Lobster Alfredo with Fettuccini

This is a meal that I like to serve on special occasions. It is loaded with intensley rich, delectible flavours that makes for a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience. This recipe makes two large or three medium servings. Start your meal with an appetizer or a salad beforehand and you’ll find it plenty filling.

Choosing and preparing the lobsters

There are some things you should know before heading out in search of lobster. You’ll need about 8 ounces of cooked lobster meat for this recipe. But the species, size and shell-type are all factors that determine the amount of meat that each lobster will yield.

Clawed Lobsters

In the US and Canada, most will be familiar with the highly prized American lobster. Also know as Atlantic lobster, it’s range is from Labrador to New Jersey. Those caught off the Maine coast are often referred to as Maine lobsters. Further north in Canadian waters, the shells grow a little thicker. Those caught here are often called Canadian lobsters. Across the Atlantic you’ll find the highly prized European lobsters. It’s also referred to as the common lobster or French Blue.

Clawed lobsters are usually sold live, so shipping and handling is more complicated that other seafood. For this recipe, I find it convenient to purchase a precooked fresh clawed lobster. You can sometimes get a deal on the smaller, one pounders. The meat you’ll get from one of these hard-shelled lobsters is about 3½ ounces while the soft-shelled will yield about 2¾ ounces per pound.

Those lobsters not fit to be sold whole are canned. When fresh isn’t available, canned works fine and makes this recipe a whole lot simpler.

Boiling live clawed lobsters

• Bring a large stock pot to a boil
• Remove the bands from the claws
• Hold the lobster by the body then crisscross the claws
• Submerse the lobster head first into the boiling water
• Cover return to a boil then cook 10 minutes for a 1 lb lobster
• Add one minute for each additional quarter pound
• The lobsters are cooked when the shells trun red and the meat is opaque
• To check for doneness, instert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the tail. It’s done when the temperature reaches 135℉ to 140℉.

Spiny Lobsters

There are several species of clawless, spiny lobster found in both cold or warm water around the world. Depending on the region and language spoken there, these crustaceans may be called rock lobster, langustas, or sea crayfish. These don’t have the large pincers like their American cousins and only their tail is eaten. As a general rule, about 90% of the weight of rock lobster tail will be meat.

Steaming Lobster Tails

• Frozen tails need to be thawed first
• Prepare the lobster by cutting along the top of the shell from head end to tail with a pair of kitchen scissors
• Bring a steamer pot to a boil
• Steam a 4 oz tail for about 5 minutes
• Add about 1 minute for each additional ounce
• The meat is cooked when it turns opaque. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tail should read 135℉ to 140℉.

Extracting the meat from the shell

Allow the cooked lobsters to cool first. Then, for the spiny lobsters, carefully pull back the shell and pop out the tail meat. For clawed lobsters, it will require a little more skill. For simplicity, try the smashing method. If you’re more familiar with the art of lobster shelling, use the precision method.

Smashing method

Since you’re just prepping the lobsters in your kitchen you could use the shell smashing method. You’ll need a solid cutting board, a meat mallet and a tea towel. Wrap the lobster in the tea towell, then set in on the cutting board. Next, smash the claws and tail with the mallet to crack open the shell. Remove the shell and extract the meat.

Precision method

You’ll need a pair of lobster crackers and a lobster fork or pick. Start by scoring a slit down the top of the tail. Then crack the tail open with the crackers. Pull out the tail meat. For with the claws, you could score them as well then crack them open with the cracker. Gently pull out the claw meat.

Making the Pasta & Alfredo Sauce

A tribute to chef Alfredo’s classic dish

You may be surprised to learn that this recipe is actually a fusion recipe and not classified as Italian. It is based on the traditional Italian fettuccini al burro, which is simply fettuccinni tossed with parmesan cheese blended with butter. Also known as, fettuccine alla Romana, it is served as a primo, or Italian first course pasta dish. This classic was popularized by chef Alfredo di Lelio early in the 20th century at his restaurant in Rome. When a number of American celebrities discovered this gem, they promoted it back home as Fettuccinni Alfredo.

The American version often incorporates cream, garlic and chicken or seafood. This fusion dish is also considered a main course, so Italian food writers do not consider the dish Italian at all.

So, if you appreciate a creamy garlic sauce with your pasta and seafood, you’ll love this recipe. It’s basically the simpler Fettuccine Alfredo with Lobster recipe with the addition of garlic.

Pasta options

Other pastas similar to fettuccine like linguini or tagliatelle work wonderfully with the Lobster Alfredo sauce. Elevate this dish to a gourmet level by using an artesanal pasta. Just remember to save the some of the water that the pasta cooked in. The extra starch in the water adjusts the thickness of the sauce and helps it stick to the pasta. Never rinse the pasta or else the sauce won’t stick.

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