Sweet, bite-sized pieces of lobster covered in a mouthwatering cheesy garlic sauce. This tasty homemade Lobster Mornay will impress everyone!
Updated 20 September 2023
What would be your last meal?
Are you ready to dip your fork in and pull out chunks of sweet lobster covered in thick garlicky, buttery and cheesy sauce? Take a deep breath because this Lobster Mornay is everything you’ve dreamed about.
This may sound morbid, but I would include Lobster Mornay in a long list of dishes I want to eat if I were on death row. Lucky for me, I’m a law-abiding citizen and we don’t have capital punishment here! Let me explain how this conversation came about.
We have three extremely silly adults in our household: my sister Nara, my husband Tomi, and myself. This would include name-calling and VERY lame jokes, but they’re mostly harmless and we find them funny. However, we would die in shame if anyone overheard our obnoxious banter 😳
We also love to play nonsense games for cheap thrills. A game we play occasionally is ‘What If?’. It’s a hypothetical game where we would make up outrageous situations.
Tomi would purposely rile Nara up by asking, ‘What would you do if someone offered you a million dollars for our cats, but they were planning to eat them?’. Let’s just say Nara’s response is NSFW. There were lots of screaming and endless obscene words.
‘If you were on death row, what would be your last meal?’ was one of our questions. I answered ‘Lobster Mornay…. and …and …and …’ Yes, I’m going to be a greedy prisoner that’s going to be a lot heavier when it’s time to be electrocuted 😂
To be clear, it would be my own homemade Lobster Mornay! Yes, my lobster mornay is one of the best ones I’ve had! I’m usually modest with major claims such as this one, but I’m truly proud of this recipe!
The best homemade Lobster Mornay
Lobster mornay is a classic dish that never gets old. It’s still on our menus in cafes, pubs and restaurants, even the high-end ones. Lobster Mornay will always be fancy to me!
What is Lobster Mornay?
Lobster Mornay is a popular dish of lobster chunks with creamy and thick mornay sauce. It’s usually served in its shell.
What is mornay sauce?
Mornay is ‘béchamel sauce’ with grated cheese mixed in. Béchamel sauce comprises butter, flour, milk, and cheese. It’s a rich and indulgent sauce that goes amazing with fish, seafood, pasta and vegetables.
More luxurious lobster and crab recipes:
Why is this the best homemade lobster Mornay?
I’m all about flavour, so I like to tweak dishes to my liking, even if they’re a classic like Lobster Mornay. I know this may ruffle a few feathers because lobster is delicate in flavour and some may argue it doesn’t need to be messed with.
My mornay sauce has a few extra ingredients to add more depth to the sauce. White wine enhances the overall flavour, garlic goes beautifully with butter, cheese and seafood. I also added a touch of Dijon mustard for that extra flavour. This may sound daring, but I promise it works like magic and this sauce does not overwhelm the lobster.
I highly recommend the additional ingredients. However, if you wish to keep your mornay sauce traditional, simply omit the garlic and the Dijon mustard. Swap wine with equal amounts of chicken stock or broth.
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Ingredients for Lobster Mornay
Lobsters – Use precooked lobsters (bright orange) that are 450 to 550gms / 16 to 19oz, each with shell on. Your fishmonger should be happy to cut your lobsters in half and clean them. These lobsters may look small, but one lobster (two halves) will be adequate for one serving because it’s so rich. Serve with sides such as fries and salad.
Cheese – I used ‘Tasty’ cheddar cheese, but you may swap for equal amounts of Gruyère, Swiss, or any white/yellow cheddar. Any melting cheese should work, however, take the time to grate the cheese yourself for a velvety smooth sauce. Most pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents, which may not melt properly when heated and this may make the sauce grainy.
White wine – Any white wine will work, but if possible, use ‘dry’ white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio because they’re less sweet. If you wish to omit the wine, swap it for equal amounts of chicken stock or broth.
How to make Lobster Mornay
Written step-by-step guide with photos
Preheat the oven grill or broil on high.
