SHRIMP & LOBSTER IN ALFREDO CLAM SAUCE

Fresh Gulf shrimp with baby lobster tails prepared in a rich, creamy, Alfredo sauce that includes a Chef's blend of Italian cheeses, minced clams, green onions, and Shiitake mushrooms. This dish is topped with fresh chopped Basil and grated Parmesan and served with organic Angel Hair Past made with Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin.

PLEASE NOTE: You can make this a Gluten-free recipe by choosing a gluten-free pasta.

Step 1: INGREDIENTS *(3 Servings)

1. 8 ounces fresh raw shrimp, shelled and deveined.
2. **2 3-ounce lobster tails in the shell (plus 1 5 oz. tail - not pictured)
3. 6 TBS unsalted butter
4. 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil (not pictured)
5. 1-1/3 cups heavy cream
6. 4 ounces (1/2 cup) shredded Sargento Chef' Blends 6 Cheese Italian (or cheese of your choice).
7. 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
8. 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
9. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
10. 3 or 4 ounces Shiitake Mushrooms, stems discarded, sliced thin
11. 4 to 6 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
12. 3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
13. 1 can (6.5 ounce) minced clams with liquid (optional).
14. 1 TBS chopped fresh basil.
15. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16. 1/2 box (4 ounces) Angel Hair Pasta, or pasta of your choice (I used DeBoles Organic Angel Hair Pasta made with Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin).

• *NOTE: This recipe will make enough sauce and pasta for 4 servings, but I only had two 3 oz. lobster tails and 1 5 oz tail (not pictured), so I am rating it for 3 servings. (I would actually have preferred 4 3 ounce lobster tails).

Step 2: PREPARATION:

• Prep as much of the recipe as possible before starting to cook because once you do begin cooking things will move rather fast!

Prepare the shrimp & lobster:

1. Rinse, shell, devein and pat dry the shrimp.
2. Rinse and pat dry the lobster tails; then carefully split the top part of the shell lengthwise from front (meatiest part) to the tail (a pair of scissors will work fine). Pull the meat up (but leave it attached at the tail) and run a bamboo skewer through the length of the lobster meat (this will help to keep it from curling up when you fry it).

Prepare the Alfredo sauce ingredients:

1. Smash, peel & mince the garlic; set aside.
2. Wipe the mushroom caps clean with a slightly damp paper towel; remove and discard the stems. Slice the caps into thin strips and set aside.
3. Rinse and dry the green onions. Slice the white parts and and a handful of the greens. Set aside.
4. Chop Basil and set aside.

Step 3: INSTRUCTIONS (Step 1 - Shrimp & Lobster)

• Before cooking the shrimp and lobster, I brought a pot of water to boil and cooked the pasta according to the package instructions (once the water began boiling this took about 6 1.2 minutes to bring the pasta to a firm Al dente).

LOBSTER TAILS:

1. Melt 3 TBS unsalted butter over medium heat in a heavy nonstick pan or cast iron skillet. (You will want a thin film of butter to cover the bottom of the pan. I did not think I was going to achieve this effect, so I did add 1 TBS of EVOO (not shown).
2. When the butter and oil begins to foam, add the lobster tails flesh side down and fry them for about *2 minutes, or until the lobster meat browns. Reduce the heat to low (about halfway between low and medium-low); flip the tails over; cover and cook shell-side down for *3 or 4 minutes, or until the lobster meat is no longer opaque.
3. Remove the pan from the heat (do not drain or clean the pan) and transfer the lobster to a small dish or cutting board lined with paper towels. Cover and set aside while you cook the shrimp.

SHRIMP:

1. Return the skillet to the burner, add 1 TBS unsalted butter and re-heat over medium heat. When the butter melts and begins to foam add the shrimp and saute for about **2 minutes per side, or just until they turn pink (actually, a yellowish-pink because of the butter). Remove them from the pan (again, do not drain or clean the pan) and place the shrimp in the container with the previously cooked lobster tails.

• *NOTE: If you are cooking 5 ounce lobster tails, it will take longer for them to cook after they have browned. Once you flip them over (shell side down), cover and cook them over low to medium-low heat for 5 or 6 minutes, or until they are no longer opaque and are cooked through.
• **NOTE: Preparatory to sauteing the shrimp, if your frying pan seems too dry, you can add another TBS of butter, or EVOO.

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Step 4: INSTRUCTIONS: (Step 2 - Alfredo Clam Sauce)

• I like to assemble all of the ingredients that I am going to use on the stove top - especially when making a sauce.

1. Reheat the skillet over medium heat (add another TBS of butter if necessary), and add the mushrooms, green onions & garlic. Saute until the mushrooms become softened (4 or 5 minutes). Add the cream, the 4 ounces of cheese, the minced clams with liquid if using, and the black pepper and smoked paprika
2. Bring sauce to a boil and continue to boil until it begins to thicken slightly, stirring constantly (about 8 to 10 minutes).
3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cooked shrimp, stir in the pasta; taste and season with S&P if needed. Place the lobster tails on top of the mixture; cover and simmer for about 2 minutes
4. Remove skillet from heat and plate.

Step 5: TIME TO EAT . . .

Plate a serving of the pasta and shrimp Alfredo; place a lobster tail on top of the dish and sprinkle with chopped Basil leaves and grated Parmesan.

A glass of chilled white wine (in this case, Barefoot's California Riesling) will certainly compliment your dinner!

Bon appétit

Step 6: NUTRITION:

Although I used the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer to estimate the nutrition of this recipe as I usually do, this was a hard one to figure out and I would not want you to rely too much on the results!

Depending on how much pasta and sauce you use in a serving, and the size of the shrimp and lobster tails, I believe the calories could go up or down by 200 or 300.