Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons butter. When hot, add prawn shells and heads and cook, stirring, until shells turn bright pink and start to brown, about 4–5 minutes.

Sauté aromatics

Add diced carrot, chopped onion, and chopped celery to the pan with the shells. Sauté for 4 minutes until softened. Add smashed garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook 1 minute to deepen flavor.

Deglaze and simmer

Pour in 1/2 cup dry white wine to deglaze, scraping browned bits from the pan. Let wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes. Add 4 cups water, 1 bay leaf, and 2 sprigs thyme. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

Strain and finish

Remove from heat. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Discard solids. Return strained stock to low heat. Stir in 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Keep warm on very low heat while preparing pasta (do not boil). Taste and adjust seasoning.

Lobster & Pasta

Cook pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water (about 1 tablespoon salt per 4 liters) to a rolling boil. Add 12 oz linguini and cook until just shy of al dente (follow package but subtract 1–2 minutes), about 8–9 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.

Prepare lobster

If using live lobster tails, steam or poach until opaque (about 6–8 minutes), then remove meat from shells and roughly chop. If using pre-cooked tails, chop into bite-sized pieces and pat dry. Season lobster meat lightly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper.

Reduce bisque to sauce

Increase heat under the warm bisque to medium-low so it gently simmers. If the bisque is thin, simmer 3–5 minutes to reduce slightly until it coats the back of a spoon. If needed, whisk in reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to reach a glossy saucy consistency.

Sauté aromatics for pasta

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add thinly sliced garlic and minced shallot and cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant and translucent (do not brown). Add 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook 15 seconds.

Combine pasta and sauce

Add the drained linguini into the sauté pan with the garlic and shallot. Pour 2 cups of the warm prawn bisque over the pasta and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed to coat the noodles evenly. Cook and toss for 1–2 minutes so pasta finishes cooking in the sauce and absorbs flavor.

Add lobster and finish

Fold in the chopped lobster meat and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Toss gently for 1 minute until lobster is heated through and butter is emulsified into the sauce. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and adjust seasoning with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste.

Plate

Divide linguini and lobster among 4 warmed plates or bowls. Spoon extra bisque sauce over each portion if desired so each plate has a silky coating.

Garnish (optional)

Top each portion with a small handful (about 1 tablespoon) of microgreens or extra chopped parsley, a light sprinkle (about 1 tablespoon) of grated parmesan if desired, and serve with lemon wedges on the side. Serve immediately.