Lobster and Shrimp Fra Diavolo

You can make this dish with just lobster or just shrimp.  I decided to combine them because when you make a whole lobster, you really don’t wind up with that much meat and I wanted this dish to be hearty.

 Ingredients

• 1-2 whole lobsters (I like them to be around 1 ¾ -2 pounds each)

• 1 pound shrimp, shells and tails still on

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ cup cognac

• 1 cup white wine

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• Salt

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ large white cooking onion, minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 anchovies (jarred, not fresh)

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon oregano

• 1 pound long pasta such as linguini, spaghetti or capellini

Directions

Add the live lobsters to boiling water and cook until pink, about 8 minutes.  Remove the lobsters and let cool on a plate.  Remove the shells and tails from shrimp and set them aside.  Clean the shrimp and cut in half.  Wrap up and refrigerate the shrimp.  Once lobster is cool enough to handle, remove as much meat as you can and cut into chunks, then refrigerate.

In a pot, add all of the shrimp and lobster shells and the bay leaf, cognac, wine, peppercorns, lemon juice, thyme and salt.  Cover the shells with additional water.  Let simmer for about an hour.  Strain the stock and discard the shells.

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the onions.  Sauté for a few minutes and add the garlic, anchovies and the pepper.  Sauté another few minutes, breaking up the anchovies with a wooden spoon. Add the shrimp and cook one minute per side and then remove shrimp to a plate. Don’t worry if they aren’t completely cooked through. Add the tomatoes, paste and oregano and stir.  Add in ½ cup of the shell stock and let simmer for 30 minutes, covered.  If you want more of the shell stock flavor, feel free to add as much as you want without making the sauce too thin. Taste for flavor and when ready, add the shrimp back and the lobster pieces. Let just heat through and turn off.  You do not want to overcook.

While the sauce is cooking, put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.  Cook the pasta to al dente perfection and drain.  Toss with the sauce and serve hot.