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Theres a place near me that sells live seafood and i was hoping to get some lobster though heres the catch. I have absolutely no clue where to start, how to cook em, even which parts to eat, prepare or what food you can eat with it.
Theres a place near me that sells live seafood and i was hoping to get some lobster though heres the catch. I have absolutely no clue where to start, how to cook em, even which parts to eat, prepare or what food you can eat with it.
Any help would be fantastic
Well Scotslass I am no Maineah by any means and they know alot more about lobstah then I do, that being said here is how I do it. Get a big pot of water boiling, you want the lobstahs all the way submerged in the water, I toss my live lobster in the freezer for about ten miniutes before the go in the water, it numbs them and slows them down. That makes it easier to get the bands off the claws and makes them slower to pinch you. Trust me you will like the lobstah more if the bands are off. Boil the lobstah 9-10 min for a pound 12 to 14 min for a pound and a quarter 14-16 min for a pound and a half. The pound to kilo thing I have no idea you are on your own there, and nineteen min if it is a two pounder.A good way to tell if the lobstah done id to pull on the antennae and if it pulls out pretty easy then it done. As far as what to eat on the lobstsah that is stright forward. the easy stuff is the tail and the claws, you open up the body and you get the green stuff that is the tomalley, it liver for the most part good stuff, you can slurp it up or save it for some lobster stock and freeze. If you get a female she can sometimes have some roe in the tail, that is heaven IMO . Hpoe this helped, post how it goes
Gordon Ramsay's Spaghetti Lobster (http://www.fancast.com/tv/Hells-Kitchen-(Fox)/94327/601145739/Dish-of-the-Week---Lobster-Spaghetti/videos - broken link) is a favorite of mine. You use the tail and claw meat mostly, just boiled for 5 or 6 minutes and shucked. You don't have to be neat.
I am very familiar with cooking Cold Water Lobster from Maine.....the spiney lobsters that come from Mexico or Florida....are different and I don't have a clue. (Its really good if you have someone who has eaten them before....invite me.)
Favorite Size......1 1/2 to 2 lb lobstah per person.
Sometimes they are soft shell and sometimes hard shell. It depends on the season of the year....molting of shell....it really doesnt make a difference....the soft shell ones are easier to eat but I prefer the hard shell...not sure why.....I don't think you can taste a difference.
Get a big pot of water boiling....add some salt....like you would do for any vegetable....I usually use coarse salt but that makes no difference at all.
Cut the rubber bands off the lobstah's claws and drop them (the lobstahs not the rubber bands) one by one into the boiling water...let it return to a boil and cook for almost 20 minutes.....(it doesnt matter how many you have in the pot....it is still about 20 mins. after it comes back to a boil. Lobstahs are boiled not steamed....they need to be under the water!
remove from hot water.....and drain in a large colander.....they hold a lot of water so drain well and before I serve them I give the back of the tail and each claw a wack with my butcher knife...not to cut thru but to make a gash in the shell to drain more water out......this is in an effort to avoid a plateful of water when you go to eat them. (have some dishtowels anyway as you will probably get a plateful of water.
Have plenty of melted butter in individual dishes for dunking....custard ramkins or little bowls of melted butter.
The meat of the lobstah is in the tail and the claws....there is a memory of lobstah flavor to be obtained by sucking on each leg and using teeth to gnaw just a little to extract a lttle meat....this is after all the good stuff is gone.
The tail is the easiest part and perhaps the best meat. With your hands....rip the tail off the body!
Bend the tail end (flipper sections) back and seperate from the rest of the tail. Have tail turned so under side is up..... with the end of your fork or knife or finger or othr blunt instrument....push (think of an arch) at the end the small end of the tail and the tail meat will come out in one nice big piece.... savor it with butter....it doesnt get any better than this!!!
Now for the claws...hopefully you have nut crackers to crack them.....pull the smaller part of the pincer off the bigger part of the claw and pull off each knuckle-like section between the claw and the body.... dont cut your fingers! but you want to crack open each piece of the claw....to get at the ambrosia inside.....the claw meat is the most tender and softest part....no muscle ..... just delicious a gift from the sea...... dip in butter.... or put in butter till you have it mostly all done and then savor them without any more work.
With lobstah ..... you can serve sweet corn on the cob....in the summer this is the best!!!! (We often start off with steamed soft shell clams while the lobstahs are boiling. but that is another whole story.) Potatoes boiled in their jackets with some of that buttah! Cole slaw. In RI they often serve some linquica sausage with a lobster boil. Resturants often serve french fries.
It sounds like work! It isnt dainty! But it is so much fun and so delicious.
Just to add a twist to what everyone is saying, I cook mine half way in the boiling water (roughly 5 mins), then I take them out and broil or grill the rest of the way.
I'll butterfly the tail open and slice into the meat, stuff some butter and spices (old bay, salt, pepper, garlic, etc). Then I put it under the broiler or hot grill to melt all those spices into the meat.
When it's finished you get that wonderfully rich lobster flavor, mixed with the texture of the spices. We love it that way at my house!
Location: Hidin' out on the Mexican border;about to move to the Canadian border
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Okay, I'm getting hungry! Is there such a thing as lobster season, or are they harvested all year? If there's a season, when will they begin to be available. I want to try some of these recipes. And they sound like a great option for when you have friends over. Especially when they're visiting from out of state!
Okay, I'm getting hungry! Is there such a thing as lobster season, or are they harvested all year? If there's a season, when will they begin to be available. I want to try some of these recipes. And they sound like a great option for when you have friends over. Especially when they're visiting from out of state!
They are always available.....they get expensive.....but they are always in season. I heartily recommend steam clams too.....they are a treat and they are also always available. (For steamers you want a pound for each person if that is the main part of the meal....steamers and potatoes in their jackets and corn....wow what a wonderful summer meal.
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savor it with butter....it doesnt get any better than this!!!
Thanks.
