Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms

My wife and I are huge fans of mushrooms, and over the last few years, our daughter has started to like them as well.  We like them on pizza, in salads, on steaks, and stuffed.  Our son still will not touch them, so he has no clue what he is missing.  Until then, that's more for us.

These mushrooms are a very simple appetizer that take just a couple of minutes to put together and can bake while you prepare the rest of the meal.  I like to use leftover lobster for this, but you can also use imitation lobster or even lump crab meat.  The key is chopping everything small enough to be able to mix and stuff into the mushroom caps.  I usually go with a chop for the lobster and mushroom stems that almost resembles coarsely ground meat.  This way I can ensure that I get a little bit of everything in each bite.


Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms

14 oz whole mushrooms, cleaned
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
2 oz cooked lobster meat, chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Remove stems from mushroom caps, reserving about half the stems.  Set mushroom caps aside.  Finely chop reserved stems.

In small skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened and lightly browned.  Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In small mixing bowl, stir together bread crumbs, lobster meat, chopped parsley, and cooked mushrooms.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add oil and mix until all stuffing ingredients are moistened.  Spoon stuffing into mushroom caps and place in baking dish.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened and stuffing is golden brown.  Serve immediately.