Lobster Crab Artichoke Pasta
This is an original recipe that was created in collaboration with my friend, Sarah, and it's easily adaptable to any shellfish or fish. It has a light sauce that perfectly complements the seafood, while letting the fish shine as the star of the show.
This is an original recipe that was created in collaboration with my friend, Sarah, and it's easily adaptable to any shellfish or fish. It has a light sauce that perfectly complements the seafood, while letting the fish shine as the star of the show.
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 clove garlic finely diced
- 2 cups roma tomatoes peeled, seeded, diced
- 1 cup artichoke hearts quartered (or 1/8th if large)
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 2 pinch salt
- 1 pinch white pepper
- 1 1/2 cups lobster meat cubed
- 1 1/2 cups crab meat cubed (i used stone crab - any will do)
- 2 tablespoons scallions finely chopped
- 0.333333333333333 cup heavy cream
- Carbohydrate 15.8190421421296 g
- Cholesterol 226.17869047619 mg
- Fat 28.9556895238095 g
- Fiber 5.80740009331703 g
- Protein 50.8135202380828 g
- Saturated Fat 17.2839792380952 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (458g)
- Sodium 1896.0587619042 mg
- Sugar 10.0116420488125 g
- Trans Fat 2.66189267857143 g
- Calories 529 calories
Step-by-step
- Remove the shellfish from shells, cube meat.
- In a skillet, melt butter. Add shallot and garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and artichokes, salt and pepper.
- While this is cooking, start your pasta water, whatever pasta you choose.
- Add sherry to skillet.
- When your pasta is about done, add the lobster, crab and scallions to the skillet. Remove from heat after about 3 or 4 minutes and add heated cream.
- Pour over drained pasta. Serve immediately.
Building the Seafood Foundation
Tender chunks of lobster and crab mingle with quartered artichoke hearts and roma tomatoes in a rich, buttery emulsion. Delicate shellfish requires precise heat management to prevent tough textures. Adding the cubed crustacean meat near the end of cooking allows residual warmth to gently heat the protein without overcooking. Heavy cream introduced off the heat thickens the pan juices into a coating consistency that clings properly to long strands of pasta.
Adapting Proteins and Aromatics
Shellfish flexibility defines this sauce structure. Stone crab yields easily to blue crab or snow crab variants at a one-to-one volume substitution. White wine replaces dry sherry successfully if the acidity level remains balanced by the natural sweetness of the butter and shallots. Roma tomatoes must be peeled and seeded beforehand to eliminate excess water that would otherwise break the pan emulsion. Shallots sweat down in melted butter within two minutes over medium-low heat to release foundational aromatics without burning the garlic.
Batch Scaling and Service
Doubling this recipe requires a wide twelve-inch skillet to maintain proper surface area for rapid moisture evaporation from the tomatoes and sherry. Overcrowding the pan traps steam, resulting in stewed vegetables rather than a sautéed base. Cook pasta in a pot containing at least four quarts of heavily salted boiling water to prevent starch accumulation. Combine the hot drained noodles directly with the skillet contents immediately before service to maximize sauce absorption.
