Lobster Casserole with Ritz Cracker Topping
This lobster casserole with Ritz cracker topping is a company-worthy classic. The buttery cracker topping gives it a pleasant crunch.
By Yankee Magazine|Jun 01 2022|
Lobster Pie
Photo Credit: Heath RobbinsLobster pie has long been a popular way to serve our favorite crustacean. This one, which we’re calling a lobster casserole with Ritz cracker topping, is a classic, loaded as it is with butter and high-quality sherry to bring out the meat’s natural sweetness. The buttery cracker topping gives it a pleasant crunch.
Yield:
4 servingsTotal Time:
40 minutesIngredients
1/2 cup finely crushed Ritz or other buttery crackers
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Make the topping: In a small bowl, stir together crackers, paprika, and cheese. Stir in butter until evenly mixed. Set aside.
Next, make the filling: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add sherry and boil 1 minute. Add lobster, stir, and remove from heat.
For the filling:
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, divided
1/2 cup good-quality dry sherry
2 cups chopped lobster meat
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
4 large egg yolks
This lobster pie was excellent. My grandchildren are lobster lovers so I prepared it as a special meal. I will be doing it again.
Nothing could be better than fresh lobster pie…..This recipe deserves to be made over and over again.. Don’t skimp on the butter and the fresh cream!
This lobster pie recipe is actually a very good Lobster Newburg recipe. Not what I expected but enjoyable none the less. I’m still searching for my ideal lobster pie or stew.
Being a Marylander, I substituted lump crab meat for the lobster. I reduced the butter to only 1/4 cup in the main recipe part and added Old Bay Seasoning, Worchester sauce and cayenne pepper. Served with rice, it was fantastic.
Taste was fantastic, but the sauce was a bit more soupy than I expected. It was more of a lobster newburg but with bigger lobster chunks in the sauce. I added extra flour to thicken up the sauce, but with the substantial amount of sherry in it, it might be more worthwhile to just use less prepared sauce in each baking container. The recipe was a bit more complicated than was written. Have all the ingredients ready before starting to cook.
Anyone from Maine knows that you should never mask the light delicate taste of Maine Lobster with to many ingredients. The only way to make Lobster pie is with 3 simple ingredients: Lobster, butter, cracker topping (Ritz is best).
Absolutly
Yum! So good! (Sorry, lobster.)
Lived in a lobster fishing community for 60 years in Massachusetts, lobster has no real taste on its own, why do you think people dip it in melted butter or make lobster rolls with mayonnaise? Sherry and cream are a classic cooking method for meat pies and casseroles! Expand your horizons for goodness sake!
Totally agree, sherry and lobster are divine together. If you have ever had the lobster bisque at Jordan Pond in Maine, you would appreciate the flavor sherry adds.
It’s Memorial Day weekend… drove to Rye Harbor to meet Doxy Lobster boat. Nothing like fresh – right out of the Atlantic. See Doxy Lobster on FB. You won’t be disappointed!!!
I think the half cup of sherry called for in the recipe is way too much. I use 4-5 tablespoons and it allows the lobster flavor to come through on a stronger note. I’ve done similar seafood pies with crabmeat and shrimp and they are all wonderful. I agree that Ritz crackers make the best topping; maybe this is a New England habit?
Why would anyone put sherry in lobster pie?
Sherry adds a wonderful flavor to stuffings, even Thanksgiving.
I’ve made both lobster mac & cheese and this lobster pie for Christmas eve. Our family raves over them. Delicious!
This recipe includes way too much sherry..the result would be cloying. I made it with 2 T. sherry and it was perfect.
I have made it a couple of times. Not with the sauce because my Mom was a chef and all it had was Lobster, Melted Butter and crumbled Ritz crackers . I can’t remember how long to cook it though. 10 or 15 minutes just to warm up Right?
I agree…No sherry and just Lobster (or Scallops), melted butter and crushed Ritz crackers! Delicious!
That was my mother’s recipe dating back to the 1950s: lobster meat, butter, and crushed Ritz on top. Nothing else. And a winner every time, and a favorite for company (who could never believe the simplicity of the recipe.)
can lobster pie be frozen?
Yes!
Is the lobster meat put in raw or cooked ? Had lobster Mac and Cheese and loved it, but have never made it myself
Cooked
In this recipe is the lobster meat priot to assembly cooked or raw?
Cooked
Made this for a dinner party of 8,using 3 lbs of lobster, and adjusted recipe for ritz to top the lobster….. it was a huge hit with very little left over.
An absolutely delicious bake. I made this for my family on Christmas Eve (using lobster I ordered online; I’m not lucky enough to live in New England, so I use this: https://qualityseafooddelivery.com/lobster/). Thank you for sharing. It will not be a meal I soon forget.
will it alter the taste significantly is I omit the sherry?
