Quantcast

HOME      CONTACT      KATE'S GLOBAL KITCHEN      COOKBOOK PROFILES      GLOBAL DESTINATIONS      I LOVE DESSERTS      ON WINE      SHOPPING      SEARCH


Cookbook

 

Lobster Fra Diavolo
(Aragosta Fra Diavolo)

Lobster Fra Diavolo (Aragosta Fra Diavolo)

 

Serves 4

Mark: I remember eating lobster fra diavolo at Italian restaurants as a kid. Because it was one of the more expensive items on the menu, we'd order one for the table and everyone in the family would have a taste. Back then, lobster fra diavolo meant lobster with red sauce and a lot of crushed red pepper flakes. After I trained as a chef, that formula didn't seem so appealing. Just putting lobster pieces in tomato sauce was not much of a step up from serving the precious meat with ketchup. So I thought about how bouillabaisse is made, by using shellfish to flavor the tomato and wine sauce, and proceeded from there. The sauce is made in the pan that the lobsters have cooked in, so it takes on some of that flavor. The tomalley (which is the green liver) and the roe, if there is any, are added to the sauce to give the dish a bit more complexity. Finishing in the oven gives the dish complete, overall heat.

  • Two 2-pound (908-gram) live lobsters
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 dried Italian hot red pepper, split lengthwise,
  •      or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
  • 2 cups (480 ml) canned crushed Italian plum tomatoes,
         preferably San Marzano
  • 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Sicilian
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 pound (454 grams) spaghetti
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (230 degrees C).

To prepare the lobsters for cooking, turn each lobster on its back and split it lengthwise down the middle with a large knife (this will kill it instantly), being careful not to cut all the way through the shell. Crack the claws. Spread open the bodies and tails.

Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat, and when it is hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic and stir until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the hot pepper and lobsters and cook, stirring, until the shells turn red and the lobster meat is cooked enough to be removed from the shell, about 12 minutes. Remove the lobsters from the pot and set aside.

Add the wine and tomatoes to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the anchovies and oregano and stir well. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook until the sauce has thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven.

While the sauce is cooking, fill a 10-quart stockpot with 7 quarts (6.5 liters] of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the salt. Add the pasta, stir, and cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, remove the lobster meat from the shells:

Using a kitchen towel, separate the claws from the bodies. Crack them open, and remove the meat. Split open the tails, pick out the meat, and scoop out the tomalley and any roe. Set aside.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, and add the pasta to the pot of sauce.

Add the lobster meat, tomalley (and roe), and parsley to the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. If the pasta looks dry, add the reserved cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing to combine between additions. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a platter, and serve family-style.

 

Wine: Classic southern Italian wines such as Taurasi or Salice Salentino would certainly work well with this dish, but for a real gourmet celebration, I say get a good bottle of Champagne.

 
  • from:
  • Two Meatballs In the Italian Kitchen
  • by Pino Luongo and Mark Strausman
  • Artisan, 2007
  • 320 pages; Hardback
  • $35.00 (US); $45.00 (CAN)
  • ISBN-13: 9781579653453; 1579653456
  • Information provided by the publisher.

Buy Two Meatballs In the Italian Kitchen

 

Two Meatballs In the Italian Kitchen

 
 

Now Eat This

 

This page created February 2008


 

The Global Gourmet
The Global Gourmet®
Main Page

 

Shamrock
Irish Recipes for
St. Patrick's Day

 

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

AddThis Feed Button

 
Search this site:

Advanced Search
Recent Searches

 
 

Departments

Kate's Global Kitchen
Kate's Books
Cookbook Profiles
Global Destinations
Holiday & Party Recipes
I Love Desserts
On Wine
Shopping

new green basics New Green Basics
cooking kids Cooking with Kids

Archives
Conversions, Charts
   & Substitutions
Search

About the
Global Gourmet®
   Contact Info
   Advertising
   Feedback
   Privacy Statement

Cookbook Awards

2010 IACP
Award Nominees

DamGoodSweet Desserts
My New Orleans
New American Table
Real Cajun
Rose's Heavenly Cakes
Bottega Favorita
How to Roast Lamb
Baking Kids Love
Family Meals
Gourmet Today
History of Ice Cream
Seasonal Spanish Food
The Brazilian Table
The Portuguese Table
Hot Fish Club
Cooking for Friends
Chinese Cooking
How to Bake Bread
International Cuisine
Argentine Grilling
The King of Vodka
IACP Winners List

JBF Cookbook
Award Winners

Alinea
Bakewise
WineWise Complete Guide
How to Cook Everything
Big Fat Duck Cookbook
The Flavor Bible
All Beard Winners
All Beard Nominees

Recent Cookbooks

Artisan Breads at Home
The Spice Kitchen
Kitchen Knife Skills
Classic Lebanese Cuisine
Fresh Food Fast
Family Dinners
Mediterranean Cooking
Thirty Minute Pasta
French Feasts
Everyday Indian
The Party Cookbook
Barcelona Cookbook
Wine Cocktails
Cooking Know-How
Vegetarian Cookbooks

 
 

Copyright © 1994-2010,
Forkmedia LLC

 

 

 

Become a Chef:
Best Culinary Schools

Mom's Recipes

 
 
 
 

 
 

Global Gourmet®
Shopping
Gourmet Food, Cookbooks
Kitchen Gadgets & Gifts