Cooking
Lobster at Home by
Rich Massey
Lobster has always be one of those extravagant meals
which few people ever try because of the high cost.
With restaurants paying thirty dollars a pound, by
the time they put their markup on it, you’re
easily paying sixty dollars for a ten ounce tail.
This high cost leaves lobster dinners for the well-to
do or at least only for special occasions. But, this
doesn’t have to be.
With more and more retail store offering lobster,
you can create a romantic dinner for two at a reasonable
price. If you buy two eight ounce tails for thirty
dollars, that’s only fifteen dollars a person.
Add a starch and vegetable and it’s still
cheaper than going out to dinner and having steak
or even chicken. Turn the lights down low, add a
candle and ship the kid’s off to grandma’s
house.
Cooking lobster is relatively easy. There are hundred’s
of recipes on the internet or in books. The simplest
way is to split the shell down the top, pull the
meat out of the shell about 90% of the way and lay
it on top of the shell. Place in a pan with a little
water and cover with foil (do not let the foil touch
the lobster). Cook at 350 degrees until the meat
turns white (around 140 F) then baste with butter
and season with salt and pepper. As with any food,
avoid the temptation to overcook it. When overcooked
the lobster meat will become tough and less appealing.
About Lobster
Lobsters are ten legged arthropods, meaning they
have no backbone. The lobster creates its skeleton
on the outside in the form of a shell with joint
appendages. There are two major types of lobster
on the market. Maine also called Canadian or American
lobster and spiny sometimes call rock lobster.
The Maine lobster inhabits the cold waters of the
Atlantic in the area of Canada and the northeast
United States. This lobster has two claws, one claw
very large and flat, while the other is smaller
and thinner. These lobster take up to seven years
to reach one pound and average about one to three
pounds when harvested. The Maine lobster is sold
live or already cooked and usually the meat used
in mixed dishes or dishes like lobster thermador
The spiny lobster is a clawless warmwater variety,
which are actually large seagoing crayfish. There
are 49 species of spiny lobster which swim the world’s
warm waters. Because the tail is the only real edible
part of the spiny lobster, it is usually sold frozen
as a lobster tail. The spiny lobster found off Florida,
Brazil and the Caribbean are called “warmwater
tails”, while those found off South Africa,
New Zealand and Australia are markets as “coldwater
tails”. The coldwater variety of spiny lobster
is considered superior and favored among restaurants.
Cooking lobster at home can be a delicious alternative
to going out. Why not give it a try?
About The Author
Chef Richard has worked for some of the top fine
dining restaurants in the United States and is the
author of the ebook “Chef’s Special”.
You can find free recipes, informative articles
and order the ebook at http://www.csrecipes.com