How to prepare and cook lobster?

[ChowDownBob]

I've always believed lobster to be an expensive / exotic food which should be prepared fresh - that is to say, while the lobster is still alive (not sure how true that is?).

Have you cooked it before? What is the best way to prepare and cook lobster? Are there any do's or don'ts to be aware of and sauces or garnishes that are or are not compatible with lobster?

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I've only ever made lobster that's been cold and already dead at the deli counter. As long as they're fresh, they'll taste great.

If buying a live lobster, there is a humane way to kill the lobster rather than boiling it alive. Gordon Ramsay showed that it's just a knife to the back of the neck (or the closest thing to a neck that a lobster has, behind the head). If I ever do get a live lobster, this is what I'll do.

I've found that the size of the lobster does make a difference. A local supermarket had whole lobsters for $10, which sounds great until you see that they're tiny. Besides having hardly any meat, the meat itself doesn't have the sweet goodness that I expect to have in lobster. I'd advise skipping the whole lobster and just getting lobster tails.

Lobster and shrimp roll recipe:
https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/lobster-and-shrimp-rolls.10457/

 

[Francesca]

@ChowDownBob & @The Late Night Gourmet

Firstly, the European Lobster is from the family of Homarus Gammarus . Nephropsidae .. And the most renowned species is the Homard Bleu, The Blue Lobster from the Coast of Brittany, France. The Catalan región of The Iberian Peninsula is also well known for its lobsters called "Llomantol " in Catalan or Bogavante in Spanish.

2ndly, I steam my ( live) lobsters in "Mediterranean sea wáter" which produces a much more tender lobster than boiling.

I place the lobsters with tongs, into the steamer basket once the wáter in the pot begins to boil.

The guidelines for steaming lobsters is 7 minutes per pound plus an additional 3 minutes per pound.

We do not care much for preparing lobster salad as we have gorgeous lobster in season during the later autumn ( November) through February, & putting in alot of seasonings and mayonaise, take away from the sublime exquisite taste of the lobster itself.

We steam and serve some melted French butter in a tiny sauce boat per person and that is it ! And of course, a grand Champagne or Cava or Prosecco or White wine from the 100% Albariño Grape variety, mono varietal from Cambados, Galicia or a local White .. We are large producers of a grand variety of wines, 30 - 35 km. north west from the Centre of Barcelona in Pénedès ..

One must be very cautious with their Tongs, as the lobsters once steamed are very hot .. They should be cooled in a large glass bowl for approx. 5 to 10 minutes.

Normally, my husband or sons or dad or father in law, assist me with the basic of getting the lobsters ( still alive ) into the steamer basket ..

Garnishes or sides: I do not garnish my lobsters.

We all have tried thousands of récipes over the years, and in all honesty, we enjoy the simple steaming in Mediterranean Sea Water from Cadaquès where my family, my husband & I, have apartments that we use on holidays or long weekends, as they all live there year round and we are based in Barcelona.

We usually do a light simply lovely salad with radicchio, rocket, oak leaf curly Green lettuce with a violet red fringe and some kress, or cress and a vinaigrette.

We do not use sides. We have appetisers, a starter, a main ( the lobster ), a cheese course and if anyone wants, a dessert with a dessert wine ..


Your récipe: It is lovely. However, if the lobsters are very tiny and perhaps frozen, I have made lobster salad very similar to your´s but in that case only.

But our lobsters are not very tiny .. So, it is sort of a pity to create a salad ..

 

[Lynne Guinne]

@The Late Night Gourmet, you ruined that lobster! Thyme, mayo, dill...you might have well just gone ahead and used fake crab stix. A lobster roll is a simple thing. Only butter or a very light bit of mayo, maybe a loose leaf of lettuce, all tucked into a buttered and toasted (grilled) bun.C'est Tout!

@ChowDownBob, lobster IS expensive, especially if you buy it fresh and alive. When I lived in Cleveland, OH, it was exotic and rare and a real treat. Then we moved to New England. A few years ago the lobster "crop" became ready for harvest before tourist season geared up. Grocery stores near us sold them for $3.99 a pound. I weighed the meat up after I had picked those babies clean - my actual price was closer to $30.00 per pound of edible lobster. If I'm spending that kind of money, I'd much rather buy nice, wild-caught Gulf of Mexico shrimp or Georges Banks scallops.I prefer the flavor of either of those over something that was considered a garbage food. Maine lobster was once the diet of the poor and imprisoned

 

[buckytom]

Most people I know boil their lobsters in a very large pot of salted water.

It is the most humane way of killing them, outside of splitting their heads between their eyeswith a large knife. A lot of folks have trouble with the latter.

Steaming is also a good way asit retains the most flavor, but they die more slowly (if that matters to you).

But for the former, bring a large pot of salted water, 16 quarts and up for two or three 1.5 lb lobsters to a rolling boil. The water must be at its highest boil in order to make sure it comes back to a boil quickly.

Quickly drop the lobsters in head first, then cover and count 8 mississippis.

There; they are dead and on their way to your plate. Bring the pot back to a boil on high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for anywhere from 10 minutes for two 1.5 pounders that are soft shell, up to 20 minutes for two 2+ pound hard shell lobsters.

 

[Francesca]

Most people I know boil their lobsters in a very large pot of salted water.

It is the most humane way of killing them, outside of splitting their heads between their eyeswith a large knife. A lot of folks have trouble with the latter.

Steaming is also a good way asit retains the most flavor, but they die more slowly (if that matters to you).

But for the former, bring a large pot of salted water, 16 quarts and up for two or three 1.5 lb lobsters to a rolling boil. The water must be at its highest boil in order to make sure it comes back to a boil quickly.

Quickly drop the lobsters in head first, then cover and count 8 mississippis.

There; they are dead and on their way to your plate. Bring the pot back to a boil on high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for anywhere from 10 minutes for two 1.5 pounders that are soft shell, up to 20 minutes for two 2+ pound hard shell lobsters.

@buckytom

Thank you for your additional information on the weight and timing factors ..

Have a lovely weekend ..