This is the best way to stretch a lobster, or to use the leftover shrimp from another recipe. (Or in this recipe, both!) I find that as long as you're going to use it or freeze it the same day, look for "manager's specials," which typically will expire in a few days but are a great value. I was making this just for me and my husband, but I always make a ton extra of anything I cook, so you could probably feed 6 hungry people with these measurements. In this case, I got two split lobster tails for less than $10.00. I also had a half-bag of 31-40 cooked shrimp in the freezer. Ta-da! Lobster and shrimp pot pie! :) You'll need one puff pastry sheet, four ribs of celery, one medium onion, 6 baby potatoes (whatever kind you like or have around), 7-8 white button mushrooms or creminis, one stick of butter, 16 oz. of chicken stock, about 1/4 c. cornstarch or flour, and I had some leftover corn in the fridge, so I threw that in too. Saute the celery, onions, potatoes, leftover corn, and mushrooms in the stick of butter in a very large skillet, or, if you don't have one, a big pasta or soup pot. Just stir more if you don't use a shallow pan. Thaw your lobster, cook it just enough to get it out of the shell, and cut into bite-size pieces. Thaw the shrimp if it's frozen, and if you're using 31-40s (that means that there are 31-40 shrimp per pound), halve them. Once your veggies are starting to get soft, toss in your shrimp and lobster. Whisk together the chicken stock (you can use seafood or veggie if you don't eat poultry) and the corn starch or flour, then add to the veggies and seafood. Add salt, pepper, and/or Old Bay seasoning. I used Old Bay and Paula Deen's Silly Salt, which I LOVE. (Some stores carry it, or you can order it online. It's salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, thyme, mustard seed, and a few others, and somehow goes with everything.) Crank your heat to med-high/high for a few minutes to get the stock up to boiling, in order to thicken the sauce. Pour the whole thing into a casserole or lasagna pan. The deeper the pan, the more you'll serve with each piece, so if you want to feed an army, use a shallow pan. Put the pan you use (I go with a glass 8x8" pyrex dish with a lid for leftovers) on a baking sheet, because it always seems to dribble a bit in the oven. Cover with your 1 sheet of puff pastry, and make a few slits in the pastry to release the steam that will build up. Put it in a 350 degree oven for an hour. Let it rest when you take it out for at least ten minutes (don't worry, it won't get cold), and then serve!
You can also add carrots, parsnips, peas, or leeks. Or, substitute the seafood with leftover rotisserie chicken or seared eggplant. Like most things I try to post here, it's not a recipe, it's a method. Take the component parts, switch out the ones you don't like with things you love, and don't be afraid to make it up as you go. :)
