Fettuccini & Lobster Alla Pantelleria
Submitted by jsciusco
Fettuccine and lobster alla Pantelleria, a no-cook Sicilian pesto of mint, basil, parsley, capers, and Roma tomatoes blended with olive oil, tossed warm with fettuccine and chunks of steamed lobster meat.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
20 minREADY
45 minPantelleria is a tiny volcanic island between Sicily and Tunisia, famous for capers, raisins, and a no-cook pesto called pesto pantesco. This dish takes that pesto, swaps in fettuccine, and adds chunks of fresh lobster for the celebration-dinner version.
The sauce is everything raw, blitzed in a blender: mint, basil, parsley, garlic, capers, Roma tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and a generous half cup of extra virgin olive oil. The mint is the wild card, it brightens the whole sauce and makes the lobster taste sweeter without going dessert-pesto.
The pasta gets tossed straight into the bowl with the cold pesto and lobster, the heat from the fettuccine warms the sauce just enough to release the aromatics without cooking the herbs into a dull green slick. That’s the whole trick to a pesto pantesco, never let it touch a hot pan.
Serve immediately, this dish suffers if it sits.
Pro Tips
- Crack the lobster shells while still slightly warm. The meat releases more cleanly than from a fridge-cold lobster.
- Save the tomalley (the green liver) and stir a teaspoon into the pesto for an oceanic depth.
- Use the best extra virgin olive oil you have. It’s a raw sauce and the oil is half the flavor.
- Reserve a half cup of pasta water in case the sauce needs loosening. A splash brings everything together.
Variations
- Sub linguine or spaghetti if you can’t find fresh fettuccine.
- Use cooked shrimp or lump crab in place of lobster for a more affordable version.
- Add a handful of pitted black olives for a saltier, more Sicilian profile.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring 6 quarts water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.
Crack lobster shells and remove meat.
Cut tail into ½-inch slices and claws into 3 pieces.
Set aside tomalley. In a blender, mix mint, basil, parsley, garlic, capers, tomatoes, black and red pepper and extra virgin olive oil to form smooth paste.
If needed, add a little more olive oil.
Pour pesto and lobster into large serving bowl.
Cook fettuccine according to package instructions until al dente and drain well.
Pour hot pasta in bowl with lobster and toss like a salad until well mixed and serve immediately.
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