Brown Butter Lobster, Bacon + Crispy Kale and Fontina Pasta
Brown butter two days in a row? Oops.
I was not planning on posting this today, but then I thought “why the heck not?”.
Two days of brown butter can never be a bad thing, especially when one is sweet and the other is savory. It is kind of perfect actually.
That and like I said yesterday, I have brown butter on the brain. Expect more because I promise it is coming.
I read somewhere in one of my millions of magazines I subscribe to that I let sit in a drawer for weeks upon weeks and then finally quickly flip through when I realize I am a month behind, that lobster is in season in September. To be honest, I really had no idea seafood had seasons. I mean, don’t fish live all year round?
I mean, I know they do, but maybe it is easier to catch them in the warmer months? Yeah, I am sure that has to be it. Right?
Ugh. Who knows, I think I need to do some reading. I feel like I should know this stuff.
Anyway, my point is lobster is in season all September long and that means it is probably going to be on sale (it already is here) and that means it’s time to eat some lobster!
Heck yes.
I can always be down with that.
Especially, when the lobster involves butter. Lobster and butter just go hand in hand. They work together to make each other better.
It’s a beautiful thing.
I used lobster tails for this because one, they are on sale, and two?
Well, I am way too scared to actually go and buy a live lobster, kill it, de-shell it and eat it. Sure, I think I could do it, but I really do not want to. I like lobster tails and they are easy and quick and well – already dead. Plus, I live in Colorado, in a small mountain town and I am pretty sure I would have to go to Denver to find a live one and even then I still think it might be hard.
So yeah, I am sticking with the tails. They never fail me.
The best part is that this dish is really simple.
It’s not like these Brown Butter Lobster Ravioli I made back in February that require a little more time. Although, that time is worth it. Those ravioli are still my all time favorite lobster dish, better than any restaurant. They are amazing and if you have the time and want to make some of the best homemade ravioli than you need to go and make those. Really you do.
But if you are looking for a quicker fix then this is your dish, it’s still totally amazing.
The crispy kale, the bacon, the fontina! It’s all so good and then topping if off with some fresh basil and a generous drizzle of brown butter?
Yeah, it’s pure awesomeness.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Brown Butter Lobster, Bacon + Crispy Kale and Fontina Pasta
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: bacon, lobster, pasta
If you are looking for a quick fix then this is fish your dish, it's totally amazing.
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon
- 4 ounce lobster tails 4-8
- 6 tablespoon butter divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 leaves bunch kale torn away from the stem
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 pound angel pasta
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 6-7 ounces fontina cheese cubed
- 1/4 cup fresh basil or parsley or both chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, add kale, olive oil, parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat with your hands and massage kale for about 1 minute. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes, tossing 1-2 times while cooking, until crispy. Remove and set aside.
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Bring pasta water to a boil and prepare pasta according to directions.
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While the kale is cooking and the water comes to a boil start working on the bacon. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan and set aside on paper towels to drain. Once cooled, crumble. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat.
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To prepare the lobster, lay the lobster tails flat on a cutting board with the shell side facing upward. Using a very sharp, large knife, cut the tail in half lengthwise and slice all the way through the shell. Season the meat side lightly with salt and pepper.
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Bring the skillet used for bacon back to medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl to coat. Place the lobster tails meat-side down in the pan and sear for 5 minutes or until the shells turn bright red. Remove tails from the pan and set aside.
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To the same skillet add another tablespoon of butter. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, add the pasta, crushed red pepper, cayenne and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss well and cook for 2 minutes, just until the pasta is hot. Once the pasta is hot add the tomatoes and cubed fontina cheese. Then remove the pasta from the heat, drizzle with lemon juice and toss well. Add in the crispy kale.
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In a separate small skillet melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat until just browned. Butter will melt, foam and froth, then begin to brown along the bottom. Whisk browned bits off of the bottom of the pan.
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Pop the lobster meat out of the shells and divide the pasta among plates or bowls. Top each plate with lobster meat and a sprinkle of chopped basil. Drizzle with browned butter and top with the crumbled bacon.
