Lobster, Cooking and Eating

Yes It's Ours!

Lobster: Real lobster from the north coast of New England's Cold water, claws and all. Not, Spiny lobster without claws, not Rock crawfish passed off as Lobster Tails. Truth be told, they are warm water in origin and don’t hold a candle to the real thing! Often tough.

Well I feel a story coming on! When I was a young fella, my buddies and I rented houses on Cape Cod for the summer. We were working in Connecticut at the time and would drive up there on weekends to party. Normal Sunday dinner was a bushel of little neck clams -steamed, another of corn on the cob and a 2-½ to 3 pound lobster each. We’d cook them outside over an open fire.

Ok Ok I know, where am I going with this? Well simply put I (we) my wife and I have purchased, cooked and dismembered at least three of those buggers in the 16 pound class. So I think that I speak from experience of how and what when it comes to LOBSTER.

Well first off size has nothing to do with tenderness. A 16 ponder is just as succulent as a “Chick”. And I’ll accept a duel over that statement! Buy a Hard shell lobster as they have more meat than soft shell lobsters. The old adage is only buy in the months with an “R” in it their name as that’s when they are not molting (loosing their shell). Look fore black mottled areas under the claws. Also select a male as the will have larger claws and smaller tail.

OK let’s get to it. First cooking such a behemoth is no different then a small fry (“chicks”). Make sure it’s alive! My kids actually feed one lettuce on the floor in our kitchen while we waited for the time to come to cook it. Buy the way they DO NOT make any noise as you put them into boiling water.

Get a really big pot of water to boiling then put it in head first. You may have to pry the claws off the sides of the pot in the process, but you’ll preserver. Wait ‘till the water starts to boiling again and then set your timer for 10-12 min. for 2 Lbs. and under. For the big one, 20 min. or more.

When the time is up, get a crane to haul it out and onto a dish - no I mean a huge platter.

Now the fun starts- First, take a fork (just a table fork) and pierce the membrane at the base of the tail several times. Pick up the back and bend the tail back until it snaps apart from the body. Pull it out as it will have meat attached to it as it comes out. Set it aside for now. BY THE WAY THIS ALL APPLIES TO EVEN THE SMALLEST OF THEM.

Moving on; also pierce the same membrane where the large claws connect to the body and again break them off and set aside. (Messy isn’t it?). OK so now we have the fella dismembered and can be served to your guests - But! They may not know what to do.

OK OK take the tail and tear out the center flipper at the far end. There will be a eatable flipper meat there, but never mind, Simply take the entire tail section in your left hand and endeavor to straighten it out the best that you can. Now stick your index finger in that place where you pulled off the flipper and push hard! I mean put some effort into it. The entire tail meat should slide out the end where you broke it off of the body.

Now to the claws; Take each claw and again pierce the area where the arm joins the claw and break it backward, separating them. Take a fork and stick one tine into the opening at the base of the claw and work it like an old fashioned can opener right up to the side claw. You should now have basically a slot up the bottom of the claw. Just take the shell and break it open again using the fork tine. Right there in front of you is the most tender piece of meat in the entire critter! Dip it in some butter and chow down.

Each of the segments of the “arms” can be opened in the same fashion accessing the meat inside. The auxiliary arms can be removed from the body by again piercing at the juncture with the body and “can openering” them in turn. On the really small ones, just suck out the meat.

OK now how far do you want to go? There’s still a lot of good tender meat remaining in the body. ……If you are up to dismembering it?

If so read on!

OK (I like that word here) Pick up the main body and turn it over right side up. Grab the shell at the back end while holding the lower part of the body and peel off the top shell. Sorry, there’s no meat here, but if you have access to running water, flush the inner body section so as to see what you’re working on.

Now all cleaned up, head for the junctions of the claws with the body, there you will find quite a bit of very tender meat, Again with your fork, pry open the containing white cartilage and pull out the meat.

Well you have the idea by now, just keep digging for treasure.

Lobster CRACKERS - not necessary, they just crush the meat!

OH by the way use unsalted butter!