Baked Lobster with Cheese

Hubby bought some lobsters recently. Well, I wouldn't call them lobsters... more like crayfish. Crayfish look somewhat like lobsters, albeit on a smaller scale. However, I did use a baked cheese lobster recipe for this dish. And they turned out really good!

Hubby bought the crayfish from a friend. I was really quite nervous about handling such an expensive crustacean. First up, cleaning it. Place the crayfish belly side up on a clean tea-towel to prevent slipping. Using a sharp knife, cut it in half lengthwise. Leave the meat within the shell as it will infuse the dish with it's flavour and prevent drying out. Next, take the crayfish and pose it for pictures! *chuckles*

Why hello, Mr Crayfish!

A cleaned crayfish.

Just to give you a feel of size.

Check out those pinchers! Can't beat a lobster, but I don't fancy being bitten by those pinchers anytime soon!

Here's the recipe, adapted from Rasa Malaysia. This recipe is for half a lobster, so I doubled the recipe for 6 crayfish. I did not use bacon (of course) and spinach. The recipe calls for the use of light cream. Since I usually get stumped every time I am in the dairy aisle, I actually googled it before my trip to the grocery shop. Light cream has a fat content between 18-30%. It will not whip, as whipping cream will have higher a fan content (between 30-40%). In the end, I used my favourite Emborg cooking cream.

Baked Lobster with Cheese

1/2 lobster

2 teaspoons melted butter
2/3 cup light cream (I used Emborg cooking cream)
1 clove garlic (chopped finely)
2 slices cheese (I used Cheesedale slices)
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar
Some flour
Dried parsley flakes

Method of Preparation:

Heat up a wok/skillet and add in the melted butter. Saute the garlic until aromatic, then add in the cream and bring to boil. Add salt and a pinch of sugar, and a little flour to thicken the sauce. Dish out.

Preheat the oven to 190degC. Spread the mixture onto the body of the lobster and its head evenly. Break the cheese into small pieces and top the lobster with them. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese turns golden brown. Sprinkle dried parsley flakes on the lobster and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Officiating my Le Creuset baking dish in Empire Red.

Fresh out of the oven.

Since I placed this in the oven barely 15 minutes before iftar, everyone was anxiously waiting for it to be ready. Once I took it out of the oven, I didn't have enough time to sprinkle dried parsley nor garnish it with lemon wedges. It was such a hit - everyone took one crayfish each and soon the baking dish was completely empty!

Maybe I should try it with an actual lobster next time! Selamat berbuka!