Lobster Pasta with Chili and Garlic (2024)

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Here in Australia, we get large crayfish, they are often called rock lobster, even just lobsters.

Australian crayfish are almost identical to warm water lobster or spiny lobster. Both in taste and appearance, but they both are slightly different from a coldwater lobster.

Coldwater Lobsters have big claws, whereas warm water lobsters/crayfish do not. That is the only difference! They taste almost the same, and you can use them in the same dishes.

Coldwater lobsters tend to be a bit sweeter, and the meat will be a little firmer. They have a taste somewhere between a prawn/shrimp and a scallop, having the sweetness of a scallop but with the meaty texture of a shrimp. Truly delicious! Plus, you get the flavorful claw meat (one of the best bits in my eyes!)

Warm water lobsters or crayfish do taste very similar, but they don't have the same sweetness and are more towards the giant prawn/shrimp with just a hint of sweet scallop taste.

Both are delicious, though, and you will find that crayfish/warm water lobsters are significantly cheaper in price.

Here in Australia, we can only get crayfish, so this is really a crayfish pasta, but I used to make this pasta with lobster when I lived in the UK and got cold water lobsters at Christmas time.

Currently, we are getting cooked excellent value crayfish in the grocery stores! Although raw crays are sometimes available, it is the cooked ones that people are buying, and I have had so many questions about how to use them in hot dishes.

You do need to be careful reheating cooked lobster as it can go tough if cooked for too long.

For this lobster pasta/crayfish pasta, the lobster/crayfish is poached very gently in the sauce, just enough to warm it through rather than overcook it.

If you have the heads and shells from your lobster, you can transform a storebought broth or stock into something quite extraordinary! (if using a crayfish, add in those long spindly legs as well!)

It sounds like a bit of work, but I promise you it is so worth it!!! And after all, this is a special dinner, so it is worth the extra effort!

I have an entire post coming on this soon, but a brief rundown goes:

Break the shell/head into chunks (and don't throw out the tomalley from the lobster head, add that to the pan)
Fry the shells in plenty of olive oil until it is a rich orange color.
Use your spatula to push and squish the hard shells about, getting plenty of roasted color on them.
Add broth/stock (I like to use fish or seafood stock), but vegetable or chicken is perfectly acceptable.
Simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Strain well and boil to reduce.

This flavor-packed broth turns the pasta sauce from just a sauce to a lobster pasta sauce!!!

There is something about spaghetti and linguine that just works with the velvety goodness of this chili and garlic lobster sauce! It slides and swirls perfectly.

However, it could work with a more dense pasta like an Orecchiette.

Fusilli, spirali, or a casarecce would work. But my first choice would always be a long noodle.

I think the first choice here has to be bubbles! They are elegant, memorable and seafood and bubbles are a classic combination.

I like a dry rose Lambrusco. The dryness works with the spice in the pasta whilst the bubbles are great with the crayfish.

For white lovers, a Pinot Grigio, Viognier, or a Chenin Blanc would be great! Or, to pair with the lobster and the spice in the sauce, try something different and go with a Gewurztraminer.

If you want a red wine, avoid tannic or oaked wines, a light red like a Zinfandel or Valpolicella Ripasso would balance the sauce without overpowering the lobster.

For more delicious seafood pasta recipes why not try:

• Pan Seared Scallop Pasta with Creamy Bacon Sauce
• Creamy Lemon Salmon Pasta
• Shrimp Chorizo Pasta
• Seared Scallop Chorizo Pasta
• Spicy Shrimp Pasta
• Bacon Shrimp Pasta
• One Pot Creamy Tomato Salmon Gnocchi
• See all 80+ pasta recipes

Lobster Pasta Recipe (crayfish pasta)

Claire | Sprinkle and Sprouts

This Lobster Pasta is a decadent dinner idea! Succulent, juicy lobster stirred through linguine or spaghetti dressed with a delicious chili and garlic sauce. Serve on date night or at a fancy dinner party. Lobster and crayfish aren't your everyday protein, but they are delicious and worth the splurge every now and then! So if you pick up a cooked crayfish or cooked lobster in the grocery store, you can turn them into an indulgent and scrumptious pasta dinner with this easy seafood pasta recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 877kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 479mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1079IU | Vitamin C: 62mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition is per serving

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