This lobster pappardelle is tossed with a creamy Meyer lemon goat cheese sauce. It’s the perfect holiday or special occasion meal to impress.
Last week I was walking through the meat department of a local grocery store that’s pretty much the only place nearby I can buy local, grass fed beef and organic chicken, filling my cart to the brim with both when I turned around to start making my way down to the pork section (hello, bacon!) only to look up and make eye contact with what I can only describe as a Pee-wee Herman type freakish stare from some random dude. The way he looked at me made me feel like I should know him but nothing about his face seemed familiar. I smiled and tried to look away when he bursts out with “well, YOU’RE certainly not a vegetarian!”. The whole thing caught me so off guard my only reaction was to half giggle and say “nope, I’m not” as I quickly pushed my cart past him. The way he said it was so condescending and with such disgust in his voice that I really wish I had thought quick enough on my feet to ask him what the hell he was doing in the meat department if he so clearly was a vegetarian?
I also wish I had the quick thinking to tell him I was on my way to the seafood department after that to bring home some live lobster and KILL THEM MYSELF for this pasta (except they only ended up having tails) but unfortunately most of my sass only comes to me once it’s too late.
Every Christmas Eve, my family does the whole fish thing. We’re not hardcore Italian enough to do the 7 fish or anything but there’s always lots of shrimp cocktail, linguine with clam sauce and baked breaded flounder filet. I like fish, but of all fish, flounder, breaded and served with lemon is pretty much the most BORING way you can possibly think of to serve it. And yet, we do it every year. #lame.
This year, however, instead of the big family thing per usual, it’s just me and my parents. My brother is doing Christmas Eve with his wife’s family and Ulysses is working so that leaves a whopping 3 of us for dinner and I refuse to eat boring ass breaded flounder.
Enter lobster, pappardelle (which I’ve spelled incorrectly no less than 15 times while writing this post), meyer lemon and goat cheese.
Vegetarian Pee-wee Herman man might not approve, but I sure as heck do. It’s creamy, bright, comforting (love the thick wide noodles of pappardelle) and of course fancy because duh, lobster.
Looking for other fish options for Christmas Eve?
This almond crusted tilapia or lemony tomato herb scallops are two other great choices and this lobster ravioli sauce has a lot of the same flavors with a simpler approach.
Creamy Lemon Lobster Pappardelle
Ingredients
- 2 lobster tails
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 pound pappardelle
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice
- 2 cups milk
- 5 ounces goat cheese
- salt and pepper
- zest from 2 Meyer lemons
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter on a stove top grill pan over medium- high heat.
- Trim legs off underside of lobster tail and place them shell side up on grill pan.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through and red. Remove from grill pan and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pappardelle and cook according to package directions.
- While pasta cooks, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the flour and whisk to combine with the butter and garlic, cook 1 minute.
- Add the milk and lemon juice and whisk until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the goat cheese and whisk until melted.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce with the zest and parsley and toss until completely coated.
- Place pasta in serving bowls and top with lobster tails.
- Garnish with extra parsley and serve with toasted bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Extraordinary! Was an easy and satisfying dinner that really impressed our guests.
I have never cooked with lobster before, so I was a bit nervous, but this worked so well and was absolutely delicious.
This was superb! Made for some company and everyone was wowed!
I made it with GF pasta and loved it!
Made those chicken thighs last night and they were SOO good!
Decadent recipe, too lemony though. I would cut way back on the zest. Maybe substitute white wine or fish stock for some of the lemon juice. The goat cheese gave it a nice twang but Parmesan would be my next choice. Maybe a little chopped baco or ham would work too. Goes great with bubbly!
This looks so delicious. I bet it would be good with shrimp subbed in for lobster too.
I am planning on making this dish for my in-laws for New Year’s Eve. I just had a question — what would you recommend substituting for the goat cheese. I am not a fan.
Thank you and Happy New Year!
do you like cream cheese? That would be a great sub.
Thank you Gina! That is a great idea and I will go with that :)