Baked Lobsters With a Tarragon Stuffing

• 2 1 1/2-pound live lobsters
• 3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions or scallions
• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt to taste if desired
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 tablespoons fine, fresh bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon corn, peanut or vegetable oil
• Basil-butter sauce (see recipe)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place lobsters, shell side up, on a flat surface and plunge a knife quickly into the midsection where the tail joins the body.
3. Hack away the claws and reserve them.
4. Cut the lobsters in half lengthwise, head to tail.
5. Remove and discard the tough sac inside the body near the eyes.
6. Remove and discard the dark vein (the intestinal tract) from the tail section.
7. Remove and reserve the soft coral and tomalley from each lobster.
8. Place these in a bowl.
9. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan, and add the celery, green onions or scallions and garlic.
10. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.
11. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
12. Let cool.
13. To the bowl with the coral and tomalley add bread crumbs, the remaining butter, tarragon, parsley, salt and pepper.
14. Beat well to blend.
15. Add the celery and green-onion mixture and blend.
16. Arrange lobster halves, shell side down, on a baking sheet.
17. Scatter the claws around the halves.
18. Spoon equal portions of the bread-crumb mixture into the body cavities of each lobster half.
19. Do not cover the tail meat with the mixture.
20. Sprinkle the tail meat with salt and pepper.
21. Brush the tail meat with oil.
22. Place in the oven, and bake 20 minutes.
23. Serve with basil-butter sauce on the side.

lobsters, butter, celery, green onions, garlic, thyme, salt, freshly ground pepper, bread crumbs, tarragon, parsley, corn, basil

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3533 (may not work)