Lobster Pasta

We decided to make Lobster Pasta. We didn’t want to be responsible for killing the lobsters, so Nate at McCall’s Meat and Fish did the deed for us. We brought them home and quickly made the pasta. Our T'ai Chi teacher had lent us his copy of The Young Man & the Sea and we liked the recipes in it so much we purchased our own copy. We used the recipe for Spaghetti with Lobster & Chiles from The Young Man & the Sea (Cute title huh?) by David Pasternack. It was fabulous. I would make this again.

We started with a simple salad of Melon Spritzed with Lime Juice and Prosciutto. I like Melon Salads in the Summer!

Spaghetti with Lobster & Chiles

The Young Man & the Sea

David Pasternack

This is a remarkably simple main-course pasta dish that I can't remove from the menu at Esca. The hot chiles play off the cool mint beautifully, and they complement the sweetness of the lobster meat. Don't be afraid to cook lobster at home. If you're squeamish about killing a live lobster, have your fishmonger kill and cut up the lobster for you. Just make sure you cook the lobster the day it's brought home from the fish market.

Serves 4 to 6

4         1-pound live lobsters

1         pound dried spaghetti

3         tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus high-qualit extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

2         cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 to 3 diced serrano chiles, to taste (or poblano or jalapeho,               depending on the amount of heat you prefer)

2       cups Basic Tomato Sauce

10     mint leaves, rolled and finely sliced

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil (the water should taste like the ocean) for the lobsters, and another pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

On a cutting board, hold the lobster facing your knife hand. Place the point of a very sharp chef's knife on the lobster's head just behind the eyes. Swiftly press the point in and bring the blade down to the cutting board, severing the head. The lobster will move and twitch, but it is no longer alive. Pull the claws from the body, using a slight twisting motion. Remove the tail: twist the tail in one direction and the body in the other. It should come apart cleanly. Set the tails aside.

Add the claws to the lobster pot and cook for 5 minutes (they will turn red). Use a slotted spoon to remove and let cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, cover with a kitchen towel and crack the claws by pressing down with a mallet or the handle of a chef's knife. Remove the meat from the claws and set aside in a bowl. Remove the meat from the knuckles (the segment between the claws and the body), and set aside in a separate bowl.

Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the box directs for al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid and drain the spaghetti in a colander. Put the pasta in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

To cut the lobster tails in half lengthwise: place on a cutting board with the underside of the tail facing up. Use your body weight to press the blade into the tail, cutting through to the outer shell. Then cut across the tails so that each one is in four pieces.

In a large straight-sided saute pan or in the pot used to cook the spaghetti, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over a medium-high flame until smoking. Add the lobster tails and, stirring with a wooden spoon, cook until they start changing color, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and chiles and cook until the garlic is translucent, about 1 minute. Add the cup of reserved pasta water, the tomato sauce, and the meat from the lobster claws. Simmer the sauce until it reduces slightly, about 4 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and the lobster knuckle meat, and toss with tongs to coat. Let the pasta reheat in the sauce for about a minute.

Serve the pasta in wide shallow bowls, being sure to evenly divide the lobster pieces. Drizzle with a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the fresh mint, sea salt, and pepper.