Lobster spaghettini
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
- Dietary
- Dairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free
Make pasta a really special dish with luxurious lobster, a great contender for Christmas Eve dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 x 1kg/2lb 4oz lobster, cooked
- 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
- 2 peeled carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 leek, washed and roughly chopped
- 10g/1/3oz flatleaf parsley, leaves and stalks separated and chopped
- 500ml/18fl oz hot water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 400g/14oz tomato passata
- 400g/14oz spaghettini
- 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Put the lobster down with the tail flat on a board and, with a sharp, heavy knife, cut lengthwise through the middle of the tail to make 2 half tails. Pull off the head and claws. Crack the claws with a heavy knife and remove the meat, then remove any meat from the head.
To make the lobster stock, in a hot saucepan, crush the lobster head and legs with a rolling pin so all the juice comes out and the shell is broken to a pulp.
Add the chopped vegetables, parsley stalks and then hot water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and keep to one side.
Cut the half tails in half again, keeping the lobster tail in the shell as this adds flavour to the sauce.
Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and cook gently for 1 minute. Stir in the passata and cook rapidly for 2–3 minutes, until the sauce has become thicker. Add the lobster stock and continue to reduce until the volume has halved.
Cook the spaghettini in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the lobster tail quarters, head and claw meat, chopped parsley and red chilli and fry for 1 minute.
When the pasta is done, drain and add to the lobster along with the tomato sauce.
Season, then cook for 2 minutes, tossing constantly, so the pasta can absorb the flavours of the sauce. Add the remaining olive oil and serve immediately.
