Boiled Lobsters
Boiling is probably the most popular way to cook New England lobsters, and
it's easier than you might think!
lobsters
water
butter
Here's How: Fill a large pot half to two-thirds full with water. Set your
burner to high heat and bring water to a rolling boil. Add lobsters to
the pot head first, making sure that they are completely submerged.
Cover the pot tightly and return to a boil as quickly as possible.
Once water is boiling again, cook the lobsters 10 minutes for the first
pound and 3 additional minutes for each additional pound, i.e., cook a
two-pound lobster for 13 minutes.
When the antennae pull out easy, the lobsters are done. Serve with
melted butter.
Tips: Be sure to keep the water boiling throughout the cooking time, but
be careful that the pot does not boil over. Times given are for
hard-shelled lobsters; if cooking new shell lobsters, reduce boiling time
by 3 minutes. Try adding a cup of white wine to the water before boiling
to add a bit of flavor.
How do you eat a Maine lobster?
Well... there are as many correct answers to that question as there are
experienced Lobster eaters.
But if you need a little help, the steps below will ease you through the
process. Even the experienced Lobster veteran may learn something here.
Ready for your lesson? Let's begin!
Part A -- The Claws:
1. Twist off the claws so that they break off at the end where the "arms"
connect to the body. FYI: The larger of the 2 claws is called the
"crusher claw," the smaller is called the "tearing claw." We don't have
any suggestions about which one to eat first; we do strongly recommend,
however, that you eat them both!
2. Bend the "arms" back to separate them from the main (pincher) part of
the claws. Crack open the segments to get the tasty morsels out of these
small parts.
(Cracking open the parts of the shell can be acheived using one or more
of the following: Nutcracker, pliers, knife, hammer, rock, whatever else
looks like it might work.)
3. Pull the small section of the claw back until it separates from the
larger section. Sometimes, the meat in this section comes loose when the
claw separates. Otherwise, you'll have to pry the meat out of the small
section of the claw using one tine of a fork.
4. Break off the tip of the remaining (larger) section of the claw. Make
sure to break it off far enough down to be able to insert a finger in the
resulting hole.
(Examine your fingers for a more precise measurement.)
5. Carefully (We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself) stick a finger into
the hole you just made to push the meat out of the other end.
Congratulations!
You got through the claws, the part of the Lobster that about 1/2 the
Lobster-eaters we know consider to be their favorite part. Let's move to
the part that the other 1/2 claims is best.
Part B -- The Tail:
1. Gently bend the tail back until it separates from the body. It's
important to be gentle here, because the body contains a lot of excess
water.
Bending the tail back with all your might is likely to cause Lobster juice
to spray all over yourself or your friends.
(In some circles, this is considered impolite.)
2. Bend the flippers back to remove them from the tail.
(Again, be gentle to avoid spraying. See Part B -- The Tail: Section 1)
By the way, the flippers contain little tiny pieces of tasty meat; an
added bonus for those who don't mind a little extra work.
3. Stick a finger through the hole where the flippers used to be to push
the tail meat out the other end. Sometimes, it's necessary to break some
of the "ribs" on the underside of the tail to make this possible.
4. Peel back the top of the tail. This section is quite tasty, and
removing it exposes the long "vein" that runs the length of the tail. This
is very important: That long "vein" should be removed before eating the
rest of the tail meat. Why is that so important? Because that's not really
a "vein" at all! It's the Lobster's digestive tract. Ok, that's as much of
the Lobster as some people eat. True hardcore Lobster lovers will tell
you, though, that there's a lot of edible parts you still haven't touched.
Part C -- The Rest of the Lobster:
1. The Legs -- Break the legs away from the body, then break off the other
end (the part that looks like little mini-claws). Stick one end of the leg
in your mouth and suck the meat out in much the same way that you might
suck on a straw sticking out of a milkshake.
Lobster Facts
Did You Know?
The meat in a 1-pound lobster has only 98 calories and 13 milligrams of
cholesterol (less than an equivalent portion of skinless chicken).
Lobster Rules
1. Buy lobsters the day you cook them, and transport and store them
carefully.
2. Locate the best source for the most recently caught lobsters.
3. Determine the right size of lobster for you.
4. Choose a healthy, lively, freshly caught lobster.
5. Always buy the hardest-shelled lobsters you can find.
6. Never stick your hand into a bag of lobsters.
7. Be environmentally responsible.
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