Lobster Fra Diavolo

shell on lobster with mafalde pasta noodles in red tomato sauce on a white platter with a white and blue stripe towel

In this recipe tender lobster meat is tossed with a spicy arrabbiata pasta sauce. The tomato-based sauce is laced with sautéed fennel, carrots and plenty of red pepper flakes - enough to make you sweat (for a milder sauce use only 1 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes).

Course pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword lobster, madalde, noodles, peppers, shellfish, spicy, tomato sauce

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 622kcal

Ingredients

3-4 (1½-pound) Maine lobsters
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, diced
1 medium fennel bulb, diced (reserve fronds for garnish)
1 large carrot, diced
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1½ cups dry white wine
¼ cup tomato paste
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon diced tarragon
1 pound dried mafalde pasta (if you can’t find, substitute with spaghetti)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Working one lobster at a time, place on cutting board, belly side down with the head facing you. Insert a chef’s knife where the tail meets the head and quickly bisect the head lengthwise, this will quickly and easily kill the lobster. Use a cleaver or chef’s knife to cut the whole lobster lengthwise.
Heat a large 7-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, add 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat through. Working 1 lobster at a time, sear the lobster halves until the shells are bright red and the meat is cooked through, flipping once, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the lobsters and set aside to cool, repeating with the remaining lobsters. Remove the meat from the tail and body of the lobsters and roughly chop, setting aside in a small bowl. Reserve the lobster halves for serving, and use a cleaver to crack the claws for serving.
Return the large Dutch oven to medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add the butter and allow to melt then add the shallots, fennel and carrot and sauté until the vegetables are soft.
Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant then stir in the red pepper flakes followed by the white wine. Simmer the wine until the vegetables are almost dry, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes.
Cook, simmering until the sauce comes together, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tarragon and cooked lobster meat.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add in the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. Divide among warmed serving bowls and arrange the reserved shells with cracked claws on the side of the bowl. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.

Nutrition