Tell me about cooking a live lobster

[Kat]

So my fiance and I were talking with his cousin and girlfriend about doing some lobsters at home. We are in MN, about as far from any ocean as you can get in the US. I've never cooked live lobster before, but it can't be that hard from the bit I've read so far.

So, for the complete lobster cooking newbie, what do I need, and where do I start? I know we'd need to have some live ones overnighted from Maine, and a big pot (how big?). What size lobsters are a good size? We don't have huge appetites. Any tips on how to store them, or other things from the New Englanders that I wouldn't know about? Is this a decent time of year for them; we'd probably try it sometime in the next month or so.

Thanks!

 

[Adillo303]

DW usually makes live lobster for new years eve. Here is what I think I know.

Ww start with a 16 quqrt stockpot. I lovingly refer to it as "The death Camp". Fill about 2/3 or a little higher with water. Add salt to the water. We use sea salt, Kosher or just plain salt should work. How much is to taste. How salty do you want your lobster.

In New Jersey we have a good supply of live lobster. You do not state where you are from, so I will leave procurement to you.

One and a quarter to one and a half pound lobsters are said by many to be the best. Larger lobsters can be tough. I have also had two pounders that were great. Your call.

Keep the lobsters in the fridge till ready to cook. Do not keep them in a tightly sealed plastic bag. Whwn ready to go put them on the counter and look to make sure they are still live.

Put them in the boiling water, bring it back to a boil. Watch for a color change from the dark color they came to the orangeish cooked lobster color.

Cook 10 Minutes for the first pound and 3 minutes for each additional pound.

Serve with drawn butter.

Hope this helps.

AC

 

[Lefty7887]

Lobster Cooking Times

For boiling or steaming a lobster
Lobster Weight Cooking Time
1 - 1 ¼ lb. 12 - 15 minutes
1 ¼ - 2 lb. 15 - 20 minutes
2-3 lb. 20 - 25 minutes
3-6 lb. 25 - 28 minutes
6-7 lb. 28 - 30 minutes

I prefer them around 1 pound.

more info here Lobsterhelp.com - How to Boil a Lobster

 

[GB]

The advice given above is good. I prefer steaming my lobsters over boiling them. There is no taste difference, but steaming is less messy. When you crack open a boiled claw you have a gush of hot water pouring out. When you do the same with a steamed lobster you have a trickle, if anything. For steaming, but put a few inches of water in your pot and bring to a boil. If you have some clean river rocks or something else to elevate the lobsters off the bottom of the pot (steamer basket or something) then use that. Some people steam with beer or wine or other flavors, but I do not see the need. I use use straight water. Ocean water is great to use, but since you are not near the ocean just use tap water.

Drawn butter is great to serve with this lobster, but lately I have actually enjoyed using just melted butter.

 

[buckytom]

oh, that gush of lobster water is great if you serve the monsters over a plate of potatoes. the spuds soak it up, giving you even more lobster deliciousness.

i prefer a 2 to 2 1/4 lb. lobster per person, or you could serve two 1 to 1 1/4 lb. lobsters per person. steamed or boiled is the best way, imo. unless you're very experienced with it, grilling or broiling dries them out.

after boiling or steaming, let it cool for a few minutes, then seperate the lobster by pulling off the claws/arms at the joint where it joins the carapace (large upper body section). next, grab the tail firmly in one hand, the carapace in the other and twist the tail away from the body.

seperate the claws from the arms, then crack the claws open with a mallet or the back of a heavy knife. seperate each arm section, and dig or push out the meat.

next, pull off the tail fins, and pull back on the side edges of the tail to crack it open, and push out the meat from the tail end out to the body opening. if it's too thick of a shell, use a shears to cut the underside of the tail open, then push out the meat.

and don't forget to pull of all of those little leglets! discard the section where it joined the body. then, using a rolling pin, squeeze out the meat by rolling it out.

man, am i hungry for lobster...

 

[AllenOK]

Heck, I'm getting hungry for lobster, and it's 8:40 am when I'm posting this!

 

[GB]

Nothing wrong with lobster for breakfast!

 

[jennyema]

Lobsters under 1 1/4 pounds are called "chickens."

I prefer them a bit larger -- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds. After all, they are a treat.
(side note: lobsters are very cheap here these days. cheaper than steak)

Anyway, I just put a huge pot of water salted with a heavy hand (should taste like seawater) on to boil and then drop them in headfist. Put them in the freezer for 10 minutes beforehand if you want them calm, as sometimes they can fuss and that can be upsetting.

