October 14, 2020

Butter-Poached Lobster Fettuccine

Every year during lobster mini-season in Key Largo, my husband and his friend come back from free diving with what seems like an unreasonable amount of Florida spiny lobster. For a few days, the question is never whether we’re having lobster, but how we’re going to cook it next. This is one of my favoirtie ways. A quick steep makes the tails easy to remove from their shells, then I finish the meat gently in beurre monté so it stays tender and sweet. Tossed with pasta, tomatoes, mushrooms and plenty of fresh herbs, it’s a very good way to make the most of the lobster’s freshness.

3 Lobster tails
1 TBS distilled vinegar
12 oz heirloom grape tomatoes
Basil – about 5 leaves chopped
8 oz Portobello mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1 stick plus 2 tbs unsalted butter
16 oz Fettuccine (Cappello’s gluten free – Whole Foods refrigerated section) cook according to package directions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Blanch, peel, and slice the grape tomatoes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil. Set aside.

Slice the mushrooms and slowly cook in 2 tbs of butter and a finely chopped clove of garlic.

Steep the lobster tails by pouring just enough boiling water over them to cover, with 1 TBS distilled vinegar added. Take out after 2 minutes. Remove the shells by twisting the tail off and pushing the meat through the top, or use kitchen sheers to cut the shell down the back middle to remove the meat. Cut the lobster tail through the middle, lengthwise, in half, and remove the vein running through the top, and slice into large bite size pieces. Place on paper towel.

Bring 1 tablespoon water to a simmer in a sauté pan. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to emulsify before adding the next. Keep the beurre monté warm, around 170 -180 degrees, without letting it boil (I use a candy thermometer).

Add the room temperature lobster in a single layer and poach gently, turning once,, until just opaque and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Transfer the lobster to a plate.

Add tomatoes and mushrooms to the pan and heat through. Return butter-poached lobster to pan, toss gently and serve over pasta. Garnish with parsley.

KABIE NOTE

I take the time to peel tomatoes, even the small ones. Cut a small X at the top of each tomato. Bring a pot of water to boil. Remove from heat and add the tomatoes. After one minute, drain, then plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and peel. Cut the tomatoes in different shapes, halves or slices, to make your dish more interesting. It’s a extra step, but the finished dish is noticeable more refined.