Ingredients
2 fresh lobsters
4 tbsps butter, divided
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
2 tbsps ketchup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
splash of dry white wine or dry sherry
1/3 cup grated white cheddar
200ml prawn bisque
2 tbsps Parmesan
2 tbsps breadcrumbs
handful parsley leaves
lemon wedges, for garnish

Method

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the lobsters and boil for 10 minutes.

Drain and shock under cold water.

Remove the meat and save the shells, arranging them in a shallow casserole dish.

Chop the cooked meat at an angle into chunks.

Preheat your broiler to high. Heat a medium skillet and a small saucepot over medium heat.

To the small saucepot, melt two tablespoons of butter. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for three to five minutes until very soft, then add the flour.

Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter to the skillet.

When the butter melts, add the ketchup and mustard, and flame with brandy.

Add the bisque, chopped lobster meat and sauté.

Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the lobster meat and stir to combine. Put the lobster into the shells and in a casserole dish. Top with Parmesan and breadcrumbs.

Broil on high until golden, for two or three minutes. Serve each tail, spilling over with lobster bits in sauce, on a bed of mixed baby greens and parsley along with wedges of lemon.

To make this dish with a jumbo shrimp, cut up peeled, deveined raw shrimp. Sauté the shrimp in butter, as with cooked lobster.

Cook until pink and firm and proceed with method. Place the shrimp and sauce into a small casserole, then spoon the completed shrimp thermidor over a bed of greens and parsley leaves.

Roberta Preca is a Chef patron, Tal-Familja Restaurant, Marsascala.