Our go-to treat for special occasions, this version of Lobster Spaghetti was inspired by our trips to Italy. It is a variation of a recipe in the Simply Tuscan cookbook by Pino Luongo. Oil is substituted with our vegan oil substitute so that in the final product, the only thing not on our diet is the lobster. But it is soooo good!
There are many ways to create a lobster spaghetti dish, but we prefer to use lobster tails to start. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 pounds, and we find that this usually works out to 4 to 6 tails, depending on size.
1/2 cup of virgin olive oil or oil substitute
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 pounds of lobster
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound ripe tomatoes*
10 fresh basil leaves, torn roughly by hand
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves
12 ounces dry spaghetti
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cut the lobster tails and place the meat in a bowl. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the oil for later use. In a sauté pan over medium high heat, warm the remaining oil. Add garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown all over. Add lobster meat to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes or until it is golden. Reduce heat to medium, pour the wine over the lobster and continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated.
*If you’re in a rush, you the fresh tomatoes and their prep can be replaced by a good, preferably oil-free, marinara sauce.
While the wine is evaporating, blanch the tomatoes for 2 minutes in a large pot of boiling water, then plunge them into ice water. Peel the tomatoes, halve them horizontally and remove the seeds. Dice the seeded tomatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, then stir them into the pan with the lobsters, adding the basil and hot red pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, then take the pan off the heat. Add parsley and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
In a large pot of boiling lightly salted water, cook the spaghetti until it is al dente. Drain and add it to the sauce. Finish with the reserved 3 tablespoons of oil.
Serves 2