and stir in the Old Bay. Add the lobster meat to the skillet in a single layer. Heat the lobster gently for 3 to 5 minutes until it’s just heated through, occasionally tilting the skillet to spoon some of the warm butter over the lobster – don’t stir or toss the lobster.
- Step 4 Arrange half of the lobster in each of two shallow bowls, distributing the claws and tail meat evenly. Spoon some of the melted butter over the lobster. Drizzle ½ tablespoon of sherry over each dish and serve immediately.
