Lobster

Astakos in Greek waters usually means the spiny lobster, which has long antennae and no large front claws, rather than the clawed lobster of the north Atlantic. All the meat sits in the tail and the legs, while the head and the shell, which hold most of the flavour, are used to build the sauce rather than being thrown away.

Astakomakaronada is the dish, associated most closely with the Cyclades and with island tavernas generally: the lobster cut up and simmered in a light tomato sauce, the pasta then finished in that sauce so it absorbs it, and the shell pieces laid back on top. It is expensive, priced by weight, and ordered for a table rather than per person.

Lobster is sold live or frozen, and a live one should be visibly lively rather than limp in the tank. The flesh overcooks as readily as any other shellfish, turning fibrous and losing its sweetness, so it goes into the sauce for a short time near the end rather than being stewed along with it from the beginning.