# Lobster Salad



## Addie (Oct 27, 2013)

Yesterday when my daughter was here we got to talking about her husband's family's tradition of having his four sisters, along with him and my daughter each year take turns of having his family get together for a Christmas party. Well, last year was my daughter's turn, but she was on her chemo week and just didn't feel up to it. So this year she would like to try and take her turn. It consists of the three sisters and their spouses. About ten to fifteen people all. But she wanted an easy menu. I suggested that she have lobster salad in mini hot dog rolls for an appetizer. Buy about four lobsters, pick up a couple packages of mini New England style rolls and put them out for picking at. Easy. Cut the meat up into small pieces, mix in a couple of finely diced celery ribs, mayo, salt, pepper, toast the rolls on each side. Easy to do. I told her I would gladly cook the lobsters for her and shell them and put the rolls together. She loved the idea. I intend to line each roll with a small piece of lettuce. Or dice it very fine and mix in with the lobster. It will help stretch it. 

I don't think she even realizes that there is a method to my madness. If I make the lobster salad and put it all together, I can manage to have one or two mouthfuls of lobster left over for me. Normally I turn my nose up at lobster. I am so sick of it. Been eating it since childhood. But I love it as a salad. 

Knowing my daughter, if she begins to get tired or not feeling well, she will just get up and go to bed in the middle of the party without saying a word to anyone. I really don't think she will be up to it. But we will see. She is going to make an eggplant  parm also. That is a lot of work. The sister will each bring a dish that is suitable for a buffet.


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## Harry Cobean (Oct 27, 2013)

sounds delicious addiegot to say i prefer crab to lobster(as you will know from harry's got crabs again posts!)not that i would turn my nose up at one.sadly lobster is a very expensive occasional treat this side of the pond.my local costco used to sell a pretty tasty frozen maine lobster for about £10/$15 but they've discontinued that line.i do buy the frozen/shell on tails from a chinese supermarket not far from me,but you lose out on the claw meat,and,of course the head.the contents of the head of lobster & prawns etc are the best bit imho!
i remember flying to the caribbean in the days when it was unusual to get a direct flight & the planes used to land at bangor maine to either refuel or to change to a domestic internal flight.used to order a case of maine lobsters to be picked up on the return flight.can't remember if they were live or chilled but they were certified as ok for importation by uk customs.they were fabulous & cheap as chips by uk standards...happy days addie!!


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## pacanis (Oct 27, 2013)

I prefer the sweet taste of crab, too, but a nice nutty tasting lobster is a nice treat once in a while. I eat lobster infrequently enough that it's always a treat.


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## Whiskadoodle (Oct 27, 2013)

Lobster was really cheap ~approx $4.99 US / lb this summer.  Or so I read. The News didn't reach this far inland as prices remained high.  

But I love lobster salad sandwiches.  Only had one in my life. So, perhaps not Plural.  

That is a nice thing to contribute to your daughter's turn at party giving.  This way she doesn't even need to raise a hand with your help and I bet it's time consuming.


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## Harry Cobean (Oct 27, 2013)

Whiskadoodle said:


> Lobster was really cheap ~approx $4.99 US / lb this summer.  Or so I read. The News didn't reach this far inland as prices remained high.
> 
> But I love lobster salad sandwiches.  Only had one in my life. So, perhaps not Plural.
> 
> That is a nice thing to contribute to your daughter's turn at party giving.  This way she doesn't even need to raise a hand with your help and I bet it's time consuming.


cheers whiska....that's made my day....not!!


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## Addie (Oct 27, 2013)

Harry Cobean said:


> sounds delicious addiegot to say i prefer crab to lobster(as you will know from harry's got crabs again posts!)not that i would turn my nose up at one.sadly lobster is a very expensive occasional treat this side of the pond.my local costco used to sell a pretty tasty frozen maine lobster for about £10/$15 but they've discontinued that line.i do buy the frozen/shell on tails from a chinese supermarket not far from me,but you lose out on the claw meat,and,of course the head.the contents of the head of lobster & prawns etc are the best bit imho!
> i remember flying to the caribbean in the days when it was unusual to get a direct flight & the planes used to land at bangor maine to either refuel or to change to a domestic internal flight.used to order a case of maine lobsters to be picked up on the return flight.can't remember if they were live or chilled but they were certified as ok for importation by uk customs.they were fabulous & cheap as chips by uk standards...happy days addie!!



