To make the most of your lobster and get the best seafood flavours, let the lobster stock simmer for a couple of hours. Some people skip the lobster stock altogether, but with a bit of extra time or advance prep, using the fresh shells to infuse your sauce will give you extra bang of your money.
Ingredients for 2:
- 1 lobster, about 400-600g
- 120g dried spaghetti
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 100g cherry tomatoes
- 1 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 50ml of white wine
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the stock:
- Shell of your lobsters
- 50ml olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 onions, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 carrot, chopped
- Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Method:
1. Pop live lobsters in the freezer for 30min to 2hrs to stun in, then in a large pan of boiling water with salt, cook the lobster until they turn bright red, about 6-8 minutes depending on the size. Remove the lobster and place into ice water so the shell comes off easily when peeling them.
2. To remove the meat, twist the head and claws off. With the back of the knife crack the claws and remove the flesh, then crack the tails and slice them down to extract the meat, deveining if needed. Cut all the meat into similar bite sizes and reserve the shell.
3. To make the lobster stock: in a pan, heat olive oil to medium, then cook the garlic, onion, carrot and celery for 2 minutes. Add the lobster shells and half the parsley with stalks then cover and let simmer ideally for 2hours.
4. To make the lobster sauce: In another large sauce pan, heat olive oil then add finely chopped garlic, chilli and sauté for 1-2 minutes without letting brown then add some quartered cherry tomatoes and toss. Add a splash of wine, then 2 ladles of stock and let reduce down to desired consistency.
5. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in salted water as per pack instructions.
6. When the pasta is almost ready, drop the lobster meat in the sauce with a teaspoon of butter and mix well and season, then let cook for just a couple of minutes not to let the meat become rubbery.
7. Grab your pasta with tongs and drop in the sauce, adding a little bit of extra water from the pasta pan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley leaves, then toss. Taste and adjust seasoning.
8. Grab your tongs and plate your pasta immediately ensuring your lobster meat is spread evenly, then scoop extra sauce from the pan on top and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil leaves. Add more chilli and black pepper to taste.
9. Enjoy!
