Individual Baked Lobster Pie

This is old-school New England fine dining scaled down for one or two. Cooked lobster meat gets bathed in sherry and lemon juice, then folded into a velvety cream sauce enriched with egg yolks. It bakes in a small deep-dish pie plate under a crunchy topping of cracker meal, crushed potato chips, Parmesan, and paprika.

The sauce is a proper French-style velouté tempered with egg yolks. You make a roux, stir in cream and the sherry-lemon soaking liquid from the lobster, then carefully temper beaten yolks into the hot sauce one spoonful at a time. Heating it over a double boiler (not direct heat) prevents curdling and gives you a silky, custard-like coating for the lobster.

The topping is unexpectedly clever. Crushed potato chips alongside cracker meal add a salty, buttery crunch that’s lighter than a traditional pastry crust. A dusting of Parmesan and paprika rounds it out.

Chef Tips

• Temper the egg yolks slowly. Add the hot sauce one tablespoon at a time into the beaten yolks, stirring constantly. Dump it all at once and you get scrambled eggs.
• Use a double boiler for the final heating. Direct heat is too aggressive and will curdle the egg-enriched sauce.
• Don’t skip the sherry soak. The lobster absorbs the wine and lemon juice, which then becomes part of the sauce. That’s layered flavor.
• Bake at a low temperature. The filling is already cooked. You’re just warming it through and crisping the topping.

Variations

• Use crab meat or large shrimp if lobster isn’t available.
• Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the cream sauce for a sharper edge.
• Swap the cracker topping for puff pastry rounds for a more traditional pot pie presentation.