Award-Winning Lobster Cannelloni Recipe

Blue Ribbon Hunter traveled to The Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, ME where we watched 5 finalists go head-to-head, competing to see who had the best seafood dish. In the end, one dish came out on top:

Tyrrell Hunter's award-winning lobster cannelloni.
Tyrrell Hunter's award-winning lobster cannelloni.


SPECTACULAR SEAFOOD CANNELLONI

By Tyrrell Hunter, Brunswick, Maine


INGREDIENTS (Serves 4 TO 5):


FILLING

4 1 1/4 lb Lobsters, cold water cooked method (see below), shucked. After removing the tail vein, cut the tail and claws into 1/2 inch chunks, mix with knuckle and body meat. Save the shells and bodies of two lobsters but discard the tamale. Refrigerate all until needed.

1 lb. Large Sea Scallops - with muscle removed

1 Tbl. Unsalted Butter (need total of 10 Tbl. for complete recipe)

1 Tbl. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Garlic - Minced

2 Tbl. Onion - Finely Chopped

1 Tbl. Fresh Parsley, washed, dried and chopped

1 Tbl. Fresh Basil, washed, dried and chopped

1 Tbl. Sun-dried Tomatoes - packed in oil, drained and chopped

1 tsp. Anchovy Paste

½ tsp. Kosher Salt

¼ tsp. White Pepper


SAUCE


Lobster Shells & Bodies

3½ cups Whole Milk

2 cups Heavy Cream

8 Tbl. Unsalted Butter

½ cup All Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

¼. tsp. White Pepper

1/8 tsp. Nutmeg - Grated

1 cup Parmesan Cheese - Grated (divided in 2 each ½ cups)

½ cup Pecorino Cheese - Grated (if you can't find Pecorino, you can increase the Parmesan by ½ cup)


PASTA SHELLS


10 each No-Boil Lasagna Noodles



DIRECTIONS:

Early preparation - even a day or two in advance:


Lobsters - Next time you cook lobsters, try starting them in cold, heavily salted water. Turn on heat to high (we use a gas turkey fryer outside) and bring to a rolling boil. This should take about 20-30 minutes, depending on how many lobsters are in the pot. For this recipe, you want to take 4 lobsters out as soon as they come to a boil and plunge them into cold water to stop their cooking. You want the lobsters under-cooked because the meat will finish cooking in the Cannelloni. (We cook other lobsters to eat that evening by boiling those lobsters just two more minutes for a traditional boiled lobster dinner. We use the partially cooked lobster in a variety of recipes, such as this Cannelloni recipe, over the next few days. The beauty of the cold water method is the meat is very tender because all the lobsters cook at the same temperature and the lobsters weren't shocked entering hot water.)


About 1 ½ to 2 hours prior to serving:


To Make the Lobster Sauce:


Thoroughly strain any liquid that may have accumulated from the lobster shells. In a large saucepan on medium-low heat, steep the milk and cream with the lobster shells (without tamale!) for ½ hour, stirring a few times. Strain, reserve the milk mixture and set aside. Discard the shells & bodies.


In the same large saucepan over medium heat, melt 8 Tbl. Unsalted butter; then stir in ½ cup flour. Stir for 1 minute to slightly cook the flour. Stir in the nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Wisk in the hot milk/cream mixture and wisk for 5-7 minutes until the sauce is thick and smooth. Stir in ½ cup Parmesan and set aside off heat.


To Prepare the Pasta Shells:


Soak the no-bake lasagna noodles in a large bowl of warm water for about 8-10 minutes or just until they are pliable so you can bend them easily. Take out of water and pat dry. Cut each noodle to 5½-6" long.


To Make the Filling: (Preheat oven to 375º while making the stuffing)


In a large sauté pan on medium-high heat, melt one Tbl. butter with one Tbl. olive oil. Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper. Add scallops and onions to the pan and quickly cook the scallops about 20-30 seconds per side; add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Cut the scallops into quarters or eights (about the same size of the lobster tail pieces; the scallops will not be completely cooked at this point). Stir in the lobster meat, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs and sauté for one minute to combine flavors. Drain off any accumulated water/juices. To 2/3 cup of Lobster Sauce, stir in the anchovy paste. Then add this sauce mixture to the seafood and mix gently to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Take pan off heat.


To Assemble and Bake Cannelloni:


In a 13" x 9" pan, pour 1½ cups of the sauce and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Put ½ cup of the filling mixture across the short side (about 3 ½") of a pasta shell and roll up, putting it seam-side down in the pan. Repeat with the other shells, leaving a little space between the shells. Pour the remaining sauce over all the shells, covering completely, and sprinkle the top with the remaining ½ cup Parmesan and ½ cup Pecorino. Dot with an additional Tbl. of butter cut into small pieces. Cover pan and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes. If needed, lightly golden brown under the broiler just before serving. Suggest to serve with a crisp salad and toasted garlic bread.


(Can be prepared in advance of final baking and refrigerated for up to 24 hours; let sit at room temperature for ½ hour, then bake for 30 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered, brown under broiler if needed)


Enjoy!


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