Lobster Scampi

Scampi is butter, garlic and lemon. The lobster goes in last and barely cooks — it's already cooked, and the second time is what ruins it.

Ingredients

• 1 lb cooked picked lobster meat
• 12 oz linguine or spaghetti
• 8 tbsp butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Melt the butter. Large skillet, medium heat.
3. Garlic. Sauté for 1 minute, until fragrant. Don't let it brown.
4. Deglaze. Add white wine if using and the lemon juice. Simmer 2 minutes.
5. Add the lobster. With the red pepper flakes if using. Cook just until heated through.
6. Toss. Add the pasta and toss to coat, using reserved pasta water to loosen into a light sauce.
7. Finish. Stir in parsley, season, serve immediately.

Serving

Serves 4. Bread for the butter left in the bowl.

Pro tips

• Pasta water is the sauce. Skip it and you get buttery noodles with butter pooling at the bottom.
• Burnt garlic is the most common failure here. Medium heat, one minute, watch it.
• Eight tablespoons of butter is not a typo. This is scampi.
• The lobster needs 60 seconds, not five minutes. It's already cooked.