Channeling major Kate-Winslet-The-Holiday Christmas pasta recipe vibes with this super easy creamy lobster pasta recipe! Lobster tails are easier to break down than a whole lobster, and the rest of the dish is done in under 20 minutes. For a vegetarian version, lemon garlic butter pasta is a real treat, and I have a lobster mac and cheese recipe too for even more creamy lobster!
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Oh HELLO, gorgeous little plate of creamy pasta, tender lobster chunks, and lemon + pepper all over everything. This is one of the BEST creamy seafood pasta recipes you'll ever eat, hands down.
Let's get right into this lobster pasta cream sauce of joy situation.
Creamy Lobster Pasta Recipe Notes
First, this is a 2 person recipe. YES, it's generous portions, and YES of course you could double or even triple the recipe for a bigger group. I think that creamy lobster pasta for two, though, is very romantic and kind of frugal, if you think about it? Big parties are for half-off ground beef, is what I mean.
(although really if you got some half-off ground beef my fake-out stroganoff recipe is really simple and delicious and cheaper)
The next thing to note is that this is a pasta with lobster tails, which I find to be easier to work with and cheaper. I find frozen lobster tails on sale for half off, and when I see them I grab a few to keep in the freezer for a fun, less expensive treat.
This lobster pasta is perfect for a date night at home, Valentine's Day dinner, or a Christmas Eve seafood recipe! It's so simple to make and the lobster can be prepped ahead of time: once that's done, the rest of the dish only takes about 20 minutes.
Here's what we're doing:
- Frozen lobster tails that you'll please buy on sale. One per person.
- Whatever long pasta you have.
- Garlic butter white wine sauce because of course.
- Lemon for flavor.
- Cream for love.
- Parsley for....salad?
That is seriously it, and the results couldn't be more delicious in their simplicity.
I love this alone, but a simple green salad and some make ahead no-knead bread make this an even more special meal!
Step By Step Instructions
To start! Let's deal with our frozen lobster tails. I find that it's easier to peel mostly-cooked lobster, so I boil the lobster tails from frozen for about 5 minutes until they're bright pink.
(Another minute or two more will have them fully cooked, and if you happen to have ten frozen lobster tails and follow this up with some homemade lobster rolls, be my guest.)
How To Cook Frozen Lobster Tails
- Bring some water in a small pot to a boil, then add the frozen lobster tails. Boil the lobster tails for 5 minutes until they're bright red, then remove them from the boiling water.
- Let the lobster cool until it's cool enough to handle.
- Use kitchen scissors to cut straight through the front AND back of the shell, then use your fingers to pull out the lobster meat, all in one piece if you can.
- Grab any small bits of lobster as well, to save as much of the lobster meat as possible.
- The lobster may not be cooked all the way through but that's totally fine.
- Roughly chop the lobster, and set it aside while you make the rest of the pasta.
Ingredients and Ingredient Notes
Once the lobster is prepped, set a big pot of salted water to boil for the pasta and gather the rest of your ingredients.
The ingredients are so simple: pasta, garlic, white wine, parsley, lemon zest and lemon wedges, and heavy cream.
- You can use any kind of long pasta you'd like for this.
- If you prefer to cook without wine, the same amount of chicken, veggie, or seafood stock works well.
- Zest the lemon with a zester before cutting it into wedges to get lots of flavor out of the entire lemon.
- If you'd like more protein, feel free to double the amount of lobster used in this recipe.
Lobster Cream Sauce
I like to boil the water for the pasta, and while the fettucine (or whatever) cooks I start the lobster cream sauce. A sauce that, frankly, can be used with or without lobster, with or without pasta, but should be incorporated into your regular life as much as you feel comfortable with.
(note, as the pasta finishes cooking, reserve some cooking water, drain the pasta, it's fine if it sits for a minute)
The sauce starts in a big skillet, with melty butter. Garlic. Let the garlic just barely sizzle, no browning if you can manage, and then add the wine.
Reduce the wine by about half, then add the cream, salt, and lobster and simmer for two minutes, then the pasta and lemon zest go right in.
Pro Tip: This part goes fast, so I like to be sure I have the pasta and lobster done when I actually start the sauce.
Now we toss! Goal is that the sauce coats everything with a little leftover without being soupy. To accomplish this, add little splashes of the reserved pasta cooking water here and there as you toss the pasta with the sauce.
Taste as you go and add more salt until you are hollering with joy how good this is. No bland pasta, please, we're using LOBSTER here. Salt 'er up.
And that's it! More lemon, parsley, some parm if you want, flaky salt, pepper, seriously go at it with the toppings.
Making This Recipe Ahead and Leftover Storage
I like to serve this immediately for max creaminess, eat it all because it's so much better fresh, preferably on the couch because we have freakin earned it.
Leftovers keep great in the fridge for about three days; but you may find they get a little sticky as the pasta absorbs the sauce. You can splash in a little broth before microwaving to bring the noodles back to life.
The only creamy lobster pasta recipe you'll ever need. Enjoy!
Recipe
Creamy Lobster Pasta With Lemon Cream Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lobster tails frozen is fine!
- 8 ounces fettucine or other long pasta
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lemon zested and sliced after zesting
- fresh parsley and/or parmesan cheese for serving optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the lobster tails. Boil for 3-5 minutes, until bright red. The lobster may not be cooked all the way through; that’s ok. Drain and let the lobster tails cool, then refill the pot and bring back to a boil with some salt for the pasta.
- Cook the pasta as directed to al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- When the lobster is cool to the touch, use kitchen shears to cut the lobster shells in half down the front and back, then carefully remove the lobster meat with your fingers. Get out as much as you can, and chop any large chunks to roughly 1-inch pieces.
- Meanwhile, start the sauce in a large wide skillet. Preheat the skillet to medium heat, and add the garlic and butter.
- When the butter has just melted and the garlic is fragrant but not browned at all, add the wine and reduce by about half. Add the cream, salt, and lobster pieces and bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes to warm the lobster through.
- Add the cooked pasta and lemon zest to the skillet and turn the heat off (to avoid reducing the cream too much). Working quickly, use tongs to toss the pasta with the sauce, adding the reserved pasta water in small splashes until there is enough cream sauce to coat the pasta without being soupy.
- Taste the pasta and add more salt until it tastes great – usually at least a few pinches right at the end. YOU MADE THAT. Serve with lemon slices, parsley, parmesan, and high fives. Enjoy!
Notes
PS, if you're ever looking for some more date night pasta recipes, I have a huge list of Valentine's Pasta right here!
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