Butter-Poached Lobster Fettuccine
My husband and his friend catch a crazy amount of Florida spiny lobster, free diving, every year during the mini season in Key Largo. We’re always exploring ways to prepare it to highlight its freshness. Steeping makes it easy to remove the shells, then butter-poaching, slowly cooks the lobster, keeping it tender and flavorful.
- 3 Lobster tails
- 1 tbs distilled vinegar
- 12 oz heirloom grape tomatoes
- Basil – about 5 leaves chopped
- 8 oz Portabella mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 stick plus 2 tbs butter unsalted
- 16 oz Fettuccine (Cappello’s gluten free – Whole Foods refrigerated section) cook according to package directions
- Parsley to garnish
*Blanch, peel, and slice the grape tomatoes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil. Set aside.
Slice the mushrooms and slowly cook in 2 tbs of butter and a finely chopped clove of garlic.
Steep the lobster tails by pouring just enough boiling water over them to cover, with 1 tsp distilled vinegar added. Take out after 2 minutes. Remove the shells by twisting the tail off and pushing the meat through the top, or use kitchen sheers to cut the shell down the back middle to remove the meat. Cut the lobster tail through the middle, lengthwise, in half, and remove the vein running through the top, and slice into large bite size pieces. Place on paper towel.
Make a beurre monté by bringing 1 tablespoon of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in, melting a tablespoon of butter at a time, to emulsify (1 stick will be plenty for the lobster). It’s important to keep the temperature around 180 degrees (I use a thermometer).
Place the room temperature lobster pieces in the beurre monté in a single layer and poach for about 5 minutes, turning, until heated through. Remove lobster from pan.
Add tomatoes and mushrooms to the pan and heat through. Return butter-poached lobster to pan, toss gently and serve over pasta. Garnish with parsley.
*I always take the time to peel tomatoes – even the small ones. This extra refining step just takes your dish up a notch. Cut a small “X” at the top of each tomato. Bring a pot of water to boil. Remove from heat and add the tomatoes. After one minute, drain, then plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and peel. Cut your tomatoes in different shapes to make your dish more interesting. Slice, dice, cut in half.
This guy is the newest resident in the neighborhood. He has a partner, but today he’s cruising solo in the neighbor’s front yard.
