Seafood Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 12 oz elbow macaroni
• 4 lobster tails (4-ounce each, thawed if frozen)
• 3 cup Gruyère cheese (shredded)
• 12 oz Swiss-style processed cheese (about 16 slices, torn)
• 5 tbsp flour
• 4 tbsp butter (divided)
• 1 shallot (chopped (1/4 cup))
• 3 clove garlic (minced)
• 2.75 cup whole milk
• 0.33 cup dry white wine
• 6 oz refrigerated lump crabmeat (drained)
• 1.5 tsp seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay, plus more for garnish)
• 0.25 tsp black pepper
• 2 cup day-old crusty country bread (cubed)
• fresh chives (chopped, for garnish)
• lemon wedges (for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

2. 2

   Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

3. 3

   Cook macaroni, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.

4. 4

   Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water; drain the macaroni. Rinse the pasta with cold water and drain again.

5. 5

   Return the reserved pasta water to the pot and add the lobster tails.

6. 6

   Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and steam until lobster meat is firm and opaque, about 3 minutes.

7. 7

   Transfer lobster tails to a tray; let cool 2 to 3 minutes.

8. 8

   Remove meat from shells and cut into bite-size pieces. Rinse the pot.

9. 9

   Meanwhile, combine Gruyère, Swiss, and flour in a large bowl.

10. 10

    Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the empty pasta pot over medium heat.

11. 11

    Add shallot and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot is softened, about 3 minutes.

12. 12

    Gradually add milk and wine; heat just until bubbles form around the edge of the pot.

13. 13

    Gradually whisk in the cheese mixture, 1 cup at a time, just until cheese is melted; the mixture may not be completely smooth at this point.

14. 14

    Remove from heat. Stir in lobster, crabmeat, 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, and pepper.

15. 15

    Stir in the cooked macaroni.

16. 16

    Pulse bread cubes in a food processor to get large coarse crumbs.

17. 17

    Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter; stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning. Add bread crumbs and toss to combine.

18. 18

    Pour macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the bread crumb mixture.

19. 19

    Bake in the preheated oven until hot and bubbly and the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

20. 20

    Garnish with chives and additional seafood seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

To remove lobster meat from shells, use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to cut lengthwise through centers of hard top shells and meat, cutting to, but not through, bottoms of shells. Press shell halves of tails apart with your fingers. Using fingers, remove meat from shells.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• seafood
• lobster
• crab
• mac and cheese
• baked
• comfort food