Lobster Scampi

I LOVE the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Christmas is great, but sometimes the lead-up to the actual day can feel aggressive, an all-caps assault of HOLIDAY CHEER! and MERRIMENT! and JOY! that’s a bit overwhelming for my cold, cynical heart.

But the week after Christmas? Perfection. There’s still a festive hum in the air, but it’s a bit quieter and more subdued. The city empties out around the holidays (at least if you avoid midtown), so everything feels less frenzied and chaotic. I can actually get a seat on the subway, or a table at the new trendy restaurant, or gasp! a treadmill after work at the gym.

And since New Year’s Eve is still around the corner, I can do things like get oysters and champagne on a random Thursday after work because it’s still “the holidays.” Indulgence is definitely still on the menu, and in fact, has its last hurrah before Resolution-uary begins on January 1.

Enter this lobster scampi. It’s luxurious, with butter and garlic and fat chunks of lobster meat tangling through a pile of linguini. But it won’t kill your budget (the lobster goes a long way here, and you could easily do a two-people-per-lobster-tail ratio if needed) and thanks to the generous hit of lemon juice and zest, plus a hefty pinch of red pepper flakes and a handful of fresh parsley, feels fresh and light, and not like the butter-laden carb bomb that it actually is.

The pasta feels especially apt this week: it’s celebratory, fancy but a little bit restrained, and perfect with a glass of wine. What better way to count down to the new year?

Lobster Scampi

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Ingredients

• 1 pound linguini
• 4 5-ounce lobster tails
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 10 garlic cloves, sliced
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

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Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Using kitchen shears, cut each lobster tail in half length-wise, so that there are two equal pieces and the flesh is exposed. Season the lobster meat with salt and pepper.
3. In a 12-inch or larger saute pan, melt four tablespoons of butter on medium-low heat. Add the lobster tails and garlic.
4. Cook the lobster tails shell-side down for 2 minutes, until the shells start to turn slightly red, spooning the garlic butter over the flesh as it cooks. Flip so that the tails are flesh-side down, nestling the meat in the garlic butter. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the shells are bright red and the meat is white and opaque.
5. Remove the lobster tails from the saute pan and set aside. Turn down the heat to low, then add the remaining two tablespoons of butter, along with the lemon juice, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Stir in the linguine, salt and pepper and cook, tossing once, for 2-3 minutes. Add the reserved cooking water, one tablespoon at a time, if necessary to loosen the mixture up.
6. Meanwhile, remove the lobster meat from the shells. Chop into bite-size pieces.
7. Toss the lobster into the pasta, and add the olive oil and parsley. Check for seasonings, then transfer to a serving platter and garnish with additional chopped parsley.

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