Lobster pasta with shrimps

Don´t you think this photo looks straight out from a magazine cover?

I´m sooo proud of my latest creation! Lobster cream pasta!

Actually, I went ahead to buy a frozen lobster from the supermarket when I saw one the other day. It had been sitting in my freezer waiting for the right time when I felt inspired enough to cook it.

This is the first time I handled lobster in my kitchen and I must say that it was quite an experience! My beanie helped me with the cutting of course. And its is a LOT of shell and very little meat. The recipe calls for fresh lobsters, so that´s probably why my frozen, pre-cooked lobster didn´t quite make the cut, consistency-wise.

Still, it was a very good first attempt and the hubby rated this dish a 10/10. So here´s my recipe for this pasta! I would recommend that for frozen, pre-cooked lobster (like mine), one should remove the lobster meat while letting the shell simmer with the rest of the sauce.

Lobster cream pasta

• 1 large lobster (preferably fresh if not, frozen one will do)

• Some shrimps and fresh mushrooms

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 1 large onion, chopped / shallots

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 4 fresh tomatoes - diced

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons salt

• lots of ground black pepper

• 1 cup whipped cream (30% - 40% fat)

• Dash of white wine

• 220 grams pasta

• A handful of fresh herbs (I used a mixture of parsely, dill, basil, chives)

• Freshly-grated parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the lobster and cook for about 5 minutes, until bright red.

2. As soon as the lobster starts cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Do not let them brown.

3. Bring another pot of water to a boil and season with a little salt. Add the pasta and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender.

4. When the lobster comes out of the pot, place it on a cutting board and use a big knife to cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the meat from the shell and reserve any lobster juice. Fry the shells together with the onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil. Add the shrimps, mushrooms, olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly for 5 to 7 minutes.

6.Slowly pour in the whipped cream and lobster juice (if any), stirring constantly. The sauce will become a nice pink color. Use flour / corn starch / any thickening agent to thicken the sauce. I had some leftover cream cheese, so I used that. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the lobster meat back into the sauce. Keep warm, stirring occasionally until the pasta is done.

7. Add a dash of white wine and season with salt and pepper, according to how you like it. I added some ground chilli too.

8. Drain the spaghetti and place on a large serving plate. Pour the tomato sauce over the pasta. Discard the lobster shell / arrange them in the centre for decoration purposes.

9. Sprinkle all over with fresh herbs, fresh parmesan cheese and serve. Drizzle some fresh lemon juice over it to complete the taste.

Tip: I simmered my sauce for a longer time, so that the lobster taste would be absorbed into the sauce. I also added the prawn heads into the sauce, so that it tastes seafoody.

Recipe adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lobster-Pasta/Detail.aspx