Being from an Italian- Canadian family, one of the traditions we partake in is to not consume meat on Christmas Eve, but fish is allowed. The details about where this originated and why fish is not a meat are a bit fuzzy to me, but what I do know is that it makes for delicious, creative fish menus served in Italian-Canadian families all round. This dish was my contribution to Christmas Eve dinner this year, inspired by a recipe I saw on Giada De Laurentiis' show, made lighter so it could be paired with a second course (which was delicious oven baked salmon, in case you were wondering)
Ingredients
1 9oz/255 g lobster tail (optional, don't include for vegetarian)
1 fish bouillon (optional, don't include for vegetarian)
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
3 tbsp chili flakes (less or more depending on how spicy you like this)
32 oz tomato passata*
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup Parmiggiano Reggiano (get rennet free if making vegetarian)
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1/4 cup tarragon, chopped
250 g/9 oz linguine
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive oil for sautéing
Equipment
1 5 quart covered sauté pan
1 large pot
*Passata is basically just crushed tomatoes without seeds and skin, there's a good article about it on the Kitchn. I prefer it over pre-package sauce or tomato paste because I find its form gives me more flexibility to add my own seasonings. Now, where do you buy it? My family actually makes their own passata, but I like Aurora or Strianese brand)
Directions
Skip to step 3 if making the vegetarian version - Bring about about 8 cups of water to a boil in the pot, this will be for the lobster tail. Once boiling, add in the fish bouillon and stir to dissolve, then add in the lobster tail cook for 8-12 minutes, or until the shell is bright red and the meat is opaque white. Remove the lobster from the boiling water, and let rest until cool.
Once cool, use kitchen shears to cut it down the underside (softer side) of the shell and remove the meat. Dice the meat into bite sized pieces, and set aside, we will add this to the sauce later.
Begin the sauce - Heat some olive oil in the sauté pan on medium high. Once hot, adds the onions, garlic and chili flakes and cook until the onions are translucent and soft. Once sautéed, add in the passata and cream, stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, lower the heat to medium low, and cook until the reduced by about 1/3, and the raw flavor of tomato has cooked out (the sauce should also be a darker red at this point, instead of the pinkish color it was when you started).
Make the pasta - in the pot, bring about 8 cups of well salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook until al dente (we will cook the pasta a bit more in the next steps so do NOT over cook).
Once the pasta is al dente, remove from the pot with tongs and place directly into the sauce in the sauté pan and stir in the pasta. If the sauce seems a bit thick, add some of the pasta water to the mixture to loosen the sauce.
Stir in the parmiggiano, tarragon, basil until conbined. Taste and add salt, pepper or more chili seeds if desired.
Serve and enjoy!