How to Cook and Eat a Lobster
Summertime is lobster-time! At least once every barbecue season you owe it to yourself to beat the restaurant prices, and serve lobster to your family and friends in your own backyard "lobster shack"!
Here's how to cook two very different cousins, live whole lobsters from the cold waters around Maine, and rock lobster tail, harvested and then frozen, from the warm waters of the tropics.
Directions for Maine Lobster:
1. Drop a live lobster into a large pot of heavily salted water. While the water comes to a boil, cut the rubber bands off the lobster claws.
2. Cook the lobster for about 7 minutes for the first pound and 3 minutes for each pound after. Remove them from the pot and submerge them in an ice bath so they don't overcook and become tough.
3. Make sure that the Lobster's tail is curled (which means it is safe to eat). After the lobster is cool enough to handle you can start to take it apart.
4. Twist the tail apart from the body. Twist off the claws. Use a nutcracker or knife to release the meat in the claws. To remove the meat from the tail, remove the legs and cut along the underside of the tail with pair of kitchen shears.
5. Use a lobster pick to find extra meat in the legs and body cavity.
Directions for Rock Lobster Tails:
1. Preheat the grill to medium high heat.
2. Place the tails on the grill for about 4 minutes and then turn and cook for about 2 minutes longer.
3. Stand the tails on end and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove from the grill.
4. Cut the tail end off and cut along the underside with a pair of kitchen shears to release the meat.
5. Slice the meat on a bias and fan out on a plate. Serve with a side of melted butter.
Instructions provided courtesy of HolidayKitchen.tv.
