Cooking Lobster at
Home
By Richard MasseyLobster 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
|
