7 Fishes Fra Diavolo Pasta Food

LOBSTER FRA DIAVOLO

Steps:

• This first part might not be pleasant, but it'll be over quickly: Working with 1 lobster at a time, place on a cutting board, belly side down, with head facing you (freezing them 8-10 minutes first will render them fairly immobile). Insert a chef's knife where the tail meets the head, and swiftly bisect head lengthwise in one fell swoop (leave tail intact). Using the back of a cleaver or a lobster cracker, crack each claw on all sides. Twist off tails and cut in half through shells lengthwise. Remove any tomalley or eggs (reserve if you like). Twist off knuckles and claws, then separate knuckles from claws using cleaver.
• Heat 1/3 cup oil in a wide Dutch oven or heavy pot that's large enough to hold pasta over medium-high. Season lobsters with salt and, working in separate batches and being careful not to overcrowd pot, sear lobster pieces, turning occasionally and adding more oil if pot looks dry, until shells are bright red, about 4 minutes for knuckles, claws, and tails; about 6 minutes for heads. Transfer lobsters to a rimmed baking sheet; let cool slightly. Remove pot from heat and add brandy. Return to heat and cook, scraping up browned bits, until smell of alcohol is almost gone, about 2 minutes. Transfer brandy mixture to a small bowl. Pick lobster meat from knuckles and claws; discard shells. Place in an airtight container with tails; cover and chill until ready to use. Set heads aside. Wipe out pot and reserve.
• Working in batches, pulse onions, carrots, and fennel separately in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer vegetables to a large bowl after each is chopped. Heat remaining 1/3 cup oil in reserved pot over medium-high. Cook vegetables, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, chiles, and 1 tsp. red pepper flakes and cook, smashing garlic with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darkened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and reserved lobster heads; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by one-third, about 2 minutes. Add tomato purée to pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes. Discard lobster heads.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente. Drain, reserving 3 cups pasta cooking liquid.
• Add butter, chilled lobster meat, lobster tails, pasta, reserved brandy mixture, and 2 cups pasta cooking liquid to sauce. Cook, tossing to combine and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Because you're working with a large amount of pasta and sauce, this will take effort-toss using a long sturdy spoon in each hand, and make sure to get to the bottom of pot as you go. Add parsley and lemon juice, then transfer pasta to a platter, arranging lobster tails on top. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
• Do Ahead
• Lobsters can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

GRILLED SEAFOOD PASTA FRA DIAVOLO RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• CHILI OIL: Combine the oil and crushed red pepper flakes in a heavy small saucepan. Cook over low heat until a thermometer inserted into the oil registers 180°F, about 5 minutes. Strain the oil into a heatproof container. SPICY TOMATO SAUCE: Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the tomatoes and chile with 2 teaspoons of the chili oil and sprinkle with the salt. Grill until charred and softened, 4 minutes per side. Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl. Coarsely chop the chile, then add to the bowl with the tomatoes. PASTA: Bring a large saucepan filled with salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the lobster tails and cook until the shells turn red and the meat is opaque, 4 minutes. Transfer the tails to a cutting board. Continue to boil the water and add the linguine. Cook until the pasta has begun to soften but is still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 6 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the seafood. Gently cut through the top of the lobster shells using scissors to remove the tail meat, then slice each tail in half lengthwise. Transfer to a large bowl and add the shrimp. Drizzle over 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chili oil and 1 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the lobster tails and shrimp until cooked through, 4 minutes per side. Transfer the shrimp to a large bowl. Chop the lobster into 2-inch pieces and combine with the shrimp. Heat 2 tablespoons of the chili oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the spicy tomato sauce and white wine and bring to a boil. Add the clams and cook, covered, until they open, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the pan along with the Parmesan and toss to coat. Stir in the parsley, butter, lemon zest and salt and black pepper to taste. Add in the shrimp and lobster and drizzle with the remaining chili oil.