Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Look for wiggley, lively lobster. Firm sides means full of meat. (Soft means recently molted.) Transport in cooled cooler with icepak and wet but not dripping newspaper.

Place lobsters in pan and chill in freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place 1 layer of river rocks* in the bottom of a wide pot and fill with 1-inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Spread herbs across rocks, then quickly place lobsters on top. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and place in ice bath to halt cooking.

Lay paper towels across a cutting board. Bring one lobster to the board and using your chef’s knife, cut the lobster straight down the center, from head to tail. (Start with lobster right side up; poke knife down middle of back; chop forward to split head; flip over; finish bisecting lobster, including tail.) Remove tomalley and discard. Remove legs and claws. Snip off leg joints. Using a rolling pin, roll over legs to extract the meat (it will pop out). Roughly chop the meat.

Move claws to pan (cookie sheet) and roast for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large sauti pan over medium heat. Add the onions and stir to coat. Follow with the lemon zest and scallions. Once onions are translucent add the leg meat. Then add the crackers and toss, off the heat, until all the liquid has been absorbed. (Add more crackers if necessary)

Place body halves onto foil, using foil to hold halves to make a reservoir. Spoon filling into the open body cavities; leave it loose, not packed. Brush tail meat with olive oil and place upright on the pan along with the claws. Roast 10 to 14 minutes or until the stuffing browns and tail meat becomes opaque. (Up to 20 minutes for 2 lb lobster.)

Put body halves on lettuce leaves. Crack claws with channel lock pliers (like nut cracker); crack off "thumb", pull it out and remove the meat. Push the remaining out the socket with finer. Serve on top of stuffed lobster with extra-virgin olive oil on the side for dipping.

*Smooth river rocks are available from your local landscape company

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

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