Seasoning Lobster Boiling Water

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dragnlaw

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I am about to boil up some lobsters tonight.

From 2 of them I will be making Lobster Rolls (Welcome Home for my traveling neighbours).
The other I will share with a friend, hot out of the pot. (hope I can pick out the largest :LOL:)

I was wondering if any of you "season" the boiling water with anything - other than salt. Any herbs? spices?... something?

I actually have some lemon grass that I'm thinking should be used up and was wondering if I dumped one or two into the pot it could give a hint of lemon?

I know it's sort of late but if anyone sees this in time and has an opinion I'd love to hear it.
 
I would liberally salt the water, Tbsp whole black pepper corns, bay leaves and white wine or sherry or vermouth. Basically a light court bouillon.
 
It helps being a seafood snob!:ROFLMAO: Seriously, the lobster will shine.:yum:
 
I never boil lobster. I made that mistake once. Steaming them is the way to go, as it keeps the salty ocean flavors. Nothing else is required, at least not for New England lobsters :chef:.
 
Liquid for Poaching a Lobster:

I prepare a Court Bouillon too.

2 leeks, 2 sprigs of Thyme, the juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 cups of white wine, 1 shallot, or sweet onion, a tiny bit of fennel, salt, a turn of the grinder of freshly ground black pepper, fresh minced parsley, 1 Turkish bay leaf and 1 clove of smashed garlic.
 
Burp.... done.

All you suggestions are yummy sounding.

I did the simple one, couple of bay leaves, some black peppercorns and a shot of white wine.

they were delish

tenspeed - I may try steaming them again in the future but my one time trying was disastrous. :LOL:

I can remember my mother hitching up her skirts and wading out in the ocean to try and fill the pot with sand free water. We cooked lobsters and corn on the beach. A little rogue wave came along and got her bottom. The five of us kids were rolling on the beach watching her, trying not to get knocked over, fill the pot full enough, keep her skirt high, she needed 2 hands for the heavy pot and two hands for her skirt.
 
Dragnlaw,

Wonderfully vividly narrated story ! Actually, ocean or sea water is still used in tiny coastal zones of the Mediterrean to boil lobsters and other shellfish creatures !

Thank you for posting .. Have a nice weekend.
 
Yikes no flavoring!!

Just lots of salt

You want the ocean flavor, nothing else

As an old New Englander, I am in this school. The same for clams, quohogs, and any other seafood.

You have to remember, their environment is salt water of the ocean. Never fresh water. What a lot of people don't realize is that creatures of the sea, when placed in fresh tap water, they literally drown. The oxygen they take from the salt water is entirely different than what is in tap water. Since most seafood should be steamed while still alive, by using fresh tap water, they are dead before you can get them into the pot. Not good for a healthy feast of clams, lobsters, crabs etc.

BTW, this does not include horseshoe crabs. Their blood is blue, harvested and used for medical purposes. They are then returned to the sea to replace it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_crab
 
It has nothing to do with oxygen (O2 is O2), it's due to osmosis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euryhaline

I'm assuming you are referring to trying to keep crustaceans and shellfish alive in water, rather than cooking.

So many beginners go out clamming. Bring their find home, put them in tap water, with cornmeal or oatmeal to "cleanse" them. They die before they even begin to cleanse. Add some sea salt instead to the water and they will stay alive long enough to at least begin the cleansing process they are looking for.
 
I'm a purist as well when it comes to boiling lobster. Just salt water, and if you can, steaming is better like 10speed said.

But for something different, I like Craigsy's suggestion, as well as what dragn did.

I'm just glad no one said to toss in 4 cups of Old Bay seasoning. Yuk!
I can't stand ordering seafood like crab and shrimp and they come out crusted with an inch of Old Bay. To do that to a lobster would just be wrong.
 
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and of course, Asparagus is In. Not too skinny and not too fat - perfect!

Roasted 20 min. in the oven at 375 F. on a cookie sheet. Rolled around and coated with Grapeseed oil. Also threw on some par-boiled/peeled baby white pearl onions. For the last 10 min. added some Grape Tomatoes to the sheet.

Just pepper, no salt til after they are cooked.

At the end of supper my knife and fork were still clean :angel:

finger food :pig:
 
I'm a purist as well when it comes to boiling lobster. Just salt water, and if you can, steaming is better like 10speed said.

But for something different, I like Craigsy's suggestion, as well as what dragn did.

I'm just glad no one said to toss in 4 cups of Old Bay seasoning. Yuk!
I can't stand ordering seafood like crab and shrimp and they come out crusted with an inch of Old Bay. To do that to a lobster would just be wrong.

Florida lobster are great steamed using equal parts water and white vinegar mixed with Old Bay and kosher salt. Perfect for a "shrimp" cocktail, using lobster instead or lobster salad. With crab, shrimp and lobster (Caribbean/Florida) the vinegar brings out the sweetness during steaming, IMO. I use the Old Bay very sparingly. Maine lobster is too delicate to steam with Old Bay. I don't like crab done in a crawfish boil and I don't like crawfish steamed with Old Bay.
 
Bucky just reread your post... I did do what Craig suggested. I too thought it was a good idea and different. I do know they were delicious, sweet and tender.

Were they more so than how I usually prepare? (with just salt in the water) - I honestly don't know. I would have to do a side by side test, which I'm not exactly prepared to do. I don't have as much a refined palate as some of you so there is a good chance I wouldn't be able to distinguish anyhow!

LOL but I would love to gobble up some more! Just let me know the date to turn up! Then maybe I could mosey over to Craig's place and sample some of theirs'.

Except ummm, I have a slight phobia. Well, maybe not slight, rather large actually. Craig you don't have any of your avatar friends around the house do you? :ermm:
 
Bucky just reread your post... I did do what Craig suggested. I too thought it was a good idea and different. I do know they were delicious, sweet and tender.

Were they more so than how I usually prepare? (with just salt in the water) - I honestly don't know. I would have to do a side by side test, which I'm not exactly prepared to do. I don't have as much a refined palate as some of you so there is a good chance I wouldn't be able to distinguish anyhow!

LOL but I would love to gobble up some more! Just let me know the date to turn up! Then maybe I could mosey over to Craig's place and sample some of theirs'.

Except ummm, I have a slight phobia. Well, maybe not slight, rather large actually. Craig you don't have any of your avatar friends around the house do you? :ermm:

I have one female Emerald Tree Boa and she lives on the porch. I no longer keep venomous snakes or lizards. We do have a very pushy and demanding curly tail lizard that wants to eat us out of house and home of meal worms!:ohmy: I have rats in the freezer and meal worms in my beer fridge. Just keep in mind that we cook bugs and mud bugs! :ROFLMAO:
 
Oh dear, just one in the house is enough for me to say... "What a wonderful invitation to come for supper and I truly thank you. I'm sorry to say though that I cannot accept." lol!

Lizards, rats and mealy bugs I don't mind. As long as they have legs, I'm good. She must be beautiful. I looked up your "gems" a long time ago as I was suspicious that that was indeed what you were referring to. LOL I was right!

I've had this phobia since childhood. No one knows why. I never really told anyone about it but now I can at least talk about them. Of course I still have nightmares for about 3 nights after talking but...
 
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