They had to be live. The second they die on their own, the toxins start to go work and get into the meat. You have to cook them when they are alive. Thy were probably extremely well chilled though. 

For two summers now, the price has dropped out of the bottom on lobsters. The lobster boats were skipping the middle man and selling their lobsters right at the dock from their boats.


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## Harry Cobean (Oct 27, 2013)

Addie said:


> They had to be live. The second they die on their own, the toxins start to go work and get into the meat. You have to cook them when they are alive. Thy were probably extremely well chilled though.
> 
> For two summers now, the price has dropped out of the bottom on lobsters. The lobster boats were skipping the middle man and selling their lobsters right at the dock from their boats.


bearing in mind that the bulk of the lobsters that are sold over here are almost certainly maine imports,i haven't noticed the price going down any,guess that's life 'eh?think i'll stick to me crabs...or maybe it's the other way round?!!


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## Addie (Oct 27, 2013)

Harry Cobean said:


> bearing in mind that the bulk of the lobsters that are sold over here are almost certainly maine imports,i haven't noticed the price going down any,guess that's life 'eh?think i'll stick to me crabs...or maybe it's the other way round?!!



Although the bulk of lobsters do like to hang off the coast of Maine, the proper name for them is "the North Atlantic Lobster." And they do have lobster men in Ireland and the UK. More in Ireland than the UK. Most of the ones caught in the UK are found north off the coast of Scotland among the Hebides Islands. There are lobster all along the eastern seaboard here. But the ones down south could never survive here in the cold waters of the north. And they don't have the big claws that the North Atlantic ones do. All you get from the Spiny Tail ones are just that. The tails. BTW, did you know there are left and right handed lobsters? It all depends on which side the big claw is located on.


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## CWS4322 (Oct 27, 2013)

If I weren't working over Christmas, I'd over to come down and be your sous chef. I don't think I would ever tire of lobster...although the same can't be said of wild asparagus...grew up eating tons of it and there was a time where I really didn't care if I ever ate it again...that has changed since I now live where it is not as prolific...


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## Harry Cobean (Oct 27, 2013)

Addie said:


> Although the bulk of lobsters do like to hang off the coast of Maine, the proper name for them is "the North Atlantic Lobster." And they do have lobster men in Ireland and the UK. More in Ireland than the UK. Most of the ones caught in the UK are found north off the coast of Scotland among the Hebides Islands. There are lobster all along the eastern seaboard here. But the ones down south could never survive here in the cold waters of the north. And they don't have the big claws that the North Atlantic ones do. All you get from the Spiny Tail ones are just that. The tails. BTW, did you know there are left and right handed lobsters? It all depends on which side the big claw is located on.


lot of lobster men in cornwall too.the problem is that even with the size of the fleets,the relatively low numbers landed coupled with the huge demand across europe for british seafood,means that the prices are very very high on the domestic market.the bulk of our home produced mussels & langoustines(scampi) go to europe too.luckily the numbers are huge so the prices are relatively low at home.fresh langoustines are about £12/$18 per kilo,about £5/$8 per lb & mussels £4/$6 per kilo about £1.80/$3 lb.
i knew lobsters had one claw larger than the other but i didn't know they could be either left or right handed(clawed!).maybe someone should breed ambidextrous lobsters,that way they'd have two large claws....yay!!


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## Addie (Oct 27, 2013)

CWS4322 said:


> If I weren't working over Christmas, I'd over to come down and be your sous chef. I don't think I would ever tire of lobster...although the same can't be said of wild asparagus...grew up eating tons of it and there was a time where I really didn't care if I ever ate it again...that has changed since I now live where it is not as prolific...



Would love to have you here so you can drop the lobsters in the pot. I have to stand on my stool to be high enough to drop them in head first. I feel the same way about boiled or baked lobster. Every time my daughter has it, she has finally stopped asking me if I want her to buy me one. I pass. I am happy with a simple hot dog.


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## jennyema (Oct 27, 2013)

Harry Cobean said:


> cheers whiska....that's made my day....not!!



