Lobster Pasta

With this recipe I poached the lobster in a sous vide bath. If you don’t have a sous vide device, you can simply just steam or boil your lobster with a bit of lemon juice and skip the first step. Sous vide is a method of cooking in which food is sealed in airtight plastic bags then placed in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal cooking times. I will cover the sous vide method of cooking in a later post and believe me, you will want one. In this case, I poached the lobster in butter, chili, and herbs prior to adding it to the pasta sauce. This was a yummy way to prepare lobster because in the sous vide it cooked perfectly. No more rubbery lobster! This is a sample recipe that will be featured in my sous vide cookbook coming in December 2018! Pre-orders for the book can be placed at the links below the recipe.

Poached lobster

8 tbsp (120 g) unsalted butter
1 tbsp (28 g) chili paste
3 cloves garlic, 1 crushed,
2 sliced, divided
2 sprigs parsley
1.8 lbs (815 g) frozen lobster tails, thawed and removed from shells (reserve the shells)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
¼ cup (65 g) tomato paste
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
2 tbsp (30 ml) white wine vinegar
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tbsp (3 g) fresh parsley, chopped
White pepper
4 cups (1 L) whipping cream
1 lb (454 g) angel hair or pasta of your choice
4 large basil leaves, finely
chopped, for garnish

Preheat the water bath to 131°F (55°C). Place the butter, chili paste, crushed garlic and parsley into a vacuum sealer bag. Season the lobster with salt, then add the lobster to the
bag and vacuum seal. Lower the bag into the pot and allow it to cook for 1 hour while you make the sauce and pasta.

For the sauce, heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed large saucepan over high heat. Add the reserved lobster shells and sauté the shells for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, stir in the tomato paste and continue stirring for 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, vinegar, sliced garlic, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until the alcohol from the wine cooks out. Add the cream and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Stirring occasionally, simmer the sauce just until lobster flavor infuses the cream and the sauce slightly thickens, about 20 minutes.

Strain the sauce into a fresh saucepan with cheesecloth or a sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible, then put the saucepan over low heat. Make any seasoning adjustments and simmer 5 to 10 minutes for sauce to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat. Cook and drain the pasta per directions on the box. Remove the lobster from the water bath and empty the vacuum sealer bag, saving only the lobster and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the liquid, discarding any herbs left in the bag. Cut the tails into small bite-size pieces and add to the sauce along with the cooking liquid,tossing to coat. Add the cooked pasta to the saucepan. Toss it all together until completely covered in sauce and serve garnished with basil leaves.

You can purchase your copy of Mastering the Art of Sous Vide Cooking at these fine retailers:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, Books A Million, IndieBound, Book Depository, Google Play, Costco