[yellowsnow]

Saw a picture of people picking out a huge Maine lobster for dinner. Has anyone ever been to this place? It's close to Flamingo and Paradise.

And I wonder what a lobster that big would cost... I guess if you have to ask you can't afford it!

[canadian citizen]

To be that big, the lobster is at least 20 years old, and tough as boot leather.


Three pounds is about the biggest lobster that I would consider buying. One to two pounds is a meal for one person.


Jim B.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by canadian citizen

To be that big, the lobster is at least 20 years old, and tough as boot leather.

Incorrect. Big lobsters are easy to overcook -- which makes the meat taste like rubber bands. But if steamed correctly, there's no difference other than the size.

Think about it -- people wouldn't pay all that money if they knew it was going to suck. Some of the best lobsters I've ever had were monsters.

(But I'd rather have a good king crab or a fresh stone crab than any lobster.)


EDIT -- From my favorite magazine of all time. Let's see how many truly "hip" people visit this forum:

[normy123]

From my experience and my family in Boston, the "chicken" lobsters, about 1 1/2 lbs. are the sweetest. It takes about seven yrs for a "bug" to reach legal size. I've eaten 3-4 lb bugs and the smaller ones are tastier imho

[ScoopLV]

Where it was harvested, when it was harvested, and how it was treated in the time between trap and plate has more to do with the taste than weight.

Throw any lobster in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes, and it's going to taste like a bundle of rubber bands. Chicken lobsters usually taste better because people don't tend to overcook them -- they don't need to be shocked in an ice bath after steaming like the big ones do to avoid carryover.

I've had some mediocre small lobsters and some delicious monstrosities. Too many factors to just focus on size.

[lvoc]

In Montauk the custom with large lobsters was to use them for chowder and stew. The problem is that they cannot be cooked in the conventional lobster ways. Scoop is right though...it turns out if properly prepared they can be as good or better than a 2 pounder. Personally saw it done only once. A boat captain party where they served a 20 pounder. MIL was a connoisseur. Would rip through a three pound female leaving nothing but shell.

I would think anything bigger than three or four pounds has to be butchered before being fully cooked. My experience though is virtually all 3 lbs and less.

[mojavedxer]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

Saw a picture of people picking out a huge Maine lobster for dinner. Has anyone ever been to this place? It's close to Flamingo and Paradise.

And I wonder what a lobster that big would cost... I guess if you have to ask you can't afford it!

I like the place. I have been dinning there for the last twenty years. Only steaks and sides for me when I am there.

[ScoopLV]

The trick with really big lobsters is to have Isaac Newton help -- specifically, his laws of thermodynamics. If the lobster is done when it comes out of the pot, it will be OVERdone when it is cracked open on the plate. The reason is called "carryover." This is thermal inertia -- which continues to cook the food when it is removed from the heat. The greater the mass, the more carryover. Turkeys, for instance, carryover for 30 minutes.

Cooking is chemistry -- that's why I got into this in the first place. Baking is fairly serious chemistry. Many of the best chefs started out in pastry. That's where the hardcore culinary science lies. For instance, I can make cookies that will rock your world with sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, and ammonia. Nothing more. And if you say, "ewww, ammonia cookies,' I have absolutely no respect for you. Ammonia cookies are freakin' amazing. Google "hartshorn" if you'd like to know more about ammonia as a leavening agent.

[clutchcargo777]

Ewww, ammonia cookies...

I prefer lye. Or Asbestos.

[momofvegasgirls]

I wouldn't do anything with a lobster of that size except take my 12" knife, flatten that monster out, start the split from right behind the eyes, remove both claws, and then cook it in a lovely, savory butter bath. Similar in principle to cooking any poultry that is large and whose parts need to be cooked separately for even doneness. I know people want all the pomp and circumstance of the whole lobster being brought to the table, but I personally would not do it any other way.