Much cheaper than that here, sorry ....


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## jennyema (Oct 27, 2013)

Addie,

You were sweet to do that because cracking and picking a lobster can be tough work.  I LOVE mini lobster rolls!!

Did you know that Neptune Oyster is charging $27 for theirs (big though).  In Boston!

Neptune's Lobster Roll - Greater Boston Area - Chowhound


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## jennyema (Oct 27, 2013)

CWS4322 said:


> If I weren't working over Christmas, I'd over to come down and be your sous chef. I don't think I would ever tire of lobster...although the same can't be said of wild asparagus...grew up eating tons of it and there was a time where I really didn't care if I ever ate it again...that has changed since I now live where it is not as prolific...



Your asparagus was my corn.

Growing up in Iowa my mother would bring back 2 dozen for a dollar from the farmers market on Sat and we'd eat it for almost every meal.  I think it was because it was one of the only foods besides breakfast cereal that my brother would eat.

We even had a dedicated stick of corn butter for twirling.

But it took me 25 years to actually enjoy summer corn again.


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## Addie (Oct 27, 2013)

jennyema said:


> Addie,
> 
> You were sweet to do that because cracking and picking a lobster can be tough work.  I LOVE mini lobster rolls!!
> 
> ...




My SIL gets theirs at James Hooks on Northern Avenue. Also for the claws, I whack them first with a hammer, then get my trusty kitchen shears and just cut them open. Same with the tail, minus the hammer. Whether it is for commercial sales or private citizens, they always charge the same price. Nobody eats the tamale.


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## Addie (Oct 27, 2013)

As an old New Englander, I have been cracking lobsters since a kid. For the claws, you have to move the small claw side to side first with force. Not up and down. Then twist off the rest of it. Cut them with scissors instead of breaking your hands trying to crack them. The meat comes out easily. In fact it almost falls out on its own. For the tail, cut right up the middle on the underside. Then pull apart. As kids, once we were old enough to handle scissors, we had to do our own lobsters. It is much easier to show than explain. 

Jasper White gives excellent directions (with pictures) in one or two of his cookbooks on how to open up a lobster. Easy to follow.


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## Harry Cobean (Oct 28, 2013)

jennyema said:


> Much cheaper than that here, sorry ....


kick a man when he's down why don'cha jenny!!consolation is that crab(my fav seafood)is still relatively cheap over here


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## Harry Cobean (Oct 28, 2013)

Addie said:


> As an old New Englander, I have been cracking lobsters since a kid. For the claws, you have to move the small claw side to side first with force. Not up and down. Then twist off the rest of it. Cut them with scissors instead of breaking your hands trying to crack them. The meat comes out easily. In fact it almost falls out on its own. For the tail, cut right up the middle on the underside. Then pull apart. As kids, once we were old enough to handle scissors, we had to do our own lobsters. It is much easier to show than explain.
> 
> Jasper White gives excellent directions (with pictures) in one or two of his cookbooks on how to open up a lobster. Easy to follow.


one of my fondest childhood memories,addie,was when we were on a family holiday in cornwall.i was about 8 or 9.i think we were in polperro
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=p...QLuHM0QW194HICQ&ved=0CDkQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=676 and dad & i were sitting on a bench near the harbour wall.huge crabs were being landed off the boats & some of them were being boiled in a cauldron,straight off the boats & sold wrapped up in newspaper.one of the fishermen brought one over,sat down next to us & he started chatting to us & shared his crab with us,still steaming,out of it's newspaper wrapping.that's when i learned how to crack/pick crabs & loved them ever since.happy days eh?


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## Addie (Oct 28, 2013)

There definitely is an art to cracking open those crustations. I just seemed to always know. May be it was from watching the grownups.


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## Harry Cobean (Oct 28, 2013)

Addie said:


> There definitely is an art to cracking open those crustations. I just seemed to always know. May be it was from watching the grownups.


indeed addie.never fathom out(as this is a semi nautical thread!)folks who say they don't like meat or fish on the bone or seafood in it's shell.not only does it taste far better imo,but it's part of the fun in eating it that way.not forgetting the heads..darn tasty part of a prawn,crab or lobster the roe & coral etc!!


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## Aunt Bea (Oct 28, 2013)

Addie,

This is a nice way to use the lobster's bath water! 