Carefully separate the lobster meat from its shell, as we want the shell to remain intact. Chop the lobster meat into bite-size chunks.
In a frypan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant, but don’t let it burn or it’ll be bitter. Add in the flour, then stir quickly for a minute. Pour in the wine and half of the milk, whilst stirring quickly. Add the remaining milk and continue to stir until the mixture looks smooth and thick. Don’t worry if it looks lumpy in the beginning as it will eventually smooth out, just keep stirring.
Add 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese, Dijon mustard (if using) and salt to the mixture. Stir until the cheese has melted, then fold the lobster into the mornay sauce. It’s cooked lobster, so it only needs to be heated quickly in the sauce for a minute. Have a taste and more add salt or pepper to your liking if needed.
Grill/broil the lobsters
Spoon the lobster and the sauce into the shells, then place the remaining cheese on top. Grill (broil) for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese has melted and turned golden brown. Garnish with chopped parsley (optional).
Serve immediately with salad, hot chips (fries) or crusty bread. ENJOY!
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Lobster Mornay
Video
Ingredients
- 2 whole cooked lobsters (450 to 550gms / 16 to 19oz per lobster with shell on) (NOTE 1)
- 30gm / 1oz unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp Plain flour
- 2 tbsp dry white wine (40ml / 1.4floz) (NOTE 2)
- 200ml / 6.8 fl oz milk (full cream, whole milk)
- 1¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese (NOTE 3)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven grill or broil on high. Carefully separate the lobster meat from its shell, as we want the shell to remain intact. Chop the lobster meat into bite-size chunks.
- In a frypan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant, but don't let it burn or it'll be bitter. Add in the flour, then stir quickly for a minute. Pour in the wine and half of the milk, whilst stirring quickly. Add the remaining milk and continue to stir until the mixture looks smooth and thick. Don't worry if it looks lumpy in the beginning as it will eventually smooth out, just keep stirring.
- Add 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese, Dijon mustard (if using) and salt to the mixture. Stir until the cheese has melted, then fold the lobster into the mornay sauce. It's cooked lobster, so it only needs to be heated quickly in the sauce for a minute. Have a taste and more add salt or pepper to your liking if needed.
- Spoon the lobster and the sauce into the shells, then place the remaining cheese on top. Grill (broil) for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese has melted and turned golden brown. Garnish with chopped parsley (optional).Serve immediately with salad, hot chips (fries) or crusty bread. ENJOY!
Family approved! OMG!!! Big thumbs up 👍
Thanks Emma! Glad your family approved 🙂
Brilliant. Exactly what I was looking for.
That’s great! Thanks Phillip for taking the time to leave feedback
I followed your recipe exactly and didn’t change a thing, and I’m so glad I didn’t because the lobsters turned out perfect. Absolutely 10/10, looking forward to trying more of your recipes
Hi Sally,
Waking up to your message made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment. I’m really looking forward to you trying more of my recipes 😊
Made this exactly by the directions. Omg!! The flavours were sensational! You are so right re the garlic and mustard. They really take this dish to the next level. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Totally loved it.
You’re so welcome, Augustine!
I’m speechless! This has to be one of the best feedback I’ve received. It’s definitely put a BIG smile on my face 😊 especially because you loved it with the mustard. Thank you for trying this recipe out and for leaving this incredible comment.
Looks and sounds amazing! The recipe seems so simple, even I mght have a go at this. I’ll keep you posted
Hi Hamish,
Thanks for leaving this comment. All those years I’ve spent good money ordering Lobster Mornay, I wouldn’t have known how easy they were to make at home.
Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback if you give this a go. Thanks for visiting my page!
Wife was pumped when she saw lobsters on the table for Valentine’s Day. The way your instructions were set up step by step and clear to follow. The lobster was tasty as. Thanks for this recipe, it’s a real keeper!
Hi Doran,
You’re welcome! Thanks so much for leaving such positive feedback. Happy to hear how excited your wife was over the lobsters.