Spaghetti with Lobster Tails Sauce
If you enjoy eating lobster once in a while then this dish is for you. We make this sauce using frozen lobster tails. We usually buy them at our local fish market. Once they are fully defrosted and rinsed off, they’re get chopped before they are added to the tomato sauce that has been simmering for a while.
Lobster tails cook up very quickly, so you will need to stay near the stove and keep a close watch on them. We prefer to use fresh tomatoes when making a quick red sauce, but you can easily use a 24 to 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, and you will need to cook the sauce a little longer, about 10 to 15 minutes more, before you add the lobsters. Mom always makes her lobster sauce by cooking the lobster with their shells because it adds more flavor to the sauce. Then, the shells are later removed before the sauce gets tossed with the pasta.
This is a very easy seafood sauce to make and one you will enjoy serving family and friends from time to time. Enjoy!
Spaghetti with Lobster Tails Sauce
- 3 lobster tails, frozen, rinsed (about 8 ounces each)
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. butter – divided
- 6 garlic cloves- sliced
- 1/8 tsp. to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 extra lg. ripe tomatoes -chopped, or 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, and extra for garnish
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 package of spaghetti (1 pound)
Allow tails to sit on counter and defrost, about 1 hour; or defrost in refrigerator over night. Submerge tails in a bowl of cold water, and place into the sink and run cold water over the tails for a few minutes. Drain in a colander. Place them on top of few sheets of paper towers and press down with your hands to push out excess water.
Using kitchen scissors, cut each tail down the center, then again across in quarters, cutting at the joints.
In a large sauce pan or skillet.
On medium-low heat, heat olive oil with 1 tablespoon of butter.
Add garlic and 1/8 teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Later you can add more (another 1/8 tsp.) red pepper flakes to taste. Sauté garlic until golden brown and translucent.
Add chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley and 1 additional tablespoon of butter.
Cover and simmer tomatoes for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add lobster tails (including the shells) and sauté the tails, turning them over often until the lobster meat turns white-ish and tender, and the shells have turned to pink, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour wine into the sauce, and cover with a lid.
Simmer sauce on low heat for about 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For a mild or more spicy flavor, here is where you can add more red pepper flakes
to taste.
When lobster is fully cooked and tender, turn off the heat and set aside.
Using a fork and kitchen tongs, carefully remove all shells by pulling from the meat and discarding them.
Meantime, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water with salt added, until pasta cooks to “al-dente,” about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove and reserve 1/4 cup of salted water, and set aside.
Drain spaghetti. Place spaghetti back into the pot, add in some fresh chopped parsley, the remaining tablespoon of butter. Then pour lobster sauce over the spaghetti. Toss spaghetti with sauce until well combined.
If needed, gradually add in the reserved water into the spaghetti and toss to combined. Ladle spaghetti into individual bowls.
Add a few pieces of lobster on top of each dish. Garnish with some chopped parsley on top. Serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 5
