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All About Lobster
Recipe
45 min

Lobster Fettuccine

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Lobster Fettuccine
Author: America's Test Kitchen

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 28, 2024

Dotted with sweet bites of lobster, this pasta dish feels luxurious and elegant—and no one will suspect how simple it is to prepare.

Time

45 min

Yield

Serves 8 to 10

Why This Recipe Works

For perfectly cooked pasta in our Lobster Fettuccine recipe, we used a reliable technique we’d already developed: Create a loose, overly liquidy sauce, add the dry pasta and simmer rapidly. By the time the pasta is tender, the sauce is velvety and flavorful. Store-bought chicken broth added a savory anchor to our Lobster Fettuccine recipe, and cutting the cream and broth with water was key to keeping the sauce light. We liked the flavor of lobster meat we seamed ourselves, so to ensure the meat didn’t get rubbery or fall apart, we waited until the pasta was tender and our sauce velvety before adding it in large bite-sized pieces and cooking it just long enough to heat it through.


This recipe calls for 2 pounds of cooked lobster meat. Check out the video tutorials for how to cook and break down lobsters before you start this recipe.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 medium fennel bulb (about 12 ounces), trimmed of stalks, cored, and chopped fine
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ cup dry sherry
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds fettuccine
2 pounds cooked lobster meat, cut into ⅓-inch pieces
3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Cook lobster according to Boiled Lobster recipe. Remove lobster meat from shells. Cut into ⅓ -inch pieces.
    Recipe Tip
    You can either buy cooked lobster meat or steam and shell your own lobsters. See our video lesson on breaking down cooked lobster to learn how to extract every bit of meat from the shell.
  2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, fennel, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the thyme, garlic, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sherry and simmer until it has nearly evaporated, about 4 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    There’s a decent amount of sherry in this dish so use one with good flavor. We’re not talking about cooking sherry from the grocery store, but a dry sherry like the ones from Lustau and Taylor that you’ll find in the liquor store (or department).
  3. Stir in the broth, water, and cream. Stir in the pasta. Stir gently to avoid breaking the noodles; after a minute or two they will soften enough to allow for easier stirring. Bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer vigorously, stirring often, until the fettuccine is tender, 12 to 16 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    Be sure to use dried fettuccine in this recipe; fresh fettuccine will not work. When adding the fettuccine, stir gently to avoid breaking the noodles; after a minute or two they will soften enough to allow for easier stirring.
  4. Reduce the heat to low and add the lobster and tarragon. Cook, gently tossing to combine, until the lobster is just warmed through, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, passing the Parmesan separately (if using).
    Recipe Tip
    Be ready to serve the pasta as soon as it is finished; the sauce will turn thick and clumpy if held for too long. Warm serving bowls (warmed in a 200-degree oven) will help extend the serving time for the pasta.

My Rating

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Lobster Fettuccine

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 28, 2024

Time

45 min

Yield

Serves 8 to 10

Lobster Fettuccine

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil1 onion, chopped fine1 medium fennel bulb (about 12 ounces), trimmed of stalks, cored, and chopped fineSalt and pepper1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme3 garlic cloves, minced¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper¾ cup dry sherry4 cups chicken broth4 cups water2 cups heavy cream2 pounds fettuccine2 pounds cooked lobster meat, cut into ⅓-inch pieces3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon1 tablespoon fresh lemon juiceGrated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook lobster according to Boiled Lobster recipe. Remove lobster meat from shells. Cut into ⅓ -inch pieces.
    Recipe Tip
    You can either buy cooked lobster meat or steam and shell your own lobsters. See our video lesson on breaking down cooked lobster to learn how to extract every bit of meat from the shell.
  2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, fennel, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the thyme, garlic, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the sherry and simmer until it has nearly evaporated, about 4 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    There’s a decent amount of sherry in this dish so use one with good flavor. We’re not talking about cooking sherry from the grocery store, but a dry sherry like the ones from Lustau and Taylor that you’ll find in the liquor store (or department).
  3. Stir in the broth, water, and cream. Stir in the pasta. Stir gently to avoid breaking the noodles; after a minute or two they will soften enough to allow for easier stirring. Bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer vigorously, stirring often, until the fettuccine is tender, 12 to 16 minutes.
    Recipe Tip
    Be sure to use dried fettuccine in this recipe; fresh fettuccine will not work. When adding the fettuccine, stir gently to avoid breaking the noodles; after a minute or two they will soften enough to allow for easier stirring.
  4. Reduce the heat to low and add the lobster and tarragon. Cook, gently tossing to combine, until the lobster is just warmed through, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, passing the Parmesan separately (if using).
    Recipe Tip
    Be ready to serve the pasta as soon as it is finished; the sauce will turn thick and clumpy if held for too long. Warm serving bowls (warmed in a 200-degree oven) will help extend the serving time for the pasta.
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