Lobster Fra Diavolo with Spaghettini

Name: Lobster Fra Diavolo with Spaghettini
Yield: makes 6 servings
Ingredients: Three 1 1/4-pound live Maine lobsters; 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, or as needed; Salt; All-purpose flour 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 8 cloves garlic; Two 35-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) with their liquid, seeded and crushed; 16 whole dried peperoncino or diavollilo hot red peppers, or 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed hot red pepper; 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably the Sicilian or Greek type dried on the branch, crumbled; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano; 1 pound linguine

December 9, 2011

Look for lobsters that are alive and kicking—the claws shouldn’t hang limp—and ones that feel heavy for their size. Cutting and cleaning a live lobster may seem difficult, but it is very easy to get the hang of it. (Placing the lobsters in the freezer for half an hour beforehand makes it even easier.) The lobsters will give off a lot of liquid as you clean them; make cleanup easier by spreading a kitchen towel or two under the cutting board to absorb whatever liquid drips off the board. I have stayed true to Italian-American cooking by seasoning this dish with dried oregano, but brought it into the present by adding a dose of fresh oregano as well. You may remember this as a very saucy dish, but I prefer to serve it Italian-style—not swimming in sauce, but condito, tossed with just enough sauce to dress the pasta.

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