Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini Recipe
This Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini is a delicious copycat seafood pasta made with tender shrimp, lobster, garlic, butter, tomatoes, herbs, and linguini. The light, flavorful sauce comes together in one skillet, combining buttery garlic with savory broth, juicy tomatoes, and herbs before being tossed with perfectly cooked pasta and seafood. It’s an easy way to recreate the restaurant experience at home without making an overly heavy cream sauce. Serve it with warm bread or Cheddar Bay Biscuits for a restaurant-style dinner that’s perfect for seafood lovers, date night, or a special family meal when you’re craving Red Lobster comfort food.
This Red Lobster copycat shrimp and lobster linguini is a classic seafood pasta loaded with tender shrimp and sweet lobster meat. Tossed in a rich garlic butter sauce, this restaurant-style dish feels elegant but is surprisingly easy to make at home. Perfect for special occasions or cozy date nights, it brings bold seafood flavor to your dinner table without the restaurant price tag.
Red Lobster shrimp and lobster linguini is easy to make and an elegant dish for company.
There’s no doubt that seafood lovers will enjoy this tempting dish with succulent bites of seasoned lobster tail and tender shrimp.
It’s been a favorite of ours time and again at Red Lobster. It’s just too difficult to pass up this signature linguini when we’re there.
So we’ve come up with our own copycat take on this classic recipe and love to toss it together in no time whenever we crave it!
Why do we love it so?
For starters, you’ve got a light but flavorful sauce with bright lemon and garlic flavors infused throughout.
Not to mention, how much of a treat these oven baked lobster tails and shrimp are as the gems in this dish.
Add to that, the flavorful sautéed tomatoes and herbs and you’ve got a delightful meal that you’ll want for special occasion dinners at home.
Plus, linguini is the perfect pasta to complement a seafood medley. We love it in our popular shrimp linguini alfredo as well.
Love Red Lobster pasta dishes? Try our crab alfredo linguini recipe and lobster pappardelle next.
Red Lobster Seafood Pasta at Home
There’s something about ordering a seafood pasta at a restaurant that makes dinner feel a little more special.
A big bowl of linguini arrives with plump shrimp, tender pieces of lobster, tomatoes, garlic, herbs and a buttery sauce coating every strand of pasta. Add some warm bread or Cheddar Bay Biscuits and suddenly you’re having a restaurant night at home.
That’s exactly what we wanted to recreate with this Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini.
The sauce is flavorful without needing to be overly complicated. Butter provides richness, garlic brings savory flavor, tomatoes add sweetness and acidity, and broth ties everything together. Fresh herbs and lemon finish the dish with a little brightness.
Think Like a Restaurant
One of our favorite ways to recreate restaurant meals at home is to break them down into their flavor architecture.
For this pasta, you’ve got:
butter → richness
garlic → savory depth
tomatoes → sweetness + acidity
broth → savory liquid
herbs → freshness
lemon → brightness
shrimp + lobster → sweet seafood flavor
None of those ingredients has to work alone.
It’s the combination that makes the dish taste restaurant-worthy.
And that’s one of the principles behind All Spiced Out Flavor Engineering: you don’t necessarily need a complicated recipe. You need the right components working together.
Why We Use Both Shrimp and Lobster
Shrimp and lobster make a particularly good pairing because they’re similar enough to work together but different enough to give you some variety in every bite.
The shrimp are firm and slightly sweet, while lobster has a more delicate, luxurious texture and flavor.
And let’s be honest: lobster makes dinner feel like an occasion.
Using lobster meat rather than building the entire dish around lobster also makes this a much more approachable way to get that restaurant experience at home.
The Secret Is the Sauce
This isn’t supposed to be a thick sauce that overwhelms the seafood.
The goal is a light, buttery, garlicky sauce that coats the linguini.
The tomatoes give you little bursts of acidity and sweetness, while the broth keeps the sauce from becoming too rich.
Then the pasta itself does some of the work.
When you toss hot linguini directly in the skillet, the pasta’s starch helps the butter and broth cling to the noodles.
