Pasta with Moreton Bay Bugs

Many of you probably won’t know what Moreton Bay Bugs are, and that is totally normal considering they are an Australian tropical seafood. If you can’t find them, you can substitute with any seafood that comes from the lobster species (it should taste equally as superb).

My dad came home on Christmas Eve with over $400 worth of seafood! We usually always have oysters and lobster for our Christmas Eve dinner, but this year my dad wanted to order Moreton Bay Bugs; little did we know he ordered 5kg of them! My mum, brother and I just looked at each other whilst simultaneously shaking our heads, because we simply did not know what to do with all this food. Needless to say after grilling them for the Christmas Eve dinner which was superb, I wanted to try something different for the subsequent time I was to make them- leading me to seek out some innovative recipes.

My dad’s best friend who is gourmand bought me this expensive pasta for Christmas that is 1 metre long and I was dying to use it, so coupled with my desire for a unique creation I created this pasta with Moreton Bay Bugs. Everyone in my family adored it, my brother started taking pictures for me immediately, telling me “you have to blog this….straight away!”  

It is an exquisite meal and you feel slightly hedonistic whilst eating it because in spite of its simplicity it is a very expensive meal, but it’s not the festive season everyday, so why not treat yourself once in awhile (at least that’s what I say).

Herb Butter for Grilling Bugs

50 grams of butter softened

1 tablespoon of chopped dill

1 clove of garlic crushed

¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

½ a lime, juiced

7 Moreton Bay Bugs

1.    Preheat the grill to 240°C and line a baking tray with foil.

2.    Cut the Moreton Bay Bugs in half, from the head down to the tail.

3.    Mix all the ingredients for the butter together in a bowl.

4.    Spread the butter over the Moreton Bay Bugs and grill for 7-10 mins, or until lightly golden/beginning to brown.

5.    Allow to cool for 3 minutes.

6.    Get a fork and begin to take the meat out of the shell- work your way down to the tail 9it should come out in one big piece with practice).

7.    Shred the meat with the same fork into smaller pieces.

Pasta

500g of good quality pasta

¼ cup of Olive oil

1 brown onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic crushed

¼ teaspoon paprika

1 punnet ripe cherry tomatoes

1 can chopped tomatoes

125 ml Moscato (or a good quality white wine)

½ cup boiling water

2 tablespoons chopped dill

½ cup of basil, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1.    Place a large pot of water to boil for the pasta and once the water has boiled add the pasta and a generous proportion of salt. Cook following the instructions on the packet. Once the pasta has cooked strain and place in a large serving bowl.

2.    In a medium sized, shallow saucepan place the olive oil and allow to heat. Add the onions and fry until translucent in colour.

3.    Add the garlic and allow onions to become slightly golden.

4.    Add both the cherry tomatoes and the canned tomatoes, sauté for 2 minutes then add the Moscato.

5.    Once the Moscato has been absorbed add the boiling water and the fresh
herbs. Season to taste.

6.    Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes or until it has reduced by 1/3.

7.    In the serving bowl with the pasta place the shredded pieces of the bugs and pour the salsa on top.

8.    Serve using tongs.

9.    If you like sprinkle shaved Parmesan on serving plates.