Ingredients

Serves 4

Prep: 40min

Cook: 35min

4 x 400g (approx) live lobsters

or 2 x 700g (approx) live hen lobsters

6tbsp olive oil

7 beefsteak/very large tomatoes

or 1.5kg ripe plum tomatoes

or 3 x 400g cans whole tomatoes

Half a pale-green chilli, approx 8cm in total

6-8 garlic cloves

5tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

50g chopped basil, including stalks

1tsp sugar for fresh tomatoes, or 2tsp for canned

300ml white wine

750g spaghetti

12 mussels, if available

3tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley to finish

Method

Bring a very large pan of water to the boil. Add 2tbsp salt and return to a vigorous boil. Cook one large or two small lobsters at a time, allowing 10min for the large ones; 7min for small. Have a sink of iced water ready. Lift the lobster, part-cooked, into the iced water to cool for at least 10min, then stretch on a chopping board and, with a large, heavy knife, slice down the body in one cut. Remove the gravel sac, intestinal channel that runs down the back, and feathery gills between head and tail. Female lobsters contain edible roe, which is likely to stay black in colour after this amount of cooking. Crack the claws. Once the lobster is out of the pan, add the pasta and cook until not quite al dente.

While the water for the lobster is coming to the boil, core the tomatoes in a pointed plug shape and slice thinly. Trim and finely chop the chilli and garlic (you need 3tsp of this). Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or heavy roasting tin and stir-fry the chilli for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, tossing them as you add 5tbsp parsley, the basil, 2tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, and the garlic. Add the wine and cook briskly, stirring occasionally, while the lobster is prepared.

Lay the lobster halves, cut-side-down, in the tomato sauce and scoop the pasta in, too, tucking it below the sauce and adding a ladle of cooking water to help to boil the pasta. Continue cooking for about 10min until the sauce is thickened and clinging to the pasta. If you are using mussels, add them now and cook for 2min until they open. To serve, arrange the lobsters, cut-side-up, on a platter and hide under tomato-drenched spaghetti. Decorate with mussels and garnish with the remaining parsley. Serve with lobster or nut crackers for the claws.

Times Recommends

• Top Ten most searched for recipes
• Chalet Chef 2010: the winning menus
• Gin and pomegranate jellies