Browse All Recipes

Lobster mornay

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for lobster mornay.

By Lisa Featherby
  • 30 mins preparation
  • 40 mins cooking plus freezing, cooling
  • Serves 2 - 4
  • Print
    Print
Lobster mornay

Ingredients

  • 2 live rock lobsters (about 1kg each)
  • To serve: lemon wedges and winter leaf salad
Mornay sauce
  • 50 gm butter, coarsely chopped
  • 50 gm plain flour (1/3 cup)
  • 500 ml milk (2 cups)
  • 35 gm each Gruyère and parmesan, coarsely grated
  • 1 tsp chopped thyme

Method

Main
  • 1
    Place lobsters in the freezer to render them insensible (30 minutes), then kill humanely. Meanwhile, bring a very large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Boil lobsters until half-cooked (4 minutes). Drain, then using a sharp knife and kitchen scissors, split lobsters in half. Remove meat from tails and legs (leave head and tail shell intact), coarsely chop tail meat and transfer to a bowl. Set shells and meat aside separately until required.
  • 2
    Meanwhile, preheat oven to 220C. For mornay sauce, heat butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming (2-3 minutes), add flour and stir continuously until flour begins to turn sand-coloured (2-3 minutes). Gradually add milk, stirring well between each addition, until incorporated and sauce is smooth, then stir in cheese, season well to taste and stir in thyme (see note).
  • 3
    Arrange lobster shells on a crumpled piece of foil in a roasting tray (this helps to keep them upright). Combine half the mornay sauce with the lobster meat and stir to combine, then spoon mixture into shells, spoon extra sauce over to cover well, then roast until mornay turns golden and bubbly (20-30 minutes). Season to taste and serve hot with lemon wedges and a leaf salad.

Notes

Note Mornay sauce keeps well and can be made ahead and refrigerated in a container covered tightly with plastic wrap for 3 days. It will solidify; just heat it gently to bring it back to a sauce consistency.
Drink Suggestion: The richest, most buttery chardonnay Drink suggestion by Max Allen