Method

Preheat oven to 375F

Steam Lobster and Shrimp Prep:

Chef's Note: Please thaw your lobster tails at least 80% of the way to prevent overcooking. Take them out the night before and sit in the fridge to defrost until ready for use. 

Fill a medium-size steamer pot or a medium pot that can fit a strainer with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Then place lobster tails inside the steamer or strainer with a tight lid or plate for 10-12 minutes. Put ice cubes in a large bowl. Then place the cooked lobster tails underneath the ice. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and then discard the rest. In a smaller pot boil shrimp for 2 minutes or until pink. Once pink, place shrimp inside the bowl with ice that the lobster is in to stop the cooking process. Once cooled to the touch, cut the backside of the lobster tail from the top to the end of the tail carefully. Remove the shell and release the lobster meat. Put the lobster meat back on the ice and repeat with the rest. Remove shrimp shells from the cooked shrimp and place them back into the bowl. Discard the lobster and shrimp shells. (You can keep one for presentation if they are still in good shape after peeling.) Chop the shrimp and lobster meat until chunks and put in a medium-size bowl. Then sit aside.

Cheese:

Separate the Cheddar, Gruyere, Monterey Jack, and Mozzarella cheese into half cups portions. One set will be used for your cheese sauce and the other for the topping.

Pasta:

In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the desired pasta for half the required time from the instructions on the box. Once cooking is completed drain the pasta in a strainer. Place the cooked pasta in a bowl and add a drizzle of neutral cooking oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed) to the pasta. Mix and sit aside.

Sauce:

In a medium saucepan on medium-low heat, add the butter. Cook until melted and then add flour. With a whisk combine butter and flour until smooth and has a pie crust fragrance. About 3 minutes. Pour a third of the milk into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk until well incorporated. Then add the reserved cooking liquid from the steam lobster or shrimp. Continue to whisk and incorporate the liquid into the sauce. Add the remainder of the milk and continue to stir until the sauce is smooth. Take the smooth sauce off the heat, and add the cheese. Whisk the cheese until well combined. Then with a spatula fold in the pasta until each noodle is coated with cheese sauce. Add the shrimp and lobster to the cheese mixture. Fold in the shrimp, lobster, and noodles. Once everything is coated place the pasta mixture into a medium-sized baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan. Then sprinkle the remainder of cheese on top of the pasta. Lastly, sprinkle a little paprika on top. Place the pasta mixture in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until melted and bubbly.

Topping:

In a small skillet add a tbsp of butter and letter melt on a medium-low. Once butter is melted place the panko bread crumbs in and stir until the bread crumbs are coated with butter. When they are coated in the butter they will become light brown. Remove from the heat. Then add grated cheese and parsley. Mix well and sit aside.

Serve:

Place the mac and cheese on a plate and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top. This meal can be paired nicely with a chicken breast, steak, or fish.