That’s one of those tiny restaurant-kitchen techniques that makes a surprisingly big difference at home.
Make It a Red Lobster Night at Home
Don’t just make the linguini. Set the table.
Make Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Add a seafood appetizer. Put out lemon wedges and a little melted butter. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and finish it with fresh herbs.
Suddenly, you’re not just eating pasta. You’re recreating the restaurant experience.
And that’s really the goal of All Spiced Out: taking the foods and flavors you love from restaurants and bringing the experience home.
Content in this Post
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients in Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini Recipe
- Optional Ingredient Variations
- Recommended Equipment
- How To Make Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini
- STEP 1 – Cook Linguini
- STEP 2 – Cook Lobster and Shrimp
- STEP 3 – Make The Sauce
- STEP 4 – Combine Linguini, Sauce & Shellfish
- Recipe Tips for the Best Shrimp and Lobster Linguini
- Don't overcook the shrimp.
- Add the lobster near the end.
- Use pasta water.
- Don't drown the pasta.
- Fresh tomatoes are worth it.
- Use good broth.
- Finish with lemon.
- Think Like a Restaurant
- What To Serve With Shrimp and Lobster Linguini
- More Red Lobster Copycat Recipes
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- You'll Also Love
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Shrimp and lobster linguini is a perfect dish for any special occasion.
- Easy to Prepare
- Elegant for Company
- Flavorful Shellfish in Creamy Sauce
- Restaurant-style seafood pasta at home
- Loaded with shrimp and lobster
- A lighter alternative to Alfredo
- Garlic butter makes the sauce incredibly flavorful
- Fresh tomatoes add brightness and acidity
- Broth creates a savory seafood-friendly sauce
- Ready relatively quickly
- Perfect for date night
- Great for a Red Lobster Restaurant Night at Home
- Easy to scale for a family
- Pairs beautifully with Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Ingredients in Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini Recipe
- Shrimp — We love our shrimp scampi in this recipe and have even used shrimp from our grilled garlic shrimp kebabs. We recommend large Argentinian shrimp in this recipe that you can often find in the frozen seafood section of your local grocery.
- Lobster — You can purchase cooked whole lobster or cooked tails and use the meat from those. Or, you can cook your own lobster tails in this easy oven baked lobster tails recipe.
- Linguini — cook linguini according to the package instructions to al dente (cooked, yet firm). You can cook one or two minutes beyond al dente, but be sure not to overcook the noodles. You want them to retain their noodle integrity.
- Tomatoes — Fresh, on the vine or Roma tomatoes are recommended in this recipe. If you have a bunch of cherry or grape tomatoes you can cut them in half and use them instead.
- Broth — We like to use chicken broth for convenience because we always have it on hand and we like the flavor. But you can substitute seafood broth and even include a splash of white wine in the sauce if you prefer. We keep ours basic with store bought broth but we find the dish turns out quite nice!
- Lemon Juice — freshly squeezed lemon juice is recommended for the best flavor. Use a lemon reamer to make the task easy!
- Cream — heavy cream or half and half, whichever you prefer.
- Butter — we use salted butter but unsalted is fine, just remember to adjust the salt in this recipe to your preference.
- Flour — all purpose flour is added to thicken the sauce a little.
- Herbs — we like parsley in this but you can use your favorite herbs.
- Garlic — use fresh garlic cloves, chop finely or put through a garlic press.
- Salt — a sprinkle of salt enhances all of the flavors.
Optional Finishing Ingredients
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges
- Parmesan
- Extra melted butter
- Fresh basil
Optional Ingredient Variations
Lemon Garlic Shrimp & Lobster Linguini
Increase the lemon and garlic and keep the tomato component lighter.
Spicy Shrimp & Lobster Linguini
Add crushed red pepper, extra garlic and chili oil.
Cajun Shrimp & Lobster Linguini
Add Cajun seasoning and a little smoked paprika.
Tomato Basil Shrimp & Lobster Linguini
Increase the fresh tomato and basil and finish with fresh Parmesan.
