Pasta with lobster is linguine tossed in a fresh tomato and garlic sauce with tender lobster meat, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes. It feeds 4, and one lobster is enough for the whole table.

Why This Recipe Works

Cook the lobster whole in a covered pot over low heat. A gentle simmer keeps the meat tender, while a hard boil makes it tough and stringy. The meat then goes into the sauce only to warm through.

Don’t throw away the green, creamy liver in the head. Stirred into the sauce with its juices, it adds a deep taste of the sea that plain lobster meat can’t give. If you have a female lobster, keep the coral too.

The sauce is built on very ripe tomatoes cooked in olive oil with just one clove of garlic. Gentle heat lets the garlic perfume the oil without burning, and the tomatoes stay bright and fresh instead of turning heavy.

Pasta with Lobster Ingredients

1 (1 1/2 to 2 1/4 pound) fresh lobster (or cooked giant shrimp, shelled and cut into small pieces)
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds very ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 2 (14-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons dry white wine
14 ounces dried fidelini or linguine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How To Make Pasta with Lobster

Cook and clean the lobster

Simmer the lobster: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the lobster. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, so the meat cooks through without turning tough.
Cool and open: Lift the lobster out and let it cool on a board. Cut along the entire length of its back with a sharp knife, then open the two halves flat.
Remove the inedible parts: Pull out the two gills near the head. Then take out the dark vein that runs along the tail and the little stomach sac inside the head. Keep the green, creamy liver, since it adds great flavor. Keep the coral too if it’s a female.
Pick the meat: Push a small skewer through the tail to draw out the meat. Crack the large claws and take out the meat, throwing away the thin membrane. Cut any large pieces into smaller ones.

Make the sauce

Cook the tomatoes: Warm the olive oil in a large skillet and fry the garlic gently, so it softens and doesn’t brown. Stir in the tomatoes and parsley and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the lobster: Stir in the lobster with any juices, the white wine, and salt and pepper to taste. If you’re using shrimp instead, add them now. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the alcohol cooks off and the seafood is hot.

Cook the pasta and serve

Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the 14 ounces of fidelini or linguine for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain it well.
Toss and serve: Toss the pasta with some of the sauce so every strand is coated. Divide it among plates and spoon the rest of the sauce on top.

Recipe Tips

Simmer, don’t boil: Keep the water at a low simmer for the full 20 minutes. Rolling boiling water toughens lobster meat.
Use ripe tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes need to be very ripe to taste sweet. Out of season, canned chopped tomatoes give a better sauce.
Warm the lobster, don’t cook it: The meat is already cooked, so it only needs 1 to 2 minutes in the sauce. Longer than that and it turns rubbery.
Swap in shrimp: Cooked giant shrimp, shelled and cut small, work well and save you the cleaning. Add them at the same point as the lobster.

What To Serve With Pasta with Lobster

Serve the pasta right away in warm shallow bowls, with extra sauce spooned over the top. A simple green salad and a glass of chilled dry white wine fit well alongside it.

How To Store

Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheat: Warm gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water until hot all the way through. High heat makes the lobster tough.
Make ahead: The tomato sauce can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Add the lobster and wine just before you cook the pasta.

FAQs

Can I use shrimp instead of lobster?

Yes. Use cooked giant shrimp, shelled and cut into small pieces. Add them to the sauce at the same point as the lobster and heat them for 1 to 2 minutes.

Can I use canned tomatoes?

Yes. Two 14-ounce cans of chopped tomatoes replace the fresh ones. They are the better choice when fresh tomatoes aren’t truly ripe.

Is pasta with lobster dairy free?

Yes, as written. The sauce uses olive oil and no butter, cream or cheese. It isn’t gluten free, since it uses regular wheat pasta.

What is the green stuff inside the lobster head?

It’s the lobster’s liver, and it tastes rich and briny. Stir it into the sauce along with the meat. The coral in a female lobster can go in too.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.

Calories: about 720 kcal
Total Fat: 28g
Total Carbohydrate: 80g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Protein: 38g

Pasta with Lobster

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

Linguine in a fresh tomato and garlic sauce with tender lobster meat and a splash of white wine. A special seafood dinner for 4 from a single lobster.

Ingredients

1 (1 1/2 to 2 1/4 pound) fresh lobster (or cooked giant shrimp, shelled and cut into small pieces)
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds very ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 2 (14-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons dry white wine
14 ounces dried fidelini or linguine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Simmer the lobster: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the lobster. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, so the meat cooks through without turning tough.
Cool and open: Lift the lobster out and let it cool on a board. Cut along the entire length of its back with a sharp knife, then open the two halves flat.
Remove the inedible parts: Pull out the two gills near the head. Then take out the dark vein that runs along the tail and the little stomach sac inside the head. Keep the green, creamy liver, since it adds great flavor. Keep the coral too if it’s a female.
Pick the meat: Push a small skewer through the tail to draw out the meat. Crack the large claws and take out the meat, throwing away the thin membrane. Cut any large pieces into smaller ones.
Cook the tomatoes: Warm the olive oil in a large skillet and fry the garlic gently, so it softens and doesn’t brown. Stir in the tomatoes and parsley and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the lobster: Stir in the lobster with any juices, the white wine, and salt and pepper to taste. If you’re using shrimp instead, add them now. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the alcohol cooks off and the seafood is hot.
Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the 14 ounces of fidelini or linguine for 7 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain it well.
Toss and serve: Toss the pasta with some of the sauce so every strand is coated. Divide it among plates and spoon the rest of the sauce on top.