Lobster, shrimp, langoustine, mussels! Those beautiful ‘fruits of the sea’ can be cooked in many ways and they are always tasty! Today, they are cooked in mildly spicy tomato sauce and served with linguini. Divine! As lobster is quite expensive, I added the shrimp, mussels and langoustine, so that you can feed the whole family!
Ingredients: 2 lobsters (about 350 gr. each) 300 gr. large shrimps 300 gr. mussels 500 gr. small langoustines (for extra flavor) 3 large ripe tomatoes grated (or 1 tin chopped tomatoes) 1 onion grated 3 cloves garlic ½ glass white wine ¼ teaspoon allspice A couple of good pinches oregano 4 – 5 dropsTabascosauce (according to taste) 1 packet linguini (or any other pasta you like) 4 tablespoonfuls olive oil 3 knobs of butter or margarine Salt, pepper
Note: You can use fresh lobsters, shrimps, and mussels, but as they can be quite expensive, you can use frozen. I have never seen frozen langoustines, but the small fresh ones are quite cheap. In any case you need the langoustines to strengthen the flavor of the stock. Of course, you can eat them separately, if you wish. It is quite difficult to remove the meat and use it in the sauce. Remove the heads and the shells from the shrimp, and add them to the stock water and simmer them for a few minutes. Remove them from the stock.
Directions:
Place the lobsters in a pot with boiling water, enough to cover them, and some salt. Boil them for about 15 – 20 minutes, depending on their size. Don’t overcook them, because the meat becomes tough. Remove them from the pot and plunge them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Add the langoustines in the water. Simmer them for 5 – 10 minutes. Remove them from the water and place them on a plate. Don’t throw away the stock, you will need it to boil the linguini.
When the lobsters have cooled down, pull off small claws close to the body, pick out the meat with a skewer. Crack large claws with a nut cracker or hammer, and remove the meat. Cut the underside of the lobster with a sharp knife and carefully remove the meat. Slit the top and remove the intestinal canal which runs down the centre of the tail. Cut the flesh in slices about an inch thick. Keep aside.
Put the onion in a large pan with 3 tablespoonfuls of oil and sauté it. Add a cup of the stock and let it simmer, until the onion is soft. Add the tomatoes and the garlic. When the water is absorbed, add the wine, and when it evaporates, add salt and pepper, the oregano and the allspice. Stir, and add about a cup of stock. Add the shrimp and mussels and simmer for about 4 minutes. You mustn’t overcook them, because they toughen. Add the flesh of the lobsters and remove the pan from the heat.
As the stock may have bits of shell, strain the stock into a clean pot and put it back on the stove. When it boils, add the linguini and boil it according to the directions on the packet. Don’t add too much water, or you will lose a lot of the flavor. Stir it often, so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When the linguini is just about ready, remove the pot from the fire and place the pan with the tomato sauce on the fire to heat it up. Now transfer the linguini from the pot to the pan using a pair of tongs adding a little bit of the water they boiled in. Add some freshly ground pepper and a few drops of Tabasco sauce and lightly toss everything together. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Serve immediately and enjoy! You can accompany it with a crisp green salad.