Oh and the crispy kale? Yeah, expect a lot more of that too. It too is awesome.
Looks amazing! Everything is better with butter and bacon. And angel hair has to be my favorite pasta.
We LOVE angel hair around here. It’s our favorite!
Thanks Melanie!
I’m glad you decided to post this cause it is AMAZING. Can’t go wrong with brown butter and lobster. Wish it was on sale in our area. Not gonna happen.
Oh man, sorry to hear it’s not on sale! But I know what you mean, it is crazy expensive!
Thanks Norma!
I have to restrain myself from commenting on everything you post because I feel I would become repetitive, but this… I can’t help myself. Lobster is like… my favorite thing ever. Besides all my other favorite thing. This looks incredible.
Oh dear god. Literally just felt my heart skip a beat. This looks amazing!
Haha! Thanks Jamie!
Good grief Tieghan–everything you make i want to jump into the pic and eat it with you. Can I come over for dinner? lol
Ha, thanks!! And yes, please, please, please come for dinner!
It’s been ages since I have had lobster and this looks incredible!! I should make this for the bf – I’m positive a marriage proposal would follow.. 😉 This is beautiful, comforting and looks so fresh. LOVE me that brown butter, sister!
Oh yeah, this is marriage proposal material! LOL!
Thanks Julia!
I’m pretty sure you could talk about brown butter 7 days in a row and no one would complain. 😉 Gorgeous dish!
Started following you on twitter now. 🙂
Ha, I think you are right!!
Thanks you so much, Tina!! I am so excited to have you as a new twitter follower!
You made me laugh out loud at this post! Especially with this line, “I mean, don’t fish live all year round?” –so funny. It’s definitely one of those things you don’t think about though!
Apparently they come to the shore to get closer to the warmer waters in the summer/early September! Love this dish, that big fat lobster tail is killing me. So delicious!
Haha! Happy to make you laugh, but really I had no idea! I need to read up on this stuff!
Thanks so much, laura!
Gawd!!! This is INCREDIBLE!! So jealous that you got to eat this for dinner!
Haha! Thanks Steph! Wish I could share some with you!
Oh holy cannoli, does this ever look good! Perfect for a date night in!
Thank you! It is the perfect date night meal!
Holy. moly. I think you just put all my favorite words into one AMAZING dish, Tieghan! You really know your flavor pairings, and this truly shows it! This meal is so mouthwatering I don’t even know where to begin… Great job!
Oh wow! Thank you!!
Wish I could send you a giant plate full! Actually, I’ll trade you for some of the pumpkin muffins you made! I am still dreaming about them!
1) nothing wrong with multiple posts of brown butter recipes and 2) I totally agree about the live lobster, i could never do it either. This looks amazing.
Thanks Dervia!
What great flavors!! This would be a dish i know we would love!
Thank you! Hope you guys give it a try!
Oh Wow! Tieghan – this dish is like heaven!
I didn’t know seafood had a season either – I was with you in thinking they “lived year long” !!! 🙂
Thanks Shashi!
You can do brown butter everyday of the week if it all looks this AMAZING!!! I want this for lunch, dinner, whatever – I just want this!!!
Hehe! Thank you so much, Robyn!
You are a brown butter machine!! Bring it on girlfriend!
LOL! Thanks Lauren!
YOU’RE KILLING ME! I’m just going to show up at your house one day and demand that you make me dinner. It’ll be a little awkward, but that’s ok.
Please do!! I’d be so excited!! Maybe you could bring along some of those beer doughnuts?!?
When it comes to browned butter, I say bring it on! Bring it ALL on!
P.S. I’m showing up to dinner with Jackie 😉 you’ve been warned!
Yes, yes, yes! Sound pretty awesome to me!
Just pinned this and came over here to drool more. Oh em gee. I’d love to have this for lunch today!
Thank you, Kelly! Wish I could send you a giant plate full!
I found this recipe on Pinterest. It is 10 am and I am salivating. This. Is. Happening. Tonight.
