Florence Fabricant's Lobster Fra Diavolo

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(44)
Comments
Read comments

“Lobster Fra Diavolo, lobster in a spicy tomato sauce with linguine, ‘brother devil’ style, sounds Italian, tastes Italian and is a staple in Italian restaurants. But is it Italian?” Florence Fabricant set out to find out in a 1996 column. She spoke to a number of experts on Italian food, but came away with few answers. Some insisted it was an Italian-American dish, with roots in New York, specifically Long Island or Little Italy, while others pointed to Naples. She included this recipe, adapted from “Lobster at Home” by Jasper White, the executive chef of the Legal Sea Foods chain. His version is served on bread, but this adaptation is served on pasta. —Florence Fabricant

Featured in: Origin of Popular Lobster Fra Diavolo Bedevils the Experts

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe
  • Print Options


Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 5tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1medium onion, chopped fine
  • 1tablespoon garlic chopped fine
  • 1teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1cup fish or seafood stock
  • ½cup dry white wine
  • 1tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1bay leaf
  • 128-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2lobsters, each 1¾ pounds, cut up
  • Salt
  • 1pound linguine
  • 1tablespoon chopped Italian parsley leaves
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1010 calories; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 99 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 93 grams protein; 1963 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Add the onion and garlic, and saute over medium heat until they begin to brown. Stir in the pepper flakes and oregano. Stir in stock, wine, tomato paste and bay leaf. Pour the canned tomatoes into a strainer held over the saucepan so that you add the juice but not the pulp. Chop the pulp; then, add it to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the remaining oil in a large saute pan. Add lobster pieces, and sear them over high heat, turning often, until the shells are bright red.

  3. Step 3

    While the lobster is searing, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the linguine.

  4. Step 4

    Spoon the sauce over the lobster, bring to a simmer and cook, partly covered, about 10 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    While the lobster is cooking in the sauce, add the linguine to the boiling water, and cook about 7 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.

  6. Step 6

    To serve, transfer the lobster pieces coated with sauce to one side of a large platter, leaving some of the sauce in the pan. Sprinkle with half the parsley.

  7. Step 7

    Add the drained linguine to the sauce in the pan, and reheat briefly, stirring to coat the linguine. Transfer to the platter alongside the lobster, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5
44 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

May I just point out that this recipe calls for cutting up lobsters while they're still alive. I have done this, in the past, with other shellfish (crabs), but I regret it and wouldn't do it again ...

May I just point out that this recipe calls for cutting up lobsters while they're still alive. I have done this, in the past, with other shellfish (crabs), but I regret it and wouldn't do it again ...

I made this with 2 lbs. of mussels. Made the sauce. While pasta was cooking, cooked mussels in sauce until they opened. put in warm bowl. Added pasta to sauce with 1 cup of pasta water to finish cooking. Next time, would double sauce recipe.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from "Lobster at Home" by Jasper White (Scribners)

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.