When lobster tails are on sale, this Lobster Pasta recipe is my go-to dish. It looks beautiful, is easy to make, and tastes amazing!

It truly is one of my favorite pasta dishes and lobster recipes!

I use the lobster shells to make a rich sauce with tons of flavor. The melted butter and lemon juice add a lovely delicateness without overpowering the lobster flavor like a lot of tomato-based sauces do.

It’s an impressive dish that’s perfect for any special occasion, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, birthdays, or your next date night.

Lobster Pasta Ingredients and Substitutions

The only slightly tricky ingredient is the lobster. All other ingredients for this delicious pasta dish can be easily found at any grocery store. Here are a few pointers on the main ingredients and ideas for substitutions.

Lobster Tails in the Shell

Fresh lobster is seasonal, and in different regions there are different types. In California we have spiny lobsters, and on the East Coast, Maine lobsters are king. If you can, purchase what is fresh where you live.

You can use whole lobsters and include the claw meat. If you choose whole lobsters, you can place the whole carcass in the water.

If you purchase lobster meat without the shell, replace water with fish, chicken, or vegetable broth. Your sauce will lose some of the lobster flavor, but it will be super easy to make.

Lemon Juice

I will always suggest fresh lemon juice over bottled. Just cut off the ends and squeeze them; use the rest of the lemon for garnish. If you want extra lemon flavor, add some lemon zest.

If you prefer white wine to lemon flavor, you can make the substitution.

Milk

Any type of milk will work for the recipe. If you want it super creamy, use heavy cream.

Butter

I use salted butter because that’s my way of sneaking a little extra salt into the dish. If you only have unsalted butter, go ahead and use it. But you may want to add a little extra salt.

Chives

Personally, I love chives with butter and lobster (I use them in my Lobster Roll recipe too). If you’re not a fan, you can skip them or substitute an herb like chopped parsley.

Pasta

Of course it’s hard to beat fresh homemade pasta. But if we’re keeping it easy, a good-quality store-bought pasta will still be very yummy. I prefer spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini for this dish.

Cook pasta according to package instructions. If you don’t like al dente, cook an additional 2 minutes.

Note, fresh pasta will take less time to cook than dried pasta.

Lobster Pasta Recipe

Serves 4 (large portions)

Ingredients

6 cups water (plus more for making the pasta) 
8 small lobster tails (3–5 oz) in shells 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
2 teaspoons chopped chives 
½ teaspoon sea salt (plus more for pasta)
¼ teaspoon black pepper 
1 pound spaghetti
¼ cup milk 
½ cup salted butter
1 lemon, sliced (optional) 
1 tablespoon parsley leaves (optional)

Instructions

1. Start heating a large pot of salted water. I start the water first and turn it off if it comes to a boil before I’m ready for it.

2. Cut down the center of the underside of the lobster shells with kitchen shears. Gently pull the shell back and remove the lobster meat intact if possible. It may sound weird, but once you’ve removed the meat, put all the shell pieces into a large saucepan or skillet, and set the lobster meat aside. The shells are what give the sauce its signature seafood flavor!

Removing the shells from the lobster tails

3. Add the 6 cups of water to the lobster shells in the skillet. Note the height of the water. Bring the water to a boil and then simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Water should reduce by about a third, so about 4 cups should be left.

4. Remove the lobster shells from your skillet with tongs or a Chinese spider, then strain the lobster broth to get rid of any remaining shell fragments. Return the broth to the skillet.

5. Add the lemon juice, chives, salt, and pepper, and simmer another 7 to 10 minutes so broth reduces by another third (about 2⅔ cups should be left).

6. This is a good point to drop most dried pastas into the boiling pasta water. Double-check packaging for suggested cook time.

7. Turn the skillet up to medium heat, and whisk in the milk, then continue to whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. You may need to tilt your pan to get a good whisk going.

Whisking the butter into the lobster sauce

8. Keep the 4 best-looking tails whole and put them in the sauce and stir. Cut the remaining tails into bite-sized pieces.

4 lobster tails and a bowl of cut lobster pieces

9. Add the small lobster pieces when the tails are a little more than halfway cooked, about 5 minutes. Cook together another 2 to 3 minutes until all of the lobster meat is cooked through.

10. Strain the cooked pasta and serve. I like to portion the pasta in plates or large bowls, add the sauce with the small pieces of lobster, and then use one whole tail per plate as the centerpiece.

Lobster pasta recipe complete and plated in bowls

Serving Lobster Pasta

Garnish

Obviously you don’t have to garnish this dish. But it is so special, I feel remiss if I don’t. For me, a lemon slice and fresh parsley leaves make all the difference.

If you really want to add a pop of color, a few blistered cherry tomatoes or chopped raw tomatoes will do the trick.