How to cook fresh lobster
The traditional way is to cook lobsters live (by boiling).
It's absolutely fine to buy ready-cooked lobster if you have a good fishmonger, but the reason people still prefer to cook lobster live is because after cooking, the texture of the flesh disintergrates quite quickly and becomes spongy. So, if you can possibly achieve it, buy live lobster and cook it at home to get it at its best.
Here's how to cook lobster from live.
The traditional way is to plunge the lobster into boiling water. For a while it was thought less cruel to bring the water from cold to the boil, gradually, with the lobster already in there, but this is no longer considered humane.
If you plunge a knife into the lobster just behind its head with one swift movement it dispatches the creature fairly painlessly. But here is a better and less gruesome way. Put the lobster in the freezer (set to at least -18C, -39F) for two hours, during which time it will have been chilled into unconsciousness. Losters have a great tolerance to cold as they're used to lurking in the very cold depths of the sea. This will therefore not be uncomfortable for the animal.
Towards the end of the chilling time, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Salt it so it's as salty as sea water (you can tell when it's salty enough as a raw egg will float), and when it's boiling hard, drop the lobster in and put on the lid.
Then turn down the heat so the water simmers during the cooking time.
Instead of in salty water you can also boil the lobster in a court-bouillon of vegetables, herbs and wine.
Cooking times for lobster
15 minutes for lobsters up to 1.5 lbs (600g), 20 minutes up to 2.5 lb (approx. 1 kg), and an extra 5 minutes for each 1 lb (450g) after that.
Some recipes call for uncooked lobsters to be halved lengthways (for example for some broiling/grilling recipes).
The easiest way to go about this is to par-boil them for about 4 minutes, having first chilled the lobster as above, then drain and cut them with a very sharp knife. This avoids having to kill the lobster with a knife before you cut it in half.
When you are broiling (grilling) lobster, it's a good idea to marinate it first (in wine or stock) to stop it drying out while cooking, and while cooking, make sure you baste it often with oil or butter.
In terms of timing, you're normally looking at about 15 minutes under a hot grill (shell side down) - though this will depend on the size of the lobster.
Of course lobster does not have to be cooked from fresh. You can buy excellent frozen lobster, with shell on or shell off, whole, or in parts. Defrost (in the refrigerator) before coooking.
You can also get canned lobster but the taste is very inferior.
Choosing lobster
When buying lobster direct from the shore, horrible as it may seem, the trauma of having been caught is quite likely to have harmed the quality of the creature's flesh. It's a good idea to leave the lobster overnight or at least for a few hours, covered with a damp cloth, in the bottom of the refrigerator (alive). (After all you do want it to taste its best.)
When choosing lobsters don't necessarily go for the biggest. Bigger lobsters can have thicker shells so they don't usually represent the best value for money. Smaller ones can be sweeter. The optimum size is about 1.25 lb (500g) to 2.5 lb (1kg).
Female lobster (hen) is thought to be tastier than male, plus you also get the coral (eggs). In fact the eggs lose their flavour when cooked, but they can be used to colour sauces beautifully.
How to tell the difference between the sexes? Female lobsters have more supple 'swimmerets' (the small legs under the tail).
Which kind of lobster should you buy? European lobster, blue-black in colour, less uniform than its greener American cousin (which is also known as the Maine or the Northern), is actually more highly-prized in terms of taste, although the Maine ones are the most famous.
There is also the spiny lobster, also called the rock lobster or langouste, which can grow larger than either of the other two, but is not as tasty.
Lobsters are more plentiful in summer, when they crawl into shallower, warmer water and are easily fished out. In winter they are in an almost comatose state because of the cold water and it's all but impossible to lure them into a lobster pot.
For this reason, lobsters for sale in the winter season have nearly always been fished previously and kept in a tank (these are known as 'pounded' lobsters).
Order Live Lobster Online from Maine Lobster Direct
Live Maine Lobster from the cold clear waters of the North Atlantic shipped directly to you overnight. Maine Lobster Direct is a family owned business located on Union Wharf in the heart of Portland, Maine's working waterfront.
Lobsters in bulk - quoted prices include shipping!