Creamy Shrimp & Lobster Linguini
Add a small amount of heavy cream to the butter-and-broth sauce if you want something closer to the richer restaurant-style versions.
Recommended Equipment
We love this skillet and use it daily for making pasta dishes, quesadillas and so much more. The lemon reamer and garlic press also make our life easier in the kitchen!
How To Make Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini
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STEP 1 – Cook Linguini
This recipe is convenient because while the linguini is cooking, you can make the sauce. If you don’t have already cooked shrimp and lobster, you can also bake the shrimp and lobster at the same time while the linguine comes to a boil and cooks.
Boil a large pot of salted water on the stovetop. Cook linguini according to package directions to al dente (cooked but still firm). Drain in a colander and set aside.
Meanwhile, you can cook the lobster and shrimp. Unless you already have cooked lobster and shrimp. Then all you need to do is remove the lobster and shrimp from their shells and chop the lobster into bite sized pieces.
STEP 2 – Cook Lobster and Shrimp
Cook lobster tails in an oven safe mini casserole dish. See our oven baked lobster tails recipe for full instructions.
You can brush the shrimp with the same sauce as the lobster tails and bake simultaneously.
Just be sure to check on the shrimp at about ten minutes so that they don’t overcook. Depending on the size of the shrimp, and as ovens vary, you’ll need to keep a close watch.
Always use a digital meat thermometer placed into the thickest parts to ensure shrimp and lobster have obtained safe internal temperatures (145°F (63°C) for both shrimp and lobster).
You can use any cooked shrimp, we love our shrimp kebabs and shrimp scampi recipes and would happily incorporate any leftover shrimp from those in this recipe.
STEP 3 – Make The Sauce
Next, you can begin the sauce. In a skillet on the stove top, on medium high heat, melt butter. Use a garlic press to add crushed garlic cloves to the skillet. Stir the garlic for a minute or two in the butter.
Add flour to the pan and use a silicone whisk to mix it well until there are no lumps. Pour in the broth and lemon juice. Give it a good stir and let simmer. Toss in the herbs and salt. Mix and let simmer for another minute or so. Pour in the cream, mix well. Turn of the heat and set the pan aside.
Now you can choose to keep the sauce in the pan and take a second pan to sauté tomatoes. Or, carefully transfer the sauce to a heat safe container or bowl so that you can use the same skillet to stir fry the tomatoes.
Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and chopped tomatoes to a medium hot pan, and mix while sautéing. Add the cooked lobster meat to the pan. Mix and sauté for a minute or so.
Place the cooked shrimp into the pan with the lobster. Give it a stir. Pour in the cream sauce from the other pan, or bowl and mix it all together.
STEP 4 – Combine Linguini, Sauce & Shellfish
Now, add in the drained linguini to the pan if it is deep enough to hold everything, or transfer to a large serving bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together and ensure that the noodles are thoroughly coated with the sauce.
Transfer to individual bowls and garnish with additional parsley.
Recipe Tips for the Best Shrimp and Lobster Linguini
Don’t overcook the shrimp.
This is probably the most important tip. Shrimp should be just cooked through and tender.
Add the lobster near the end.
Since you’re using cooked lobster meat, it doesn’t need much cooking. You’re really just warming it.
Use pasta water.
The starchy pasta water helps the butter-and-broth sauce cling to the linguini.
Don’t drown the pasta.
This should be saucy but not swimming in liquid.
Fresh tomatoes are worth it.
They give you little bursts of acidity and sweetness that work particularly well with the rich butter and seafood.
Use good broth.
If you have homemade seafood stock, that’s fantastic. Otherwise, chicken broth works well.
Finish with lemon.
A little lemon at the end makes a huge difference. It cuts through the butter and wakes up the seafood.
Think Like a Restaurant
Twirl the linguini into a nest in the center of a shallow bowl. Arrange shrimp and lobster where they’re visible rather than burying them underneath the pasta.
Finish with parsley, a little tomato and a lemon wedge. The seafood should be visible.
What To Serve With Shrimp and Lobster Linguini
With shrimp and lobster linguini you have a few easy side dish options.
