If creamy pasta and lobster are two of your favorite indulgences, this dish will steal your heart. Juicy, tender lobster is folded into a garlicky white wine cream sauce, with sweet cherry tomatoes and fragrant herbs bringing it all together. It feels luxe, but it’s surprisingly easy to pull off in under 45 minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Lobster Pasta
- Decadent but approachable – Lobster tails are affordable and easy to work with.
- Restaurant-quality at home – Silky cream sauce with white wine and butter gives major date-night energy.
- Perfectly balanced – Tarragon, lemon zest, and cherry tomatoes brighten every bite.
- Flexible – Works beautifully with fresh or boxed pasta, and easy to scale up for a crowd.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lobster meat – Use fresh or frozen lobster tails (or claw meat if you can splurge). Pre-shelled lobster works too.
- Fresh pasta – Tagliolini, tagliatelle, or linguine are best. Boxed is fine—just go for a good quality.
- Butter – Use a high-quality salted butter for richness.
- Olive oil – For sautéing the aromatics.
- Shallots & garlic – Essential for building the base of the sauce.
- White wine – Use a dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio). Champagne works too!
- Heavy cream – No shortcuts here. Cream brings the sauce together beautifully.
- Cherry tomatoes – Sweet and vibrant; grape tomatoes work too.
- Fresh tarragon – Optional but adds a delicate, herbal note. Basil or chives are great substitutes.
- Lemon zest – Brightens and balances the richness.
- Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
- Optional garnishes – Fresh chives, red pepper flakes, parmesan, or a squeeze of lemon juice.
How to Make Lobster Pasta
Prep the Lobster:
If using lobster tails, use kitchen shears to cut through the top and bottom of the shell. Carefully remove the meat and give it a rough chop. If using a whole lobster, you can steam or boil it, then extract the meat.
Sauté the Aromatics:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook until they blister and soften slightly.
Deglaze with Wine:
Remove the skillet from heat and pour in the white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits from the pan, then return to medium heat and simmer briefly.
Cook the Lobster and Sauce:
Add in the lobster meat, heavy cream, tarragon, lemon zest, and butter. Let it simmer gently until the lobster is opaque and cooked through (just a few minutes). Stir occasionally until everything emulsifies into a creamy sauce.
Cook and Toss the Pasta:
While the sauce cooks, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve some pasta water, then drain. Add the cooked pasta directly into the sauce and toss to coat. Loosen with a bit of reserved pasta water if needed.
Final Touches:
Taste and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with extra lemon zest, chives, red pepper flakes, or parmesan if desired.
Tips for Success
- Use fresh pasta for the best absorption and texture. If using boxed pasta, reduce the amount of cream initially and adjust as needed.
- Don’t overcook the lobster – it cooks quickly and becomes rubbery if left too long.
- Save the shells – Freeze them for homemade lobster stock to use in risotto or soups.
- No tarragon? Basil or chives still bring freshness and color.
Serving Ideas
Serve this creamy lobster pasta with:
- A crisp green salad with vinaigrette
- Toasted garlic bread or crusty sourdough
- A glass of white wine or champagne
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4–5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Warm gently in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of olive oil or milk. Stir until heated through.
Make it a Meal to Remember
Whether you’re planning a romantic dinner or just feel like treating yourself, this creamy lobster pasta brings elegance without the stress. It’s rich, flavorful, and sure to impress—every bite tastes like something you’d order at a coastal bistro.
Lobster Pasta with Cream Sauce
This creamy Lobster Pasta is the ultimate indulgence—rich, flavorful, and perfect for a special dinner that doesn’t feel fussy.
Ingredients
- 8 oz tagliolini or any long pasta
- 2 medium lobster tails (about 6 to 8 oz of meat)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
- 2 sprigs tarragon
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter (or more if you like)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
Instructions
- To prepare the lobster, use kitchen shears to cut down both the top and bottom sides of each lobster tail shell. Gently pull the meat out and give it a rough chop. If you're using whole lobster, start by quickly and humanely dispatching it with a sharp knife to the top of the head, then remove the tail and claws and boil until cooked before extracting the meat.
- Mince the garlic, shallot, and tarragon. Zest the lemon and slice the cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, but save about a cup of pasta water in case you need it for the sauce.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and sauté the shallots until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and sauté until they begin to blister. Carefully pour in the white wine (off the heat) and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped lobster meat, tarragon, and heavy cream to the skillet. Sauté until the lobster is just cooked through and tender.
- If you're using boxed pasta instead of fresh, cut the cream amount in half and add more only if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Stir in the butter and lemon zest, and let everything simmer gently.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add more cream or pasta water as needed until the sauce clings perfectly to the pasta.
- Serve garnished with extra lemon zest or a splash of lemon juice, fresh chives, and red pepper flakes. Parmesan is optional but welcome if you like.
Notes
- Don’t toss those lobster shells! Clean them well and freeze them in an airtight container. Later, simmer them with water and aromatics to create a deeply flavored lobster stock that’s perfect for soups or risottos.
- Serve this rich pasta with a piece of warm, crusty bread to soak up all the extra sauce and maybe a cold glass of champagne for the perfect pairing.
- If you’re using dried boxed pasta instead of fresh, remember to cut back on the cream at first—you can always add more as needed to get the consistency you want.
Nutrition Information
Yield
3Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 443Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 116mgSodium 400mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 3gSugar 4gProtein 22g
Easy Shrimp Recipes.com, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although allchickenrecipes.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