 The Landmark Lobster Bisque

  1 ½ pound lobster
  3 quarts of water
  ¼ cup dry sherry
  1 cup heavy cream
  ¼ t nutmeg
  ¼ t white pepper

  Plunge lobster into boiling water and cook for 25 minutes, remove lobster, save water.  Strip lobster meat, chop and process with ½ cup of lobster cooking water in food processor or blender until smooth.  Bring lobster water to a boil; add processed lobster, nutmeg, pepper, sherry.  Reduce heat, taste, adjust seasonings for salt and pepper, add cream and leave on low heat for five minutes.  

  Notes:

  This is nice if it can sit and mellow for a couple of hours, reheat just before serving, do not boil after the cream has been added.

  The mixture may be thickened before adding the cream with flour, potato starch or slurry of cornstarch.

  I like it with a small piece of ice cold butter floating in the cup when served.


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## Roll_Bones (Nov 3, 2013)

All this talk of lobster has made me quite hungry.

I had a friend bring me a cooler full one year.  In passing I told him if he ever came down, to please bring lobsters.  He took me literally and babysitted a cooler full of Maine lobsters while driving here from Rhode Island.
He kept them alive for the complete trip and showed up at my house very late one night with his cooler.
He caught me off guard as I was not expecting him.
I had to boil the majority of them so they would not die on me.  I ate enough to get tired.
But I am not tired of them anymore.  Bring em on!!!!!!


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## taxlady (Nov 3, 2013)

Roll_Bones, you reminded me of driving home with lobsters. I was in Shippagan, NB (the North East tip of New Brunswick, Canada) and drove home to Montreal with a dozen lobsters in a cooler. It's a 10 hour/882 km drive. They were still lively enough to have lobster races in our very long hallway. The cats were amused and surprised.


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## Roll_Bones (Nov 3, 2013)

taxlady said:


> Roll_Bones, you reminded me of driving home with lobsters. I was in Shippagan, NB (the North East tip of New Brunswick, Canada) and drove home to Montreal with a dozen lobsters in a cooler. It's a 10 hour/882 km drive. They were still lively enough to have lobster races in our very long hallway. The cats were amused and surprised.



Now that is FUNNY.  Lobster races. I have had live ones, but they were not that much alive.  A race would have taken all night!  
Those were lively lobsters!!!

Back to the subject.  It seems lobster salad is quite simple. I was so worried I would do it wrong?

Mayo and some celery? Some fresh made hot dog buns?  It cannot get much easier.  Now I need more lobsters brought from the north east for almost nothing.....


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## Addie (Nov 3, 2013)

taxlady said:


> Roll_Bones, you reminded me of driving home with lobsters. I was in Shippagan, NB (the North East tip of New Brunswick, Canada) and drove home to Montreal with a dozen lobsters in a cooler. It's a 10 hour/882 km drive. They were still lively enough to have lobster races in our very long hallway. The cats were amused and surprised.



They can be very lively.

My husband had come in from a trip. It was about two in the a.m. and I heard the front door open. I got up to see who it was. My husband was standing there and told me he had a treat for me. He goes back out to the outer hall and gets a big box. He took out one of those monster lobsters that folks dream about. It was HUGE! And it wasn't pegged. All eight rooms were off a long hall. He put the lobster down and it started to race down the hall towards me. I started to scream. It didn't stop and I ran out the back door  still screaming. The neighbors called the cops. When they saw what the problem was they started to laugh. I failed to see the humor at the moment. When I finally clamed down, I realized I didn't have a pot big enough to put it in. And I didn't relish tearing off it claws while still alive. So we gave it to the cops to take back to the station and give the guys a feast. They happily took it away.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 3, 2013)

A dear old friend, now deceased, told me about how he and another friend went to a restaurant, and chose their lobsters out of the tank, "to go".  They literally leashed their live lobsters, and walked them down the sidewalk.


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## Addie (Nov 3, 2013)

Dawgluver said:


> A dear old friend, now deceased, told me about how he and another friend went to a restaurant, and chose their lobsters out of the tank, "to go".  They literally leashed their live lobsters, and walked them down the sidewalk.



Folks have been known to do some silly things with a lobster.


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