Indulge in this rich creamy Lobster Pasta made with white wine cream sauce, sweet confit tomatoes, red pepper flakes, lemon and delicious chunks of lobster tail meat. This pasta dish will have you doing a happy dance in your kitchen with tons of flavor!
Pasta and Lobster are a match made in heaven! Using a pasta with ridges, like Creste di Gallo, helps catch the flavorful lobster sauce in all the nooks and grooves.
A perfectly al dente pasta adds a bit of texture to this lobster pasta recipe. This elegant lobster pasta recipe is great for a special occasion like date night, Valentine's Day, holidays or just because you're a lobster lover.
Make this luxurious dish in one day or split the work up into two days to make it seem like a breeze. The tomato confit can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in the fridge. Making lobster recipes can seem daunting but I promise, Lobster Pasta and Lobster Gnocchi are easy to make!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This upscale creamy pasta and lobster recipe is decadent and rich, it has tons of flavor!
- The luxurious lobster flavor really shines throughout the entire dish.
- Making Lobster Creste di Gallo pasta is surprisingly easy! Only lobster tail meat is used, so it takes some of the extra work out.
- This creamy Lobster Pasta recipe is a decadent dish for all seasons! It's light enough for the warm months but has enough creaminess for the cold months.
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients for this recipe:
Recipe Notes
- Lobster Tails are easy to find and affordable. Use fresh or freshly frozen cold water lobster tails found at a trustworthy local grocery store. Thaw lobster tails in the fridge overnight before cooking if buying frozen lobster tails.
- White Wine adds a great flavor along with the cream and lemon. A dry white wine such as Chardonnay works well.
- Creste di Gallo is a rainbow shaped pasta with grooves and squiggles. It's a fun shape for a French Onion Pasta recipe , Spicy Mac And Cheese or Lemon Pasta too! Cooking the creste di gallo pasta al dente is imperative for good mouthfeel. Choose your favorite pasta if Creste di Gallo pasta is unavailable.
- Parmesan Reggiano is full of flavor and a better option than pre-shredded parmesan cheese. I always buy a block of parmesan and shred it with a Microplane zester.
- Lemon Zest adds the perfect hint of lemon in this creamy sauce with fresh lobster.
- Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes work for the tomato confit. Vines are not necessary.
- If using fresh tarragon instead of dried, use double the amount.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- If Creste di Gallo pasta isn't at your local grocery store, try your favorite shaped pasta. Pastas with ridges and grooves work well catching the sauce in this Lobster Pasta recipe.
- This recipe needs a dry white wine. I prefer Chardonnay, but Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio work too.
- Using live whole lobster instead of lobster tails is an option if you're up for it. Prepare the lobster the same way, and remove the meat from each part of the lobster. Add all lobster meat to this delicious seafood pasta dish.
- Use a slow roasted cherry tomato instead of tomato confit. They take similar cooking times and both provide a sweeter tomato. The slow roasted tomatoes contain less oil.
- Leave red pepper flakes out if you don't like spice. If you do like spice, use some of those leftover red chili flakes for Chili Garlic Noodles!
- Make your own fresh pasta to use in this creamy lobster pasta recipe!
How to Make Lobster Pasta
This creamy lobster pasta recipe is simple and delicious, sure to impress any guest or family member. Make the tomato confit a day or two in advance to save time!
Step 1: Preheat oven to 250°. Add all tomato confit ingredients to a baking dish with high sides. Bake for 2-2½ hours until tomatoes are soft and starting to brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Step 2: Boil a pot with 2 quarts of water, add salt then cook lobster tails for 3- 4 minutes. Shock lobster tails in cold water. Reserve 1 cup of water from hot lobster pot.
Step 3: Boil a large pot of water with salt and oil then cook creste di gallo pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set cooked pasta aside. Save 1 cup of pasta water.
Step 4: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent. Turn the heat down to low-medium and add minced garlic, salt, crushed red pepper and tarragon. Cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Deglaze pan with white wine. Reduce by half.
Step 5: Stir in lobster water, pasta water and heavy cream. Let simmer 5 minutes. Add tomatoes from confit (just tomatoes, do not add oil) and lemon zest.
While sauce is simmering, remove lobster meat from shell. Cut into ½ inch chunks. After sauce is done simmering, add lobster and cooked pasta. Stir around until warm then serve. Garnish this creamy pasta with fresh dill and parmesan cheese.
How To Remove Lobster Meat From The Shell
Removing lobster meat from the lobster tail shell may be easier than you think. You have two options:
- Option 1 - Lay the lobster tail on its side on a kitchen towel. Fold the other side of the towel over the top of the shell. Press down with some force until you hear it crack then remove it from the towel and bend the end of the tail backwards, cracking that part of the shell as well. The lobster meat should be easily removed from the shell at that point, discard lobster shells.
