Dennis Prescott

Lobster Mac & Cheese. Yes please!

In the Prescott house, warm summer days and seaside deliciousness go hand in hand. The perfect friendship, where Maritime happiness meets comfort food heaven. One of our favourites? Lobster Mac.

Great Mac & Cheese is all about using properly cooked, top quality ingredients. This Cholula®-Spiked Lobster Mac & Cheese is a total rockstar. Creamy, cheesy, jam-packed with lobster goodness, and the perfect, balanced spice-factor, care of those Cholula shakes. Oh my! Make this recipe y’all – your friends and family will absolutely love it!

Cholula-Spiked Lobster Mac & Cheese

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 X 1 ¼-pound live lobsters

1 pound uncooked pasta shells

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon zest

5 shakes Cholula® Original Hot Sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 cups grated Swiss cheese

2 cups grated aged cheddar cheese

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Lemony Crunch Topping

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 shakes Cholula® Original Hot Sauce, to top (and for deliciousness)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Next, prepare the lobsters and pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Submerge the lobsters in the boiling water, cover, and cook for 8 – 10 minutes, until they have turned bright red. Transfer the cooked lobsters to an ice bath to cool.
3. Crack the lobster shells and remove the meat from the bodies, claws, nooks, and crannies. Cut the meat into ½-inch chunks, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
4. Bring the lobster cooking liquid back to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions (al dente, please). Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pour the pasta into a large cast-iron pan (or casserole dish) and set aside.
5. Sauce time! In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the flour. Cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes until frothy. Still stirring, add the milk in a slow and steady stream, making sure that the flour has worked its way into the milk. Let the sauce come to a gentle simmer and thicken, about 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Turn the heat to low and stir in the mustard, lemon zest, and 5 shakes of Cholula, then season with sea salt and pepper. Stir in the cheeses, a handful at a time, until melted and smooth. Perfect.
7. Pour the sauce over the pasta, add the lobster meat, and fold the lot together until mixed well.
8. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and stir to mix. Done.
9. Top the pasta with the topping mixture, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs have turned crispy and golden brown.
10. Hit the cooked pasta with 5 Shakes of Cholula Original hot sauce and serve immediately. Delicious!