Oh yes!! Let me know what you think!!!
Thanks Heather!
Tieghan,
I made it last night for dinner. I had to make one modification- the store I went to for ingredients didn’t have Fontina cheese (apparently they’re have a rough time getting it past customs) so I substituted Gruyere. Well let me tell you something. That was one of the BEST meals I have ever eaten. What an amazing recipe! I loved it! Yes, I am forced to eat quinoa salads for the rest of the week to make up for the cheese-pasta-bacon-butter-butter-and-more-butter I had last night- but totally worth it!!! Thanks girl!
-Heather
P.S. Husband went crazy for it. I think he wanted to marry me all over again. 🙂
Subbing with gruyere can NEVER be a bad thing. Now that’s some good cheese!
So incredibly happy you guys loved this meal!! Thank you for making it and for this nice comment!! Made my night! Oh and I have some pretty healthy and still delicious quinoa recipes if you are looking!
Thanks again, Heather!
Yum, yum, yum! I was always told that shellfish (crab, lobster, etc.) are “in season” in months with an “R” in them, so September-April. Don’t know if that’s true, but hey, why not?
Thanks Jillian! That sounds pretty good to me!
Your photos are so perfect – I can’t even handle it. I just want to dive in face first!!
Thank you so much, Jessica!!
HECK YES! That lobster on top looks so incredibly perfect!
Thank you, Des!
I know, weird. Lamb has a season too – January. ??? I need to get some lobster, this looks fabulous!
That is so weird, January? Who knew?!
Thanks Dorothy!
Lobster and brown butter, lots to love in this gorgeous dish!!
Thanks Julie!
This is such a stunning pasta dish and I’m drooling over that brown butter. Sadly I am allergic to lobster – I wish I wasn’t because this looks like such a scrumptious feast!
Oh man! Sorry to hear that, but my the seafood haters in the fam just ate the pasta….covered in brown butter! They loved it!!
Thanks Laura!
I LOVE every single one of these ingredients Tieghan! Especially the lobster. No wait, the brown butter. NO! The pasta. Or the fontina…. ahhh don’t make me choose. My mom loves lobster so much and we only make it once in a blue moon. Sending her this recipe b/c she will flip.
Thank you, Sally!! I hope your mom gives it a try! It truly is so good and Lobster lovers need to have it in their life! LOL!
Wow! I have been craving some seafood. Now I know what I want!
Hope you give this a try and do love it!
Thanks Rina!
Seriously your photos are AMAZING.
Thank you!! So happy you are enjoying them!
Pure goodness. I have not had my fair share of lobster yet and since I only have one month for lobster season :D, I’d better get cooking some lobster. Thanks for the recipe. Looks delicious.
Yes, you better! LOL!
Thanks Chelsea!
This is SO gorgeous. I don’t even eat lobster and I want to eat this.
Ha! Thanks so much, Katie! The pasta underneath is pretty darn good on its own!
HOLY CRAP woman! What are you doing to me! I want to INHALE this! It looks so absolutely perfect, I can’t even stand it!
Haha! Thanks Alaina! You are awesome!
OMG. this is positively drool worthy!!
Thank you so much, Heather!! I still think about your Lobster Grilled cheese though! Need that!
zomg Tieghan, this is absolutely stunning! I wish I could bite my monitor….
Thank you!
Simply wow, photograph….
You’ve got a michelin star kitchen my friend, lucky you!
Thank you!
Holy crap. This was rich savory and bacon phenomenal. Anyone who is not following halfbakedharvest.com is missing a flavor explosion!
Thank you so much, Beth! I am SO happy you loved this dish!
Seriously, this looks amazing. I know what we are having for dinner this weekend!!!
Thank you! Hope you love it!
Hi Tieghan,
This looks amazing! I wanted to make this recipe for a dinner party I am throwing for my boyfriend’s birthday. He is a firm, firm, firm believer that seafood and cheese do not go together, he also doesn’t care for fontina cheese. I was thinking about subbing gruyere for fontina, as one of the other readers mentioned above… but was wondering if you thought the whole dish would be lacking something if I left out the cheese entirely?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hey Tara,
I think you can leave out these, no big deal! Either way, it will be delicious! hope you guys all love this!