- Option 2 - Use kitchen shears to cut through the bottom of the shell from beginning to end of tail. Place your thumbs on either side of the bottom shell and spread open. Lobster meat can be removed through the cut, discard lobster shells.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Cook your pasta al dente for the best texture. Al dente translates to "to the tooth" in English. This means you've cooked your pasta until it's soft yet still has a slightly firm texture. Mushy pasta is not what you want.
- Make tomato confit ahead of time. It can be made the morning of or anytime the week before. Store tomato confit in an airtight container in the fridge. Use extra tomato confit on this wagyu burger recipe!
- Using pasta water and lobster water is essential to this Lobster Pasta recipe. Using the water the lobster was cooked in adds flavor. Using a bit of pasta water after the pasta has been cooked adds body to the sauce.
- Make sure the oil goes over the top of the garlic when making tomato confit. Pick the right baking dish to achieve this. The smaller the dish, the higher the oil.
- Do not overcook the lobster meat. Remove the tails after 3-4 minutes. If the lobster meat is translucent, cut it into chunks anyways. It will finish cooking in the pasta sauce. Overcooked lobster has a rubbery texture.
Common Questions
Lobster tail can be bought fresh or frozen at many local grocery stores. Buy cold water lobster from a reputable seller, whether that is your local seafood market or grocery store in the seafood department.
Yes, it can! Lobster Pasta can be made gluten free by using gluten free pasta. Lobster meat is naturally gluten free.
Pre-cooked lobster meat is not recommended for this Lobster Pasta recipe. The flavor and texture are not the same. In addition, you wouldn't have the lobster water to use for the sauce.
If using 4oz lobster tails, 3-4 minutes in boiling water should be enough. Break the tail open, if the lobster meat is white it is done. If the meat is translucent, it is undercooked however, in this recipe that is okay because the lobster meat will finish cooking in the sauce.
Putting your lobster meat into ice water after cooking stops the cooking process. This helps not overcook the lobster. Pasta and lobster are such a great match, it would be a shame to overcook either one of them.
Creste di gallo pasta is a uniquely shaped pasta that's curved like a rooster's crest with ruffled edges, hence the name. Creste di gallo has grooves that catch lighter sauces well and compliment a hearty sauce too.
Storage
Store leftover Lobster Pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Shellfish has a shorter shelf life than other meats, so this lobster pasta recipe doesn't keep quite as long.
Reheat leftover pasta in the microwave or in a medium sized pot with a splash of heavy cream or milk. Adding a little extra liquid is necessary because the pasta will soak up the liquids during storage.
Leftover Lobster Pasta does not freeze well. The pasta noodles will become mushy and the sauce will likely be broken. I do not recommend freezing this Lobster Pasta recipe.
Lobster Pasta
Equipment
- 1 colander
Ingredients
Confit Tomatoes
- 18 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1 head garlic cut off ¼ inch of top to expose cloves
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
Lobster
- 1 lbs lobster tail I used 4, 4oz tails
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Pasta
- 16 oz pasta I used creste de gallo
- 1 tbsp kosher salt for boiling water
- 1 drizzle olive oil for pasta water
Sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot small dice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
- ½ cup white wine dry
- 4 oz lobster water from pot lobster was boiled in
- 4 oz pasta water from pot pasta was boiled in
- ½ cup heavy cream
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup confit tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill picked from stem
- 4 oz parmesan cheese
Instructions
Tomato Confit
- Preheat oven to 250°F
- Add all tomato confit ingredients to a baking dish with high sides. Bake for 2-2½ hours until tomatoes are soft and starting to brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Tomatoes should be removed from oil before adding to pasta sauce.
Lobster
- Boil a pot with 2 quarts of water, add salt then lobster tails. Boil just until cooked, about 3-4 minutes, depending on size
- Remove from water and shock lobster tails in cold water. Reserve 1 cup of water from hot lobster pot Remove lobster from water, crack lobster tail using a kitchen towel, remove meat and cut into ½ inch chunks
Pasta
- Boil water with salt and oil then cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Save 1 cup of pasta water
Sauce
- Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent.
- Turn the heat down to low-medium and add minced garlic, salt, crushed red pepper and tarragon. Cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds
- Deglaze pan with white wine. Reduce by half
- Stir in lobster water, pasta water and heavy cream. Let simmer 5 minutes. Add tomatoes from confit (just tomatoes, do not add oil) and lemon zest
- While sauce is simmering, remove lobster meat from shell. Cut into ½ inch chunks. After sauce is done simmering, add lobster and pasta. Stir around until warm then serve. Garnish with fresh dill and parmesan cheese
Krista
So creamy and delicious! This pasta has rich lobster and cream sauce that is mouthwatering.
Jordan
Best lobster pasta ever!! Making against for valentines dinner!!!
Krista Stechman
Happy to hear that!
Tammy
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I love seafood and this dish does not disappoint! What are your tips for choosing a lobster at the market?
Krista Stechman
Go to a quality market with a good reputation. Make sure the lobster tails smell fresh. If you're not near an ocean, you're best bet may be frozen lobster tails. They are flash frozen while fresh then shipped out.