The original New York Times article that this recipe is based on went something along these lines: the writer had a summer house in Maine, and had lots of summertime houseguests, many of whom had their hearts set on a lobster dinner. So they had many a suppertime filled with lobsters being boiled and cracked, with all the stuff that goes with that (pieces of errant shell flying all over the place, lobster juice drenching everything, etc, etc.). And the point of the article was, wouldn’t life be wonderful if you could make a meal that included all of the lazy, delicious, summertime taste of lobster without all the shell-cracking, juice-flying, sticky drama? That was a deliciously peaceful combination of lobster, pasta and the fresh herbs of summer? I’m here to tell you that yes. YES IT IS. Let’s make it!
The article came with a recipe, which is wonderfully and perfectly entitled “The Way Life Should Be.” And when it comes to eating lobster, the way life should be is that the lobster is out of the shell, cut or torn into delectable bite-sized pieces, and marinated in a glorious bath of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, chopped garlic and a heaping amount of chopped up fresh mint, parsley and basil. (Very Important Note: the original recipe says these herbs are optional. They are NOT. They are MANDATORY. Otherwise the recipe is automatically retitled, “The Way Life Kinda Should Be.”)
Anyway. You leave the lobster in this lovely marinade for 60 minutes, then you cook up some pasta, drain it, put in in a bowl and pour the whole lemony, lobstery, herby, garlicky concoction over the pasta. Toss it around a little and there you have it — a summery lobster dinner that smells incredible and tastes even better.
We had this for dinner for the hundredth time a few days ago, and it was a work day for me. When I got home, my hearthrob of a Southern husband had already put the lobster into the marinade and it was waiting on the kitchen counter. The kitchen smelled incredible — all mint and basil and lemon and garlic and lobster — and all I had to do was make the pasta, mix it up and not mess up the picture.
Now THAT is the way life should be.
The Way Life Should Be
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- Two lobsters, cooked, shelled and chopped into bite size pieces
- Juice from one lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley and basil
- 1/4 cup mint
- Pinch of salt
- 8 ounces pasta – linguine or spaghetti work best
Instructions
- Combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs and salt. Add lobster and let sit at room temperature for an hour.
- Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and return to pot.
- Pour lobster mixture onto pasta and toss.
Updated from an earlier Framed Cooks post. Recipe adapted from The New York Times
Ms. bert savarese says
Bet this would be delish with Alaskan king crab, too, in place of lobster….. I will cook this one for sure!! Looks delicious and sooo easy.
Btw, I just want to know where to find a southern husband like yours! I live in the deep South and looking for a bright, not a Bubba, guy who likes working in the kitchen and… is decent to his wife! Haven’t found an older guy like that… but willing to keep my eyes open — and he cooks, too!! WOW!!
thanks for the super recipe!!
Kate says
Oh, I think AKC would be great in this recipe – cooked shrimp too. (As for the Southern husband, I hope you find a great one. They are wonderful to have around!) :)
Fun and Fearless in Beantown says
I had a delicious seafood risotto last night with a poached lobster tail and I agree – this is the way life should be!
Sharon Creech says
Oh. My. Gosh. (Again!)
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Sounds AMAZING — next time you have an overabundance of lobsters, feel free to call me! :)
Spoon & Shutter says
Hi Kate, as someone who spends a chunk of the summer in Maine doing all that messy business with lobsters for a fairly steady stream of house guests – Thank You for this fabulous-sounding recipe! We did have a "tradition" a couple of years ago, when Ted would drive up for the weekends – he'd call me when he was at a certain point and I would put the lobsters on … we had marvelous late-evening feasts a deux! And, when Ted spent the day last summer photographing lobstermen in Friendship, Maine, he came home with 14 of the critters – now THAT was a feast (we were thankful for the houseguests)!
Spoon & Shutter says
Hi Kate, as someone who spends a chunk of the summer in Maine doing all that messy business with lobsters for a fairly steady stream of house guests – Thank You for this fabulous-sounding recipe! We did have a "tradition" a couple of years ago, when Ted would drive up for the weekends – he'd call me when he was at a certain point and I would put the lobsters on … we had marvelous late-evening feasts a deux! And, when Ted spent the day last summer photographing lobstermen in Friendship, Maine, he came home with 14 of the critters – now THAT was a feast (we were thankful for the houseguests)!
Dominique Eats Out says
I tried this with claws (because they were $2.99/lb at the market) & some shrimp and it came out great! But I ended up doubling all the sauce ingredients except the lemon, & 2 lemons was still too sour. I wonder if the ones I used are too large.
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Thanks for the link! I'm so happy to have the story back. :-)
Anonymous says
Love your blog. thank you for the wonderful writing and food. searched for "the way life should be" recipe to find the story on new york times website.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/magazine/02food.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=%22The%20Way%20Life%20Should%20Be%22%20recipe&st=cse
Sorry, but I don't know how to make the address look pretty in this comment box. Just highlight, copy and paste the gibberish looking address into your browser.
thanks again for your blog!, a fan from the south
Ja9 says
Wow. This looks delicious and I will try this recipe whenever I get lobsters in hand! Can't go wrong with lobsters!
Zeitgeist says
This is a nice and refreshing post! The recipe is definitely a keeper! I can already tell with such simple ingredients, they can only enhance the sweet flavor of lobster!
Thanks for posting and for sharing the recipe!
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Actually, I usually have the supermarket steam it for me, so it is all cooked when I take it home. Most good seafood sections at the major markets will do that if you ask. (I am big coward when it comes to cooking lobster.) But if I was going to do it at home, I would either boil or steam it, I think the meat comes out a bit more tender that way.
gradland says
This looks amazing–just one question, do you bake the lobster or boil it?
Cookie says
YUM! What a gourmet pasta dish!
Sharon Creech says
Oh. My. Gosh. Can't wait to try this . . .