It’s getting cold – winter is around the corner. Cooking something warm and wholesome is seems to suit the mood. This dish is heartwarming dish that is full of flavour and healthy – perfect for a family stay in dinner. What a treat!
Total Time: 45 mins | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 3 South coast lobster tails
- 1 small onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 small carrot
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Fresno chili pepper, chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 quart tomato sauce
- 1 pack bucatini pasta (a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole through the center)
- 4 to 6 leaves basil, torn
- Salt to taste
Short Instructions
To cook lobsters at home:
You can defrost frozen lobster tails overnight in the refrigerator. Alternatively, place them in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. For larger tails, drain the water after 30 minutes and add new freshwater. Repeat the process until the flesh is flexible and no longer icy.
Whole tails should be rinsed and dried before cooking.
We choosing to bake our lobster beforehand. It holds more flavour and doesn’t get diluted when boiled.
Baking with water on the bottom of the pan in the oven gently steams the lobster, giving a tender almost poached texture. This works great for larger sized lobster tails that need more time to cook. Generally takes 5-7 minutes – cook until slightly brown.
Prepare lobster tails by splitting them in half with a chef’s knife, or cutting the top of the shell down the center and placing the flesh on top for a more attractive presentation. The tails are cooked in a baking dish (218ºC) with a small amount of water or wine.
After cooking the lobsters:
1. Cut the meat into large pieces and keep cold.
2. Place the lobster shells, carrot, onion, celery, carrot and bay leaf in a large pot. Add enough cold water to barely cover the shells. Place over medium heat and simmer until about one-quarter of the liquid remains. Strain, reserving the liquid.
3. Into another pot, pour just enough extra-virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
4. Place over low heat and add the chopped Fresno chili. (If you like spicy foods, add the chili’s seeds.)
5. Add the whole garlic clove and cook on low heat with the pepper. Remove the garlic as it begins to color, after about two to three minutes.
6. With the pot still on low heat, add the tomato sauce.
7. Add the strained lobster stock to the pot with the tomato sauce. Cook for one hour over low heat.
8. Cook the pasta in salted water for the time indicated on the box, minus two minutes. (The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce.)
9. Taste the sauce, and add salt to taste.
10. Add the lobster meat and torn basil leaves to the sauce.
11. Strain the pasta, and add it to the tomato sauce, cooking for an additional two minutes to finish the pasta and allow it to absorb flavor from the sauce.
