A recipe to-die-for for lobster tail spaghetti! Coming straight out of the Mediterranean coast with all the necessary flavours and aromas.
When I am thinking about fine fish food, the first thing that comes into my mind is lobster. May be it’s because it was kind of rare and expensive where I grew up. I must have been a teenager the first time I tried it. And I was overwhelmed!
That changed when I moved to the US, where lobster was cheap and abundant (especially in the East coast). Every time I had the chance, I treated myself to this gorgeous sea creature thinking that I was living the life of a king. Which I I wasn’t. Just a poor physicist in the expensive East coast.
The dish I am describing here has been the symbol of Greece during its glory days. That means before the financial crisis. Right, when people used to live “beyond their means”. And the banks used to loan “beyond their means”. “Means” is the keyword but I never understood that.
But that’s a long story. There are two things that make this lobster spaghetti different and awesome:
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You make your own fish stock by boiling the lobster shells and use the stock to boil the spaghetti.
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Use a couple of shots of Ouzo (Greek alcoholic drink based on anise) to give a great aroma kick.
So, give it a try and you will not be disappointed. With a bit of imagination, it will make you feel having lunch on a Greek island on a warm and sunny day with a glass of Ouzo in your hand!
- 2 Maine lobster tails
- 200 gr (7 oz) peeled shrimps (optional).
- 3-4 large and ripe tomatoes.
- 300 ml (10 fl oz) tomato passata.
- 1 large onion finely sliced.
- 1 chili pepper finely chopped.
- 3-4 garlic cloves finely sliced.
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano.
- 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley.
- 1 teaspoon paprika.
- 2 shots of Ouzo
- ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil.
- 500 gr (17 oz) spaghetti.
- Salt and ground pepper.
- Take the flesh out of the lobster shells. Keep the flesh aside and boil the shells in 1 lt ( 33 fl oz) of water for ~ 20 minutes. Use a strain to remove the shells from the stock and keep it aside for later.
- Cut the lobster flesh in small bites, ~ 1 inch thick.
- In a blender, add the tomatoes and the fresh parsley (keep some for the garnish) and create a smooth paste.
- Warm up 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts getting soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Give it a stir from time to time.
- Add the lobster pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Add the two shots of Ouzo and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the lobster pieces and set aside.
- Add the fresh tomato paste together with the passata. Add the oregano and paprika. Give it a good stir and let it cook for ~ 15 minutes on low-medium heat until the sauce has thickened.
- Use the fish stock you made and add some water if needed in a pot. Add some salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Boil the spaghetti according to the instructions in the box (al dente). Just before pasta is ready, keep a cup of the pasta water and set aside.
- Drain the pasta and warm up 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in the pot on low heat. Add the spaghetti, stir well and add some of the pasta water. This will give a creamy texture to your pasta.
- Your sauce must be ready by now. Add the cooked lobster pieces to the frying pan together with the shrimps (optional). Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve the spaghetti with the lobster sauce on top.
- Bon appetit!
