camp meals

Camp Lobster Pasta

Canned lobster, dried tomato, and spaghetti in one pot. Cheaper than it sounds, still not cheap.

calories
620
weight
6 oz
cal / oz
103
protein
30 g
serves
2, scales
prep
5 min
cook
15 min
total time
20 min
water
900 ml boiled
cost
$$$

Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.

  • Dinner
  • Canister stove
  • Liquid fuel
  • Car camping
  • Basecamp
  • Canoe / raft
  • Dairy free
  • Nut free
  • One pot
  • Grab and go
  • Shelf stable
  • Basic

Ingredients

Spaghetti 6 oz snap in half so it fits the pot
Canned or pouched lobster meat 6 oz crab or shrimp works and costs less
Olive oil 2 tbsp dropper bottle
Garlic 3 cloves whole heads keep for weeks unrefrigerated
Sun-dried tomatoes 1/3 cup dry-packed, chopped at home
Dried green chili flakes 1/2 tsp
Salt and black pepper to taste
Lemon juice powder or one lemon 1 tsp powder
Dried cilantro 1 tsp

Method

  1. Boil 900 ml of water with a good pinch of salt. Add the spaghetti and the sun-dried tomatoes together so the tomatoes rehydrate while the pasta cooks.
  2. Cook until the pasta is just short of done, about 8 minutes. Drain, keeping about half a cup of the cooking water in a mug.
  3. Wipe the pot, set it back on low, and warm the oil with the sliced garlic and chili flakes. Thirty seconds. Garlic burns fast on a canister stove.
  4. Add the lobster and the pasta back in with a splash of the reserved water. Toss for a minute until it comes together.
  5. Kill the heat. Season, add the lemon powder and cilantro, and stir.

The home version starts with live lobsters and a pan of fresh tomatoes. Neither travels. Canned lobster meat is already cooked and shelf-stable, and dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes rehydrate in the pasta water, which means one pot and no cutting board.

Reserving the starchy cooking water is the part worth doing. Without it the oil sits on the noodles and the seasoning slides to the bottom of the pot. Lemon powder covers what fresh juice would do without a lemon rolling around your pack.

Packing

Pasta, tomatoes, chili, and cilantro go in one bag. Garlic and the lobster tin ride loose. The tin is heavy, so this is a first-night or car-camp meal.

Variations

  • Two tbsp of white wine in a small bottle, splashed in with the garlic, gets closer to the original.
  • Swap the lobster for a foil pouch of tuna and the cost drops by most of it.

https://www.awesomecuisine.com/recipes/23276/lobster-pasta