SERVES 4

This recipe is probably a bit extravagant, but it is so good, we had to include it. You will find this on the menu in the coastal regions of Italy, but we rarely see it in restaurants in The U.K. We are using linguine, but you can use other pasta. The last time we ordered this in a restaurant, it was served with penne.

The Italians, of course, will use the Mediterranean Spiny Lobster but the recipe works very well with our own native lobsters. You will need to use a live lobster, this recipe will not work nearly as well with a pre-cooked one

INGREDIENTS

 

FOR THE LINGUINE

1 Live Lobster about 2 lb (950 g)
5 0z (150 g) Linguine
1/2 lb Tomatoes Skinned and Chopped
1 Small Onion Finely Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic Finely Chopped
4 Tablespoons (56 ml) red wine
Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Pint (450 ml) Vegetable Stock

 



  

FOR THE VEGETABLE STOCK

1 Medium Sized Potato, Roughly Chopped
1 Carrot Roughly Chopped
1 Leek Sliced White Part Only
2 Tablespoons Fennel Bulb Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Medium Sized Onion Roughly Chopped
1 Stick of Celery Roughly Chopped
1 Bay Leaf
1 Small Bunch of Parsley
12 Black peppercorns
3 fl oz (100 ml) Dry White Wine
2 Pints (1.2 L) Water

PREPARATION

 

Start by making the Vegetable Stock, the recipe is at the end of the page.

You will need a large pan of boiling water to cook the Lobster with, and as it will probably take some time to come to the boil, it's best to get this underway at the start. You will also need a warmed serving dish, so turn your oven on to low and put the dish in.

Finely Chop the onion and garlic and gently sweat them down in about 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It is important to use the best oil you can afford for this recipe. We need the onions to be soft and translucent, say about 8 or 10 minutes.

Your large pan of water should be boiling by now, so put the tomatoes in and leave for no more than a minute. Take them out with a slotted spoon, and put them in cold water. It should now be easy to remove the tomato skins and then chop the tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes to the onion, together with the red wine and half the vegetable stock and bring back to the boil. We need the tomatoes to cook down to make a sauce, which should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Have the rest of the stock on hand to top up the sauce if it needs it.

Back to our pan of water. Put some salt in, about the same amount you would use if you were cooking pasta, and put the lobster in. Bring back to the boil and leave for 5 minutes. The idea here is to kill the lobster, not to cook it. After 5 minutes, remove the lobster and allow it to cool enough so you can handle it. Do not throw the water away, we need it to cook the Linguine in.

Pull off the lobster claws and crack the shells with the back of a heavy knife. Pull the tail away from the body and head section, and chop it into 4 pieces. Any liquid which comes out of the lobster needs to be added to the tomato sauce. Split the Head section in two lengthways, and remove and discard the stomach sac near the eyes. With a Teaspoon, remove the creamy green liver from the head and add to the sauce.
Add the balsamic vinegar paprika and cayenne pepper to the sauce and check the seasoning, add salt to taste.

Put the linguine in the water you have just cooked the lobster in, and 4 minutes from the end of the cooking time, add the lobster to the tomato sauce.

When the linguine is cooked, drain it and combine with the tomato sauce. Put the linguine in your warmed serving dish and arrange the lobster pieces on the top.

VEGETABLE STOCK

You do not have to be exact about quantities here, use what is at hand. Roughly chop everything and put in a pan with the water.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the wine, bring back to the boil briefly to drive off the alcohol, and leave to cool.

You can use this straight away, but if you can leave it sitting around for a few hours, the flavour will improve.