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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| The Time Is Right for Lobster | The Time Is Right for Lobster |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| What do you do when a luxury item like lobster becomes so plentiful that the usual high price comes down? | What do you do when a luxury item like lobster becomes so plentiful that the usual high price comes down? |
| You eat more lobster. | You eat more lobster. |
| Maine lobster populations this year are abundant, and though this means lobstermen’s paychecks are suffering, home cooks’ hearts gladden. Now is a good time to buy and indulge. (Many restaurants and fish markets are still charging pre-glut prices, but it is worth seeking out fishmongers whose pricing is comparable to the current low market price.) | Maine lobster populations this year are abundant, and though this means lobstermen’s paychecks are suffering, home cooks’ hearts gladden. Now is a good time to buy and indulge. (Many restaurants and fish markets are still charging pre-glut prices, but it is worth seeking out fishmongers whose pricing is comparable to the current low market price.) |
| I am a fan of just about anything you can do with a lobster. I have close friends who regularly organize a lobster feed at their kitchen table, perhaps the best way to enjoy it. It’s nothing fancy. Everyone gets a huge lobster (there’s melted butter, mayonnaise and crusty bread, too) and we go to town, prying every last bit of meat from the shell. It always feels decadent. | I am a fan of just about anything you can do with a lobster. I have close friends who regularly organize a lobster feed at their kitchen table, perhaps the best way to enjoy it. It’s nothing fancy. Everyone gets a huge lobster (there’s melted butter, mayonnaise and crusty bread, too) and we go to town, prying every last bit of meat from the shell. It always feels decadent. |
| But I wouldn’t turn up my nose at a humble lobster roll, either, nor at any number of fancier, saucy preparations. Still, if forced to choose favorites, I’ll ask for (or make) lobster pasta in one of two ways, depending on the season. | But I wouldn’t turn up my nose at a humble lobster roll, either, nor at any number of fancier, saucy preparations. Still, if forced to choose favorites, I’ll ask for (or make) lobster pasta in one of two ways, depending on the season. |
| In cold months, I make a rich, ruddy, complex sauce flavored with roasted lobster shells, tomato and a touch of butter and cream, then toss it with wide, tender pappardelle. I had a similar pasta some years ago in Rome, at a restaurant near the Pantheon that serves nothing but stellar seafood. The entire meal was excellent, including the raw fish appetizer and the anchovy gelato (kidding!), but that pasta was unforgettable. | |
| This time of year, however, while the weather is still fine and sweet ripe tomatoes are everywhere, I take an entirely different approach, one that’s not complicated at all. Olive oil, garlic, hot pepper, barely warmed tomatoes and tons of fresh basil are the only ingredients besides lobster. And dried pasta, preferably a variety with a bit of texture, like frilly edged reginette, cooked perfectly al dente. | This time of year, however, while the weather is still fine and sweet ripe tomatoes are everywhere, I take an entirely different approach, one that’s not complicated at all. Olive oil, garlic, hot pepper, barely warmed tomatoes and tons of fresh basil are the only ingredients besides lobster. And dried pasta, preferably a variety with a bit of texture, like frilly edged reginette, cooked perfectly al dente. |
| Yes, it is essentially a more sumptuous version of the always satisfying pasta aglio, olio e peperoncino, made even more so with chunks of sweet lobster. I like to use chopped yellow tomatoes or halved golden cherry tomatoes, but there’s no reason not to use other colors, or you can stick with red ones. | Yes, it is essentially a more sumptuous version of the always satisfying pasta aglio, olio e peperoncino, made even more so with chunks of sweet lobster. I like to use chopped yellow tomatoes or halved golden cherry tomatoes, but there’s no reason not to use other colors, or you can stick with red ones. |
| The only real work is cooking the lobsters and chopping the meat. Once that’s done, go out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. | The only real work is cooking the lobsters and chopping the meat. Once that’s done, go out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. |