Homemade Stuffed Lobster

Ingredients  :

4 6oz (170g) lobster tails

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Cracked pepper to taste

4 oz (120g) diced bacon, (trim off excess fat)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

6 cloves garlic crushed

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 small shallot

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Lemon slices to serve

Directions:

Thaw out lobster tails, if frozen, in a pot of cold water for 30 minutes or more, until fully thawed. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Using sharp kitchen shears, cut the top shell down the centre of the back to the end of the tail, leaving tail fan intact. Remove vein or shell shards, if any. Run your finger between the meat and the shell to loosen it. Spread the meat slightly open. Pull and lift the lobster meat off of the bottom of the shell, being careful not to pull the tail out completely.

Season lobster tails generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Fry bacon until crispy. Transfer bacon onto a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil. Keep bacon grease in the pan.

Sear lobster tails in the bacon grease, flesh side down in the pan, for 2 minutes until edges are crisp and golden.

Flip all tails, cover pan and let cook for a further 1-2 minutes, or until shells are pink and meat has just cooked through (opaque) — be careful not to overcook!

(TIP: If shells have not completely changed colour, simply use tongs to rotate the lobster in the hot pan juices until shells have changed colour.)

Transfer lobster tails to a plate and tent VERY loosely with foil to keep warm.

Melt butter in the pan while scraping up any browned bits; sauté shallots and garlic until transparent and fragrant (about 1 minute).

Reduce heat to low. Pour in cream; add parmesan cheese and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer for 1 minute. Season with a little salt and pepper to your taste and let cook until the parmesan cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened slightly.

Taste test sauce and adjust salt and pepper, if needed.

Take pan off the heat; add lobster tails back in the pan with cooked bacon and lemon slices and drizzle with sauce. Top with parsley and serve IMMEDIATELY.

Serve over pasta, rice, steamed veg, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.

Enjoy !!