- House Salad – a salad made of mixed greens, tomatoes, croutons and a salad dressing of your choice. An Italian style vinaigrette is lovely, as is a Caesar salad dressing.
- Soup – you can choose lobster bisque, clam or seafood chowder or even something simple like creamy tomato soup.
As for an appetizer, some excellent choices are crab queso dip, mussels in white wine sauce, escargot and crab stuffed mushrooms.
For dessert, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with an easy Red Lobster inspired brownie overboard, or go all out with a brownie ice cream cake.
More Red Lobster Copycat Recipes
- Salmon New Orleans With Shrimp that you’ll love paired with Lobster Mashed Potatoes
- Bar Harbor Lobster Bake
- Shrimp Linguini Alfredo
- Maple Glazed Salmon
- Crabby Cheese Fries
- Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Lobster Mac and Cheese
Be sure to try our collection of easy Red Lobster Copycat Recipes!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini?
Can I use frozen shrimp?
What type of lobster should I use?
Can I make this pasta ahead of time?
Can I use canned tomatoes?
What can I serve with shrimp and lobster linguini?
Can I make it spicy?
You’ll Also Love
Check out this favorite Red Lobster copycat crab alfredo linguini! The sauce is rich, but still made lighter than many Alfredo recipes.
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Red Lobster Shrimp and Lobster Linguini Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ pound Linguini, cooked to al dente, according to package directions
For the Sauce
For the Shrimp and Lobster
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ Cup Tomatoes, Roma or on the vine tomatoes, diced, or you can use halved cherry tomatoes
- ½ Cup Lobster Meat, cooked, meat removed from a store bought cooked lobster, or from our easy oven baked lobster tails
recipe. - ½ Pound Shrimp, cooked, bake the shrimp in the oven with the lobster tails, you can even brush the shrimp with the same sauce from our lobster tails recipe. Just be sure to check on the shrimp at about ten minutes so that they don't overcook. Always use a digital meat thermometer placed into the thickest parts to ensure shrimp and lobster have obtained safe internal temperatures of 145°F (63°C) for both shrimp and lobster. You can use any cooked shrimp, we love our shrimp kebabs and shrimp scampi recipes and would happily incorporate any leftover shrimp from those in this recipe.
Instructions
- This recipe is convenient because while the linguini is cooking, you can make the sauce. If you don't have already cooked shrimp and lobster, you can also bake the shrimp and lobster while the linguine comes to a boil and cooks. Cook linguini according to package directions, to al dente (tender but firm). Drain using a colander and set aside. Meanwhile the linguini is cooking, begin the sauce. In a skillet on the stovetop, on medium high heat, melt butter. Use a garlic press to add crushed garlic cloves to the skillet. Stir the garlic for a minute or two in the butter. Next, add flour to the pan and use a silicone whisk to mix it well until there are no lumps. Pour in the broth and lemon juice. Give it a good stir and let simmer. Toss in the herbs and salt. Mix and let simmer for another minute or so. Pour in the cream, mix well. Turn of the heat and set the pan aside. Now you can choose to keep the sauce in the pan and take a second pan to sauté tomatoes. Or, carefully transfer the sauce to a heat safe container or bowl so that you can use the same skillet to stir fry the tomatoes.
- Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and chopped tomatoes to a medium hot pan, and mix while sautéing. Add the cooked lobster meat to the pan. Mix and sauté for a minute or so.Place the cooked shrimp into the pan with the lobster. Give it a stir. Pour in the cream sauce from the other pan, or bowl. Mix well.Now, add in the drained linguini to the pan if it is deep enough to hold everything, or transfer to a large serving bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together and ensure that the noodles are thoroughly coated with the sauce. Transfer to individual bowls and garnish with additional parsley.
Video
Nutrition
Note
This recipe is provided for informational purposes only. The above nutritional values are estimates and should only be used as a guide. Please use proper food safety practices, always use a food thermometer to ensure safe cooking temperature, and consult a professional if you have dietary restrictions or allergies.