No, it won’t dramatically alter taste in recipe substituting with either white wine, or preferably a dry vermouth. Either will suffice
The one thing I did differently was to add the Sherry into the skillet after removing the lobster meat, reduce the Sherry by half liquid volume before adding the cream.
agree half as much sherry or use white wine, half amount.
i added an onion when cooking lobster chunks and it balanced nice! but ya gotta have the ritz… go heavy on the ritz!
How does this recipe compare to the lobster pie that was served at Frank Giufrida’s Hill Top restaurant in Saugus, Mass?
Oh, ho, ho, ho! This looks and sounds like the beloved Lazy Man’s Lobster, served with love and abbondanza at the late, great Hilltop in Saugus, Massachusetts. MANY, many trips there in the 70s, with my posse. In twosomes, we’d order one prime rib, one Lazy Man’s Lobster, and split ’em. THE BEST. I MUST try your recipe, I’m salivating just reading it! Thank you for that wonderful sense memory tonight, wow. <3 🙂
This reminds me of the Lobster Pie at the old Hilltop Steakhouse in Saugus, MA. I’ve substituted medium cooked shrimp for the pricey lobster meat; and another favorite substitution is large raw sea scallops, quartered.
The ingredient that surprised me was the egg yolks. Why?
It creates a custard. Makes the casserole less gooey and more stable. My family never uses it and if you skip it you can just note it will be more like lobster sauce
I actually in all the confusion in my kitchen forgot to add the egg yolks. I was nervous while it was in the oven but I honestly thought that this was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. I added a few scrapes of nutmeg too. I will definitely make this again and will probably omit the egg yolks. BTW I thought it was plenty thick sauce. Not watery at all.
I add Wise potato chips to the Ritz crackers and cheese in equal parts to the topping for any fish. It has to be Wise, just as it has to be Ritz – no substitutions for either of those.
Although the directions were somewhat confusing, my husband and I worked together on this and it came out heavenly! We used equal amounts of haddock, scallops and shrimp which we sauteed in butter before proceeding with the recipe. I would recommend using exactly what the recipe calls for. The sherry was perfect, but we live on the seacoast and get plenty of fish and lobster all the time, so we are always looking for new ways to prepare it. We’ll do this one again!
You are correct, this recipe is confusing. Maybe New England Today will rewrite it, please.
Any suggestions on non-dairy substitutions for the half and half in the recipe? Thanks!
There isn’t an acceptable substitute, you could try some bottled clam broth and skip the dairy.
There isn’t an acceptable substitute, you could try some bottled clam broth and skip the dairy.
Luckily, my next door neighbor is a lobstermen. I’m going to make some next week, but I use Waverly Wafers instead of Ritz because they’re more buttery tasting.
Going to try this !
Someone had the sherry while writing the recipe. Oh. That’s what the sherry is for!
Hi! For all those who tried the recipe as written, good job!!
I just re-wrote instructions so I could follow it more easily when I make it. For those who may need that, here you are…
Lobster Casserole with Ritz Cracker Topping 40 min./ 4 servings
Yield: 4 servings
For the topping:
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup finely crushed Ritz or other buttery crackers
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Make the topping:
In a small bowl, stir together crackers, paprika, and cheese. Stir in melted butter until evenly mixed. Set aside.
For the filling:
Ingredients
• 1 stick butter –8 Tbsp–DIVIDED
• ½ cup good dry sherry
• 2 cups chopped lobster meat
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups half-and-half
• 4 large egg yolks
Instructions
In a large skillet
• Melt 3 Tbsp butter; Add…
• 1/2 cup good-quality dry sherry; boil one minute. Add…
• 2 cups chopped lobster meat; Stir. Remove from heat. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over med-high heat
• Melt 5 Tbsp butter; Add
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; Cook, stirring till smooth and glossy. Remove from heat. Drain and add sherry and juices from skillet. Slowly whisk in
• 1-1/2 cups half-and-half. Cook, stirring constantly, till sauce is smooth and thick
Remove 4 Tbsp. mixture from saucepan to a small bowl. Add…
• 4 large egg yolks—ONE at a time; beating well after each one.
• Add egg mixture back to saucepan and mix well. Stir over low heat 3 min. Do NOT boil
• Remove from heat. Add lobster/sherry mixture.
Pour mixture into four ramekins or a gratin dish.
Sprinkle with topping. Bake until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.
I have never made Lobster Casserole with Ritz cracker crumbs but I will be trying it very soon and will give a reply. Joanne Albertine
Doubled a new recipe. Not a smart way to start. Turned out great, but pretty complex with multiple pans and transfers. In the end, a little much liquid, but it firmed up out of the oven. Added a bit of fresh onion, asparagus and mushrooms from another lobster casserole recipe. Lost track of how many sticks of butter were involved.
Is the lobster already cooked when you add it? Not clear to me.
can this recipe be made a few days ahead uncooked