Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a small casserole dish, pie dish, gratin dish, or four individual ramekins.
- Prepare the lobster. If using par-cooked lobster, remove it from the shell and cut large pieces into bite-size chunks. If using fully cooked lobster meat, thaw, drain well, and pat dry. Do not cook fully cooked lobster again before assembling the pie.
- Make the cracker topping. Combine the Ritz and oyster crackers. Add 3 tablespoons melted butter and toss until evenly coated. Stir in the parsley and set aside.
- Make the cream sauce. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute without browning.
- Add the cream and sherry. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half or light cream. Add the dry sherry and black pepper. Cook for 2–3 minutes, whisking frequently, until lightly thickened.
- Add the lobster. Remove the sauce from the heat and gently fold in the lobster meat. Do not simmer the lobster in the sauce.
- Assemble the pie. Spoon the lobster mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the cracker topping evenly over the top.
- Bake. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the filling is hot and gently bubbling and the topping is golden brown. If using fully cooked lobster meat, begin checking after about 15 minutes and remove once hot.
- Rest and serve. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.