Lobster Pasta

Lobster pasta is a rich, creamy, and delicious seafood pasta dish with chunks of flavorful lobster meat and creamy Parmesan sauce. This recipe will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare and will make an exquisite dinner!

Whether you want to surprise a loved one with a special meal or just treat yourself after a long day, this dish has plenty of rich, buttery flavor to melt all your worries away. It’s a fast and easy dinner recipe but perfectly fitting any special occasion and celebration.  

The special touch lies in the lobster meat but it doesn’t end there because the sauce is just as important to this recipe as the lobster. When you quickly sauté lobster with butter, garlic, and herbs and then cook the sauce in the same pan, it will bring that unique lobster flavor into the sauce. You will love the overall flavor of this simple dish!

Plus, this seafood pasta is a great way to use up any leftover lobster meat from lobster tails or even the whole crustacean. You can cook the lobster just for this recipe ahead of time and store the meat in the refrigerator for a day or two, until ready to use.

Lobster Pasta Ingredients

• Shellfish – Claw meat is best because it is sweeter and more tender, but feel free to use tails or a combination of both. Either way, have this fully cooked before starting the lobster pasta since it just needs to warm in the pan.
  
• Pasta – Any long shape of noodle is perfect for seafood pasta. Try spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini but avoid angel hair as it will be too delicate for this dish.
  
• Heavy whipping cream – Can’t have a cream sauce without this! Allow it to warm on the counter while you prep your other ingredients so it doesn’t curdle when added to the hot pan.
  
• Butter – While this lends extra flavor to the dish, you can use margarine or neutral cooking oil if needed.
  
• Garlic – Instead of using a garlic press, mince the cloves with a sharp knife to get an even distribution of flavor throughout the lobster pasta.
  
• Parmesan – Grab a wedge and grate it yourself for a smoother consistency to the sauce. Bagged shreds don’t melt down the same and often have an unpleasant waxy texture. And whatever you do, don’t use the powdered kind that you find at pizzerias!
  
• Seasoning – Use fresh herbs if possible for the best flavor. This seafood recipe has a blend of minced tarragon, parsley, and chives as well as salt and pepper.

Where to get lobster meat?

While there are plenty of ways to order lobster meat online, many people don’t plan ahead that far or even know about it. Most of the time, we want to find the ingredients when we need to make dinner.

So check your grocery store’s seafood department if they sell cooked lobster meat either freshly made or previously frozen. Many stores do carry that and that’s the easiest way to get it.

You can also get whole lobster from a local seafood market and many will even steam it for you. If the store can’t steam it for you, you can cook it at home. (Read about how to cook a whole lobster at home in my post on Lobster Rolls.)

If you can’t find lobster meat from the whole lobster, you can always fall back on lobster tails. Lobster tails are sold in just about every grocery store whether they are fresh or frozen. You can make lobster tails in the oven and then use the meat for this pasta.

How To Make Lobster Pasta

First, prep and measure all of the ingredients because this seafood recipe comes together quickly!

Boil the noodles according to the package instructions, reserving at least ⅓ cup of the starchy water when it’s done. Then, drain the noodles and set them aside while you make the sauce.

Sauté shellfish with butter and herbs.

Melt butter in a wide skillet on the stove, then combine with the lobster and seasonings. Since the meat is already cooked, this process will simply heat it while infusing all of the flavors with each other.

Saute the garlic and add reserved pasta water.

Next, remove the lobster meat from the pan and stir in the minced garlic. Cook until it starts to brown and becomes fragrant.

The reserved water will act as the base for the cream sauce, adding flavor as necessary starch to thicken the mixture. It also helps the sauce stick to the noodles so everything is well coated.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

Once the water is simmering, add the heavy cream, grated Parmesan cheese, and additional seasoning. Reduce the heat if needed and stir until the cheese is fully melted and smooth. 

Avoid anything higher than a low simmer so the dairy doesn’t curdle and separate.

Combine everything together.

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Toss the noodles in the cream sauce until fully coated, then stir in the meat, and serve!

Recipe Notes

• Thaw frozen shellfish slowly. While some stores carry fresh, cooked meat, others may only have frozen. Be sure to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight for the best texture.
  
• Cooking your own lobster meat? Find instructions in this post along with helpful tips for separating the meat from the shell. 
  
• Prep in advance. If you will be cooking the shellfish yourself, you can make it the day before and keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two, until you’re ready to make the seafood pasta.
  
• Make a larger batch. Easily double the recipe if you need to feed four or more, as long as you have a pan large enough to fit everything.

What goes well with lobster pasta?

This dish doesn’t need much else, so a slice of crusty bread or a green salad would be more than enough. I’ve also got several different biscuit recipes that are perfect for mopping up any leftover sauce.

Storage and Reheating

Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 4 days for best results. Warm in a pan on the stove, over medium-low heat, stirring frequently and adding a splash of liquid as needed.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing lobster pasta for a couple of reasons. Cream-based sauces don’t tend to hold up well in the freezer, and the meat will likely become mushy once thawed and reheated.

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