Pasta with Lobster and Shrimp Sauce

This dish is amazing.  Lobster, shrimp, heavy cream, wine, pasta...what more could you ask for?  Well, maybe a bit of Creole or Blackened seasoning...that's what!!!

Make sure you check out the drink recommendations at the end of the recipe.  

Ingredients

• 3 lobster tails
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil, divided
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 4 tablespoons of butter, divided
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay.  I don't believe in using cheap wine to cook with)
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 2 Roma tomatoes diced
• 1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of red onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon of Creole or Blackened seasoning of your choice. (I used Tony Chachere's Original Creole seasoning when I made it)
• 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound of fettuccine (or pasta of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, for garnish
• 1/4 cup shaved parmesan, for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat a deep skillet over high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, carefully add the lobster tails to the pan.
2. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Cover and cook for 4 minutes.  Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the skillet.  Turn the lobster tails over, then pour in the wine and cook for 4 more minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the shrimp in a large mixing bowl and toss with one tablespoon of olive oil.  Add Creole or Blackened seasoning and toss to coat.  Heat another skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter.  Once melted, add the shrimp.  Cook 3 minutes per side and then remove from heat.
4. Remove the lobster tails from the skillet and place them onto a cutting board.  Keep the liquid in the pan as this will be used for the lobster sauce.  Remove the shells from the lobster tails and discard.  Roughly chop the lobster meat.
5. Add the heavy whipping cream, chicken broth, tomatoes and onion to the same pan that you cooked the lobster in.  Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce for 4 minutes.  Stir in the lobster meat and shrimp and cook for 2 more minutes.
6. While preparing the sauce, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook your pasta of choice according to package directions until al dente.
7. Combine the lobster sauce and pasta in the deep sided skillet.  Garnish with parsley and shaved parmesan before serving.

Do not be afraid of this dish.  It looks complicated but it is a fairly easy dish to make that looks amazing when it is done...this is perfect for a romantic dinner for two.

Drink Pairings

For this dinner, a dry white wine is definitely what you want.  We enjoyed the rest of the bottle of Kendall-Jackson chardonnay.

If you prefer a beer, I recommend Gateway Cream Ale from Lockport Brewing Company in Bolivar.  If you don't have access to Lockport Brewing Company beers then I recommend that you move closer...seriously though, if you can't get Lockport beers then I would recommend any of the mass-produced cream ales available...it's been a while since I have had a Genesee Cream Ale... 

If you want a cocktail, I recommend a Sazerac cocktail but you really want to go easy if you are enjoying these cocktails...too many of them and you will be staring into a fireplace and spacing out or you may see Aztec temples... :-)