I remember eating lobster fra diavolo at Italian restaurants as a kid. Back then, lobster fra diavolo meant lobster with red sauce and a lot of crushed red pepper flakes.
After I trained as a chef, putting lobster pieces in tomato sauce wasn’t much of a step up from serving the precious meat with ketchup. So I thought about how bouillabaisse is made by using shellfish to flavor the tomato and wine sauce and proceeded from there. A classic southern Italian wine, such as Taurasi or Salice Salentino, would certainly work well with this.–Mark Strausman
Why Our Testers Loved This
Our recipe testers adored this lobster fra diavolo recipe. They loved that “it came together very quickly and is impressive enough to serve to company.” They were also impressed by the balance of flavors in the dish and that the tomato sauce wasn’t overly acidic, as can often be the case.
Ingredients at a Glance
- Lobster–The recipe provides instructions for cooking and splitting live lobsters. If you can’t get fresh lobster or can’t bring yourself to kill one, you can substitute 2 or 3 cooked lobster tails.
- Pasta–Spaghetti or linguine is perfect for catching the silky lobster sauce, but any long pasta shape, such as bucatini, will also work.
- Dry white wine–Use a crisp, dry wine, like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. Avoid sweet white wine, as it will make the sauce overly sweet.
- Canned tomatoes–Making a well-balanced sauce that isn’t overly acidic comes from using the right tomatoes, and we strongly recommend you seek out San Marzano tomatoes or similar.
How to Make This Recipe
- Freeze the lobsters for 30 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the lobsters in half lengthwise and remove the eyes, antennae, and digestive sac.
- Cook the lobster. Sauté the garlic in oil in a large pot until golden. Add the pepper and lobsters and cook until the lobsters are bright red, then remove from the pot and set aside.
- Stir the wine and tomatoes into the garlic oil. Add the anchovies and oregano and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce thickens.
- Add the lobster shells and meat to the tomato sauce. Simmer until the lobster is cooked, then set aside for serving, or chop the meat and stir it back into the sauce.
- Cook the pasta until al denté. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Toss the pasta in the sauce to coat, and serve.
Common Questions
“Fra diavolo” means “brother devil” in Italian and refers to the heat of the crushed red chile pepper. Worry not, though. It’s more a gentle teasing type of heat rather than a can’t-taste-anything-else-for-two-days type of heat.
Yes. One of our testers had great success using spot prawns in place of the lobster.
Helpful Tips
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding a splash of pasta water or seafood stock to loosen the sauce if needed.
- The recipe is suitable for dairy-free diets. To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
More Great Seafood Pasta Recipes
Write a Review
If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Lobster Fra Diavolo
Ingredients
- Two (2-pound) live lobsters*
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 pound spaghetti or linguine
- 1 dried Italian hot red pepper, split lengthwise, or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups canned crushed Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, undrained
- 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Sicilian
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the lobsters in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat for the pasta.
- While the water comes to a boil, turn each chilled lobster on its back and, using a large knife, split it lengthwise down the middle. Spread open the lobster bodies and tails but do not remove the meat from the shells. Remove the eyes and antennae and scrape out the digestive sac, reserving the tomalley and roe, if desired.
- Place a large Dutch oven or other wide pot over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic and stir until golden, about 2 minutes.
- Add the hot pepper and lobsters to the garlic and oil, cut side down, and cook until the shells turn red and the lobster meat is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (You may need to cook the lobsters in batches.) Remove the lobsters from the pot.
- Meanwhile, add the salt and pasta to the boiling water, stir, and cook until al dente.
- Add the wine and tomatoes to the garlic and oil and bring to a simmer. Add the anchovies, oregano, tomalley, and roe, if desired, and stir well. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened, 6 to 7 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and season with more dried pepper to taste. Add the lobster shells and meat to the sauce, and gently simmer until the lobster is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the lobsters to a plate and reserve them for serving on top of the pasta, or remove the lobster meat from the shells, chop it, and stir it into the sauce.
- Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Add the pasta to the sauce and toss. If a thinner sauce is desired, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water, a little at a time. Pile the pasta onto a platter and sprinkle with the parsley. If you didn’t incorporate the lobster into the sauce, arrange it on top of the pasta. Serve family-style.
Notes
- Storage–Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding a splash of pasta water or seafood stock to loosen the sauce if needed.
- Use pre-cooked lobster–You can substitute cooked lobster tails for the live lobster if desired. Warm them in the sauce and then serve on top of the pasta or chop the meat and add it to the sauce.
- Dietary–The recipe is suitable for dairy-free diets. To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I couldn’t find lobster, so I used spot prawns instead. I followed the instructions as written, except after sautéing the shrimp, I bundled the shrimp shells into a cheesecloth. I threw that into the pan, poured the wine over, and let it cook briefly before adding the remaining ingredients.
The results were delish—my husband and I thought it could have passed for lobster had we not known. The texture of the prawns and the flavor from the shells in the sauce really helped this along.
The other plus about this recipe was that the sauce wasn’t acidic, which some tomato sauces can be. The addition of the wine really helps prevent that from happening.
This will be a repeat recipe in our house, especially if I can find fresh lobster. I’ll also try it with fresh Dungeness crab when the season is right.
I loved this lobster diavolo pasta. The lobster turned out perfectly, and the blend of wine, tomatoes, and seafood with a pinch of heat is perfect. The sauce isn’t too acidic, as some tomato sauces can be, and the lobster is the real star. The pasta came together quickly and was impressive enough to serve company.
I did make a change in this recipe procedure, though, by using 6 lobster tails. (I couldn’t bring myself to dispatch a live one.) I loved the ease of making the sauce in the same pot as the lobster. The juices from the lobster add that extra flavor to the sauce, and the anchovies melt right in, adding additional savoriness.
I did omit the oregano and increase the parsley a bit, and though this pasta is perfect as-is, if I were to make another small change, it would be to increase the amount of tomato sauce. I’d go so far as to double the amount of tomatoes and proceed with the recipe as-is.
This is a fabulous winter preparation for lobster! The sauce was sweet with just the right kick from the pepper flakes, while the anchovies added great depth.
It was fairly easy to prepare—although finding a pot large enough to sauté the lobsters can be challenging. (I set a roasting pan over 2 burners, which did the trick.)
This dish made a fine centerpiece for a small dinner party. I served it with a salad; bread; and sliced blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges, and mint for dessert.
Love the recipe! Delicious and tasty! Even my chinese wok can barely hold all the lobster, seafoods, and pasta!!! Love it!!!
So glad you enjoyed, Queenie, this is one of my go to pasta dishes, Cheers!
Love to hear you felt it was as much an abundance of goodness as we did, Queenie!
Thanks for the link! Your recipe looks great, I can’t wait to make it…
Our pleasure, Stephen.
I think removing the meat from the shell(s) before service is a must here; or I predict a real mess on my hands (pun intended) and on my red satin party dress, my white linen tablecloth, my date… Recipe looks delish! Same way I start a seafood paella.
Serving Lobster Fra Diavolo with the meat already removed from the shells is a good method. It saves fussing with those shells later, while trying to enjoy the rest of the pasta.
Sounds as though that comment comes from experience, Carol! Sure, a terrific tip, just do leave the shells on during cooking so they impart their sweet, briny flavor to the sauce…