This lobster mac and cheese is outrageously delicious! The rich lobster cheese sauce is the star of the show, packed with lobster flavor and perfect for any special occasion, from date night to the holidays.
We don’t skimp on flavor in this lobster mac and cheese. Unlike other recipes that simply add lobster meat to a standard mac and cheese, we take it a step further. We create a deeply flavorful lobster cheese sauce using the lobster bodies, similar to how lobster bisque is made.
This results in an intensely flavorful mac and cheese, so much so that adding lobster meat is entirely optional! The sauce itself delivers incredible lobster flavor. You can absolutely add cooked lobster meat if you wish, but you might prefer to save it for other delicious dishes like lobster rolls.
Key Ingredients
- Lobster: We will start with 2 live lobsters, then cook them so that you have perfectly cooked lobster meat and lobster bodies ready to make our cheese sauce. If you prefer, you can ask your local fishmonger to cook your lobster, but don’t forget to ask for the lobster bodies back (the main shells with the head and tiny legs attached), as this makes our lobster cheese sauce so delicious. Remember, adding lobster meat to the mac and cheese is up to you. The bodies in our sauce add plenty of rich lobster flavor, so you may prefer to use the meat for another lobster recipe instead.
- Aromatics: Since this is a classy dish, we bring in a few more ingredients than our basic macaroni and cheese. We use onion, carrot, garlic, fresh thyme, bay leaf, and tomato paste in our sauce. When they are all soft and sweet, they are blended into the cheese sauce, adding lots of flavor.
- Butter and Flour: These help thicken our sauce.
- White Wine: A dry white wine like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or unoaked Chardonnay adds complexity. For a non-alcoholic option, substitute vegetable broth.
- Milk: For the creamiest sauce, use whole milk.
- Cheese: A high-quality white cheddar, such as Beecher’s or English cheddar, is my favorite for this mac and cheese. Gruyère would also be lovely!
- Pasta: Use your favorite short pasta shape. Since this is a special recipe, it can take a fancier shape like cavatappi or torchiette.
How to Make Lobster Mac and Cheese
Step one for lobster mac and cheese is to prepare your lobsters. I know working with live lobsters might sound overwhelming, but I walk you through everything you need to know in our recipe. You can also learn more about working with live lobsters in our lobster roll recipe!
Our method for dispatching the lobster is quick and effective. Place the lobster on a cutting board and find the faint cross on its shell where the head and body connect. Quickly and firmly insert a large, sharp knife into this cross, pushing down through the head and between the eyes. This severs the spinal cord, killing the lobster instantly.
From there, you can separate the bodies from the tail, claws, and legs. We want to keep the bodies uncooked, so we can use them to make our lobster cheese sauce. Then, we will cook the lobster meat in boiling salted water. Once cooked, you can pull the meat from the shells and save it for adding to our lobster mac and cheese or save it for another dish. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The trick to the best lobster mac and cheese is to cook the lobster bodies with butter, aromatics, and milk for about 30 minutes. In this time, the bodies perfume the mixture with rich lobster flavor (more than any meat ever could). After 30 minutes, you’ll discard the bodies and blend your sauce with some cheese.
Finally, toss the sauce with cooked pasta, add optional lobster meat, and bake in a casserole dish until bubbly. It’s incredible!
Perfect Lobster Mac and Cheese
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
There are two ways to make lobster mac and cheese: with or without lobster meat. In both cases, you’ll use the lobster shells to create the signature lobster flavor in the sauce. We’ll guide you through each step, from humanely dispatching and cooking live lobsters to making the rich lobster cheese sauce. Then, you can decide whether to fold the cooked lobster meat into your mac and cheese or enjoy it separately (it’s fantastic with melted butter or in lobster rolls!). The lobster bodies (the main shells with the head and tiny legs attached) release a rich, savory lobster flavor into the sauce, making them essential for this recipe.
Make Ahead Tip: Cooked lobster meat can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, meaning you can prepare the meat in advance. You can also freeze the lobster bodies for up to 6 months. This lets you prepare the lobsters, enjoy the meat in another meal, and save the bodies for later.
