Lobster Pasta Recipe
Description
This Lobster Pasta is the best summer pasta dish, it's elegant yet simple to prepare and tastes truly restaurant-quality. In just 45 minutes, this pasta recipe will be on the table and is ideal for entertaining guests. Loaded with fresh sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, and basil, it's a bite that's sure to impress.
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Ingredients
- 5 fresh lobster tails, or 8 ounces cooked lobster meat
- 1 pound dried bucatini
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 ears corn
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces crème fraîche
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan, divided
- ⅓ cup torn fresh basil leaves + more for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. If using fresh lobster tails, add 5 lobster tails to boiling water and cook 6 minutes. Using tongs, transfer tails to a bowl and let cool.
- Season boiling lobster water heavily with salt and add 1 pound bucatini; cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Wipe out pot and return to stove top.
- Remove and discard husks and silk from 3 ears of corn. Cut off kernels (should get about 2 cups). Using back of a chefs knife, scrape cobs to collect the little sweet bits of kernel and “milk” (this should yield about 3 tablespoons); reserve. Discard cobs.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat in a now-empty pot. Add 2 cloves sliced garlic and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in corn (and scraped bits) and reduce heat to low. Cook until corn is sweet and soft but not browned, about 8–10 minutes.
- Once lobster is cool enough to handle, crack open shell and remove meat; you should get at least 8 ounces lobster meat. Dice the lobster meat.
- Add lobster, 1 ½ cups halved cherry tomatoes, cooked pasta, 8 ounce crème fraîche and ½ cup pasta water; toss to coat. Increase heat to medium and cook until sauce is slightly thickened; season to taste with salt and pepper, adding a touch more pasta water if necessary to coat noodles. Remove from heat and fold in ½ cup Parmesan and ⅓ cup torn basil leaves.
- Spoon into pasta bowls and top with remaining Parmesan, more fresh basil and cracked black pepper.
Equipment
Notes
Lobster: It would probably take 2-3 lobsters (and a lot of work) to yield 8 ounces meat, so we recommend using fresh tails or, an even easier option, utilize Luke’s frozen lobster meat from Maine for a delicious shortcut. It will serve 4 generously or 6 as part of a larger meal.
Storage:
This creamy lobster pasta is best when served and eaten immediately. It stores well for about a day in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We don't recommend freezing this recipe.
We recommend reheating the pasta on the stovetop with a splash of water or stock and gently heating through until warmed. You can microwave for a few minutes as well, but this may change the texture of the pasta and the lobster.
Tips:
- Cook the pasta to al dente. Read the cook time on the box of the pasta for al dente, you want some chew to the noodle.
- Reserve some of the pasta cooking liquid. When you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve some of the pasta cooking liquid, this is pure gold. We use this liquid to make the creamiest sauce.
- Use fresh corn on the cob. This is so important since the corn tends to be fresher tasting. Additionally, we also use the "corn milk" in this recipe which comes from the cob by scraping it with the back of a knife.
- Don't overcook the lobster meat. This will make it rubbery, cook until it is just cooked through in the shell preferably. The cool in an ice bath to stop the cooking if desired. Remove the shell using kitchen shears for ease!
- Swap the lobster for another kind of seafood. We also recommend shell-on shrimp for this recipe or even mussels! If using shrimp, follow the same method as lobster, just cook for less time. If using mussels, cook them in a separate pot and serve on top.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 recipeCalories: 575kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 21gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 546mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7g
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