Lobster Sambuca Over Fettuccine

Amazing Lobster Sambuca over Fettuccine has tender chunks of lobster in a creamy sauce flavored with lobster stock and Sambuca and served over pasta.

An Incredibly Good Lobster and Pasta Dish

This Lobster Sambuca over Fettuccine was inspired by a dish served at one of our favorite Italian restaurants on Cape Cod, Tomatoes Italian Grille & Bar, not too far from where we live.

Anytime Jack and I enjoyed dinner there, he would order a Roman Wedge salad, and a pasta dish that had fresh lobster in a creamy sauce flavored with Sambuca liqueur. The restaurant called it Lobster Romano. Sadly, it’s no longer on the menu – so we set out to recreate this wonderful recipe at home!

What is Sambuca?

Sambuca is an Italian sweet, licorice-flavored liqueur made from the essential oils of anise seed and elderflowers. Its unique, herbal flavor is surprisingly complementary to the flavor of fresh lobster.

In Italy, Sambuca is often served chilled in a shot glass with three roasted espresso beans floating on top – each bean signifying health, wealth, and happiness. (This is called “con la mosca” which translates to “with the fly.”) The bitter coffee beans are chewed as the Sambuca is sipped, enhancing the sweetness of the liqueur.

In this dish, when Sambuca is added to a rich and creamy sauce flavored with a stock made from the lobster shells – this dish is quite simply AMAZING!

• This is a restaurant-quality dish that you can make a home for the holidays or a special dinner party.
• The flavors of fresh lobster and Sambuca are truly wonderful together.

• Lobster – You’ll want to buy fresh lobsters for this recipe. The cooked lobster meat is added to the finished pasta dish, while the shells are used to flavor a lobster stock that is the base for the sauce.
• For the Lobster Stock – Carrots, celery, onions, white wine, water, fresh parsley stems, garlic cloves, dried thyme, celery salt, bay leaf, whole black peppercorns.
• Pasta – We used fettucine, but any thick strand pasta will work including linguine.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Unsalted Butter
• Shallots
• Sambuca
• Lobster Stock
• Fresh Parsley Leaves
• Heavy Cream
• Romano Cheese
• Salt and Pepper

1. Cook the lobster and prepare the lobster stock from the cooking liquid.
2. Remove meat from the cooked lobsters and add shells back to the stock.
3. Set meat aside in the refrigerator.
4. Strain the lobster stock to remove solids.
5. Cook the fettucine according to package instructions.
6. Chop the lobster meat into bite-sized pieces, leaving the claws whole.
7. Saute shallots in butter and oil.
8. Deglaze the pan with Sambuca, then add some of the lobster stock and simmer until reduced.
9. Add parsley, cream, and cheese to the sauce. Adjust seasonings as needed.
10. Add lobster meat and pasta to the pan and toss to combine.
11. Serve immediately with a lobster claw on top of each portion and more grated cheese and chopped parsley on top.

• Can I make Lobster Sambuca ahead of time? As mentioned above, you can cook the lobster and make the lobster stock a day ahead of time, but the pasta dish should be served freshly cooked.
• How do I store leftovers? Store covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.
• How do I reheat leftovers? We suggest gently warming this dish through in a saucepan, adding more cream to the sauce if it absorbed into the pasta as the dish was stored in the refrigerator. Avoid overcooking the lobster meat – it will become tough and rubbery if overheated.
• Can I freeze this recipe? You can freeze the extra lobster stock, but we don’t recommend freezing the lobster meat or pasta.

This Lobster Sambuca recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in June 2013. We’ve updated the post and photos, but the delicious recipe remains the same.

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