This was totally awesome. I/We loved it. I made it on Friday night and I am ready to have it again, very soon. Thank you for sharing!!!!
I’m making this for an anniversary dinner And praying it tastes delicious since it’ll be my first time making lobster! Your lobster presentation looks perfect! How do I go about removing the lobster after I’m done searing without completely mutilating it? And since the meat is only exposed on one side will it cook thru if I just sear it on the one side?
Hey Brittany,
I am sorry, I am a little confused as to what you are asking? If you just want to cook the lobster shell side down, that is fine, it will cook through, but make sure you cook it longer. Hope you guys love the meal and happy anniversary!
Just made this! Came out great. I did steam my own lobsters, so that added to the process. Overall, fantastic recipe and great way to impress the GF on Valentine’s Day!
Thank you! Happy Valentines Day! 🙂
thank you so much for share the recipe. tomorrow is my sister in law bday, my husban family is italian, we are spanish, obviously they love our food. but i reaaly would like to cook something different for the gets together, like a lobster dinner, with no pasta involve in the pool. and this is the exacly recipe i am making .very easy,fresh and healtly.
Awesome! I hope it turns out great and everyone loves it! Let me know how it goes ? Thank you Wendy!
This pasta is seriously life!! So flippin good! I’ve made this pasta so many times and every time it’s better than the last! Even my 6 year old loves it! I added the Argentinian shrimp from Trader Joe’s to this as well and it was AMAZING! I love this pasta!!!
I am so happy to hear that you love this! Thank you!!
I’m happy to see kale getting some press in this wonderful recipe. Kale has a great many health benefits and is even recommended to reduce the risk of breast cancer. Kale is easy to include in other dishes and is easy to grow for those of us to like to grow our own “real” food at home and avoid all the nasty pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Cruciferous vegetables tend to be useful for reducing cancer risk and kale is a real powerhouse member of the family. There are other, non-cancer related health benefits associated with kale, like those summarized at https://factualfacts.com/kale-health-benefits/. A lot of people who have never tried it might have heard that kale has a strong taste but I strongly encourage you to avoid knocking it until you have tried it. In a recipe like this, it will probably end up tasting very mild.
Yes! I hope you love this Gene! Thank you!
I ave my made this recipe twice and I can’t say enough about it. It is absolutely wonderful! Flavor is spot on. Love it! My daughter turned 18 yesterday and this is what she ask me to make her out of all the choices he could have made ( even over eating out!).
I am so glad you and your daughter have been loving this recipe Yvonne! That is so amazing! Thank you!
I absolutely love this dish! I make it every year as a special treat for myself when I’m on vacation!
That is so amazing! So glad you love this Joyce! xTieghan
I made this last night with frozen lobster tails. It was amazing! My husband thinks we should have it again.
Instead of waiting until lobster is on sale, he suggested using shrimp instead! That is much easier to come by!
Thank you Marietta! xTieghan
Hi We are new to cooking lobster – your recipe says “4 ounce lobster tails 4-8” is that 4 1oz lobster tails, or 4 ounces total of lobster tails, or 4 lobster tails that are on average 6-8 oz each? help!
We are looking to give this recipe to our boss with a meat package that comes with 2 lobster tails and just trying to figure out the recipe 🙂
Thanks it looks delicious.
Hey Emilee,
Sorry for the confusion, you will want to use 4-8 (4oz) lobster tails. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Terrible! Tasted awful. Followed the recipe as is except I didn’t have linguine – used spaghetti.
Hey Liz,
So so sorry you did not enjoy this recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! I hope you have a fantastic week! xTieghan
Went into the archives for Valentine’s day lobster and I’m so glad I did! This recipe is perfection. All of the flavors just compliment each other so well. The crispy kale was hard not to just eat off the pan.
Hey Sara,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday:) xTieghan