Squid Ink Pasta with Buttery Lobster is the closet thing to heaven I could find. Since Halloween is right around the corner and Halloween is no longer for kids. This spooky black pasta seems like the right idea for an adult Halloween gathering.
Costumes optional, but most definitely welcomed.
Squid ink pasta is such a novelty, it really serves no purpose beside it’s black appearance. Super fresh squid ink pasta could be argued to having a briny flavor like the sea, but for us Montanans that get dried squid ink pasta from our local grocery store. It does nothing for me. Still an absolutely stunning dish to look at. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, I love buying Rustichella d’Abruzzo Durum Wheat Squid Ink Pasta on Amazon.
So hold your ick factor and give squid ink pasta a chance to be great.
There is a restaurant in San Francisco called Octavia that serves this addictively delicious chilled squid ink pasta and they top it with toasted lemon breadcrumbs. I dream about this pasta so I had to make my own. Such an elegant pasta but it’s so easy to prepare and in under 30 minutes.
As always save a cup of your pasta water to finish the sauce. It’s a lemon, wine, and butter base, but it’s always nice to have a splash of cooking liquid at the end to loosen everything up. You always end up with one silky beautiful sauce when you finish it with a little pasta water.
Simple flavors allows the lobster to shine, you don’t have to break the bank when looking for high quality lobster. I’ve had excellent luck with buying lobster at Costco {no joke}, and it’s usually pretty inexpensive for what you get.
I like to cook the lobster over medium heat in a couple tablespoons of butter, it’s the idea of butter poaching and sauteing combined. The result is perfectly cooked buttery lobster. Top everything with the toasted lemon breadcrumbs and you have a hauntingly beautiful meal for your Halloween gathering.
Wine Pairing Recommendation: Something light, crisp and Italian is the right idea for this pasta. Serve with Pinot Grigio, Soave, or search for Gavi.
Squid Ink Pasta with Buttery Lobster
If you can't find squid ink pasta in your dried pasta section of your local grocery store, you can find my favorite brand on Amazon, Rustichella d'Abruzzo Durum Wheat Squid Ink Pasta. Serving with grated parmesan is optional. I'm sure some purists would say no way. I say cheese it up if you want to.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Squid Ink Pasta
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumb
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 2 teaspoons Parsely, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 2 whole Lobster Tails, removed from shell and cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Dry White Wine
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice, from 1 Lemon
- 4 tablespoons Cold Butter, cubed
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, for seasoning
- Grated Parmesan, for serving {optional}
Directions
- Step 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta according to package. Save about a cup of pasta water and drain pasta well.
- Step 2 Heat 1 tablespoon of butter of medium heat, add the panko to the pan and toast until golden brown. Remove from heat and add red pepper flake, lemon zest, chopped parsley and kosher salt. Whisk to combine.
- Step 3 Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large shallow pan over medium heat. Add the lobster and sauté in the butter, about 2 – 3 minutes until slightly firm. Remove to a plate. Add the garlic to the pan. Cook while stirring about 1 minute. Add wine and cook over high heat until reduced by half, about 8 – 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice to the pan and slowly begin adding the cubed cold butter. Whisking until butter is completely melted and sauce looks thickened and shiny. Return the cooked lobster to the skillet, heating through. Season sauce to taste preference with kosher salt and ground black pepper. About a pinch of each.
- Step 4 Toss cooked pasta in the sauce, add a splash of pasta water to loosen everything up. Serve immediately topped with toasted panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan. Enjoy!
Savor and Enjoy!
Made this for dinner last night and it was like restaurant quality! I ended up a little bit of cream at the very end to the sauce since I didn’t have Parmesan on hand, otherwise followed to a T!
I like the added cream! Everything could use a little splash! Cheers!