Here is a nice little dinner for two just in time for Valentine’s Day. These were originally stuffed back into the lobster tails but that is just too much trouble for me.
Whatever your plans, I hope you spend the day with someone you love. Whether that be your spouse, significant other, parents, brother, sister, kids, etc…

Baked Seafood Gratin

4 ounces unsalted butter, divided
3 (4-5 ounce) lobster tails, remove meat, devein, and cut into 1 inch chunks
8 ounces Dungeness Crab meat
1 TBSP chopped fresh chives
1 TBSP lemon zest, minced
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 ¾ cups Ritz crackers crumbs (or any buttery cracker), divided
2 TBSP fresh parsley

Melt 2 ounces of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Stir in lobster and lemon juice; cook just until seafood starts to turn pink.
Add chives, zest and cayenne.
Off heat, stir in crab and 1 cup cracker crumbs just until combined. Dived the stuffing among two small gratin dishes. Load them up high. You will most likely have some stuffing left over, save this and stuff it into chicken for another meal.
Place gratin dishes on a baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Melt the remaining 2 ounce of butter. Add this to the remaining cracker crumbs and add parsley. Sprinkle generously over each gratin. Roast until topping is crisp and stuffing is hot, about 15 minutes.
Serve with White Wine Butter Sauce.

White Wine Butter Sauce
 1 cup white wine
2 TBSP shallots, minced
1 sprig fresh thyme
4 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cubed
1 tsp minced fresh tarragon
salt to taste

Reduce wine with shallots and thyme in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat until liquid is nearly evaporated. Remove and discard thyme, then whisk in butter 1 or 2 cubes at a time until melted. Finsih with tarragon and salt.
Adapted from Cuisine at Home December 2007

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