You Will Need
2 whole lobsters, 1 ½ pounds each
2 tablespoons butter
Half a sweet onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup
1 medium carrot, finely chopped, about ½ cup
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup (60ml) white wine
2 cups (473ml) whole milk
1 bay leaf
12 ounces (340g) white cheddar cheese, grated, about 3 cups
8 ounces (226g) short pasta like fusilli, cavatappi, or torchiette
1/4 cup (28g) panko breadcrumbs
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
- Prepare Lobsters
1If starting with live lobsters, handle them with care. Hold a lobster firmly just behind its head and place it on a cutting board, using a clean kitchen towel to keep it steady. Look for a small, cross-shaped mark on the shell where the head joins the body. Using a large, sharp knife, swiftly and firmly insert the tip into this mark and cut downwards through the head, between the eyes. This method dispatches the lobster quickly. The legs might twitch a little afterward, but the lobster is dead.
2Separate the lobster parts by size: tails in one pile, large claws in another, and finally, all the small claws together in a third pile. You will cook these in the next step for lobster meat.
3The lobster bodies (the main shells, including the head and tiny legs) are essential for the sauce. Set them aside. You will use them in our lobster sauce to create its rich flavor.
4Bring a large pot of water to a boil with two tablespoons of salt.
5Cook the tails for five minutes and transfer them to a plate to cool. Next, cook the large claws for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a plate to cool, and finish by cooking the small claws for four minutes.
6Remove the lobster meat from the shells when the tails and claws are cool enough to handle. For the tails, use kitchen shears to cut down the top of the tails, pull them open, crack the back slightly, and then pull out the meat. For the claws, use a knife or mallet to crack open the claws and then remove the meat. Use tweezers or chopsticks to remove smaller bits of meat from legs and knuckles. Store the lobster meat in an airtight container in the fridge. If you plan to add some to the mac and cheese, you will need about 1 cup, which means you will likely have some extra lobster meat, which is never a bad thing.
- Make Lobster Mac and Cheese
1For lobster mac and cheese, you’ll need 2 lobster bodies and, optionally, 1 cup of cooked lobster meat. Cut the lobster bodies in half with a heavy knife.
2In a wide pan at least 3 inches deep, like a rondo, melt the butter over medium heat. Ideally, use a pan with a lid, as you will need the lid later on.
3Add the lobster bodies, onion, carrot, garlic, and thyme to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The goal is not to brown the vegetables, just soften them. The lobster bodies will also turn red.
4Add the flour and stir it around the pan, then do the same with the tomato paste.
5Pour in the white wine and stir well. Once it begins to stick to the bottom, add the milk and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper, then cook at a low and gentle simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. During this time, check that the milk is not bubbling too much or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat down if necessary. The milk may look slightly curdled, but in the next step, we will blend everything, which brings the sauce back together.
6Remove the lobster bodies and discard them. Then, pour the liquid into a blender. Add 6 ounces of cheese (1 ½ cups), and puree until smooth. Chill the sauce in the fridge until ready to toss with the pasta. Blending tip: for safety remove the blender lid center insert and hold a kitchen towel over the hole while blending. This releases steam and prevents messy splatters.
7Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the pasta until al dente. Strain.
8Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a casserole dish, that holds at least 2 quarts.
9In a mixing bowl, combine the hot pasta with the lobster sauce and half the remaining cheese (2 ounces or 1/2 cup). Stir well to combine. If you are adding lobster meat, fold it in.
10Transfer the pasta mixture to the casserole dish.
11In a small bowl, mix the panko bread crumbs with the remaining cheese, and then scatter it over the top of the mac and cheese.
12Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the middle is hot and the top is golden brown.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store baked lobster mac and cheese in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Precooked lobster: If you prefer, you can ask your local fishmonger to cook your lobster, but don’t forget to ask for the lobster bodies back (the main shells with the head and tiny legs attached), as this makes our lobster cheese sauce so delicious. Starting with uncooked bodies adds a bit more flavor to our sauce, but you can still make it with cooked lobster bodies.
- Nutrition facts are estimates. We included 1 cup of lobster meat and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
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