 

[pacanis]

I have bought them from here as presents and the folks have been very happy with them and the accompaniments (cheese cake, soups....). I'm pretty sure directions come with them. I know when someone sent me lobsters before I got directions on how to boil them, which basically amounted to sticking them in the boiling pot head first... Cooking lobsters is easier than boiling potatoes IMO (lol). And while I love lobster.... I really love lobster tail. Just cut it down the length of the hard shell and into the meat, spread it open, and stick it under the broiler, basting with lemon butter until done. Whole lobster is cool, but I'd rather have a nice 14 oz or bigger tail.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Lobsters under 1 1/4 pounds are called "chickens."

Lobsters in the 1-3 oz size are called "Crawfish"

 

[BreezyCooking]

Just a "FYI" - there was an interesting article in yesterday's New York Time's food section re: there being an actual glut of Maine lobsters at the moment resulting in their being at their lowest price in many years. Somehow that "lowest price" hasn't yet trickled down to Virginia. In fact, none of the new supermarkets that have recently opened up in our area even have lobster tanks. At this moment there is actually only ONE supermarket that still carries live lobster, & I absolutely DREAD the day when I might have to shell out the big bucks & mail-order them.

I SO miss my Long Island, NY, days when we used to buy our lobsters (not Maine, but from Long Island Sound) right off the boats from the docks. Many times when we were out boating on the Sound ourselves, we'd even draw up alongside a lobsterman & buy right from the boat in the middle of the Sound. Talk about fresh!!!

Oh, & I always boil mine. Large margin for error & you never end up with meat sticking to the shell as can happen with steaming &/or broiling. And whether one-pounders or 3-pounders - always tender, never tough.

 

[GB]

Oh, & I always boil mine. Large margin for error & you never end up with meat sticking to the shell as can happen with steaming &/or broiling.

I have never had lobster stick to the shell because of steaming. I have never even heard of that.

 

[Jeekinz]

Here's how I do mine.

I use a 20 qt. stock pot. You can make a basting sauce of your choice. I prefer something along the lines of a beurre blanc with parsley.

 

[Jeekinz]

Here's a way to make lobster stock using the lobster cooking water, shells and some veggies.

I froze it and used it for Bouillabaise later on.

 

[jennyema]

The price of lobster has fallen so much that the lobstermen can't make any money on them and some have stopped harvesting them. It costs more to run the boat and pay the crew than they can make selling them at the dock.

 

[Jeekinz]

The price of lobster has fallen so much that the lobstermen can't make any money on them and some have stopped harvesting them. It costs more to run the boat and pay the crew than they can make selling them at the dock.

Any extras can be delivered to my house, please.


Free beer!

 

[BreezyCooking]

I have never had lobster stick to the shell because of steaming. I have never even heard of that.

No offense meant GB, but it can & does happen. You mentioned that you like steaming because you end up with zero water coming out when you break open the lobster. However, if steamed just a bit too long, that same no-moisture factor can end up with the meat adhering - strongly - to the shell, especially in the claw & knuckle portions. Can be very difficult to extract, & dry to boot as well with many threads of meat left behind. My point re: boiling is that even if someone overcooks the lobster, the meat might end up a bit tough, but it'll still slide right out because of the extra moisture. Overcooking when steaming can make that difficult.

 

[jennyema]

I've had dry meat in the knuckles many a time in restaurants. Maybe that was because they steamed or overcooked it.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Unless it's a seaside place where they're definitely cooking the lobsters as they're ordered, I NEVER order whole lobster in a restaurant.

In fact, the one & only time I ever got sick from a lobster was years ago & when hubby & I (for one of the last times) dined at a "Red Lobster" during one of their "Lobster Fests". They obviously cook the lobsters ahead of time & keep them under those infrared heat lamps. The claws were so hard that we had to send them back for the kitchen to open. Figure they took them out back & drove over them with a truck. In hindsight, we should have sent my lobster back, but we persevered on. I ended up with severe gastrointestinal distress that night that I totally attribute to that obviously too-long-held lobster.

 

[GB]

No offense meant GB, but it can & does happen. You mentioned that you like steaming because you end up with zero water coming out when you break open the lobster. However, if steamed just a bit too long, that same no-moisture factor can end up with the meat adhering - strongly - to the shell, especially in the claw & knuckle portions. Can be very difficult to extract, & dry to boot as well with many threads of meat left behind. My point re: boiling is that even if someone overcooks the lobster, the meat might end up a bit tough, but it'll still slide right out because of the extra moisture. Overcooking when steaming can make that difficult.

No offense taken. I never said it does not happen. I only said I have never (in my hundreds of lobsters eaten) seen it.

Also, I never said there is no moisture in the steamed lobsters. I said when you crack open a steamed lobster you do not have that gush of hot water pouring out. The steamed lobsters I have had have been anything, but dry.

There was a survey done of Boston seafood chefs not too long ago where they asked which they preferred, boiled or steamed. Just about every single chef said that they did not see a difference between the methods. The end result could be the same. None of them claimed that they would be able to tell, by taste, which lobster was boiled and which was steamed.