# Tell me about cooking a live lobster



## Kat (Dec 10, 2008)

So my fiance and I were talking with his cousin and girlfriend about doing some lobsters at home.  We are in MN, about as far from any ocean as you can get in the US.  I've never cooked live lobster before, but it can't be that hard from the bit I've read so far.

So, for the complete lobster cooking newbie, what do I need, and where do I start?  I know we'd need to have some live ones overnighted from Maine, and a big pot (how big?).  What size lobsters are a good size?  We don't have huge appetites.  Any tips on how to store them, or other things from the New Englanders that I wouldn't know about?  Is this a decent time of year for them; we'd probably try it sometime in the next month or so.

Thanks!


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## Adillo303 (Dec 10, 2008)

DW usually makes live lobster for new years eve. Here is what I think I know.

Ww start with a 16 quqrt stockpot. I lovingly refer to it as "The death Camp". Fill about 2/3 or a little higher with water. Add salt to the water. We use sea salt, Kosher or just plain salt should work. How much is to taste. How salty do you want your lobster.

In New Jersey we have a good supply of live lobster. You do not state where you are from, so I will leave procurement to you.

One and a quarter to one and a half pound lobsters are said by many to be the best. Larger lobsters can be tough. I have also had two pounders that were great. Your call.

Keep the lobsters in the fridge till ready to cook. Do not keep them in a tightly sealed plastic bag. Whwn ready to go put them on the counter and look to make sure they are still live. 

Put them in the boiling water, bring it back to a boil. Watch for a color change from the dark color they came to the orangeish cooked lobster color. 

Cook 10 Minutes for the first pound and 3 minutes for each additional pound.

Serve with drawn butter.

Hope this helps.

AC


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## Lefty7887 (Dec 10, 2008)

Lobster Cooking Times

For boiling or steaming a lobster
Lobster Weight 	Cooking Time
1 - 1 ¼ lb. 	12 - 15 minutes
1 ¼ - 2 lb. 	15 - 20 minutes
2-3 lb. 	20 - 25 minutes
3-6 lb. 	25 - 28 minutes
6-7 lb. 	28 - 30 minutes 

I prefer them around 1 pound.  

more info here Lobsterhelp.com - How to Boil a Lobster


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## GB (Dec 10, 2008)

The advice given above is good. I prefer steaming my lobsters over boiling them. There is no taste difference, but steaming is less messy. When you crack open a boiled claw you have a gush of hot water pouring out. When you do the same with a steamed lobster you have a trickle, if anything. For steaming, but put a few inches of water in your pot and bring to a boil. If you have some clean river rocks or something else to elevate the lobsters off the bottom of the pot (steamer basket or something) then use that. Some people steam with beer or wine or other flavors, but I do not see the need. I use use straight water. Ocean water is great to use, but since you are not near the ocean just use tap water.

Drawn butter is great to serve with this lobster, but lately I have actually enjoyed using just melted butter.


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## buckytom (Dec 10, 2008)

oh, that gush of lobster water is great if you serve the monsters over a plate of potatoes. the spuds soak it up, giving you even more lobster deliciousness.

i prefer a 2 to 2 1/4 lb. lobster per person, or you could serve two 1 to 1 1/4 lb. lobsters per person. steamed or boiled is the best way, imo. unless you're very experienced with it, grilling or broiling dries them out.

after boiling or steaming, let it cool for a few minutes, then seperate the lobster by pulling off the claws/arms at the joint where it joins the carapace (large upper body section). next, grab the tail firmly in one hand, the carapace in the other and twist the tail away from the body.

seperate the claws from the arms, then crack the claws open with a mallet or the back of a heavy knife. seperate each arm section, and dig or push out the meat.

next, pull off the tail fins, and pull back on the side edges of the tail to crack it open, and push out the meat from the tail end out to the body opening. if it's too thick of a shell, use a shears to cut the underside of the tail open, then push out the meat.

and don't forget to pull of all of those little leglets! discard the section where it joined the body. then, using a rolling pin, squeeze out the meat by rolling it out.

man, am i hungry for lobster...


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## AllenOK (Dec 10, 2008)

Heck, *I'm* getting hungry for lobster, and it's 8:40 am when I'm posting this!


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## GB (Dec 10, 2008)

Nothing wrong with lobster for breakfast!


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## jennyema (Dec 10, 2008)

Lobsters under 1 1/4 pounds are called "chickens."

I prefer them a bit larger -- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds.  After all, they are a treat.
(side note:  lobsters are very cheap here these days.  cheaper than steak)

Anyway, I just put a huge pot of water salted with a heavy hand (should taste like seawater) on to boil and then drop them in headfist.  Put them in the freezer for 10 minutes beforehand if you want them calm, as sometimes they can fuss and that can be upsetting.


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## pacanis (Dec 10, 2008)

I have bought them from here as presents and the folks have been _very_ happy with them and the accompaniments (cheese cake, soups....). I'm pretty sure directions come with them. I know when someone sent me lobsters before I got directions on how to boil them, which basically amounted to sticking them in the boiling pot head first... Cooking lobsters is easier than boiling potatoes IMO (lol). And while I love lobster.... I _really love_ lobster tail. Just cut it down the length of the hard shell and into the meat, spread it open, and stick it under the broiler, basting with lemon butter until done. Whole lobster is cool, but I'd rather have a nice 14 oz or bigger tail.


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## Uncle Bob (Dec 10, 2008)

jennyemma said:
			
		

> Lobsters under 1 1/4 pounds are called "chickens."


 
Lobsters in the 1-3 oz size are called "Crawfish"


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 11, 2008)

Just a "FYI" - there was an interesting article in yesterday's New York Time's food section re: there being an actual glut of Maine lobsters at the moment resulting in their being at their lowest price in many years. Somehow that "lowest price" hasn't yet trickled down to Virginia. In fact, none of the new supermarkets that have recently opened up in our area even have lobster tanks. At this moment there is actually only ONE supermarket that still carries live lobster, & I absolutely DREAD the day when I might have to shell out the big bucks & mail-order them. 

I SO miss my Long Island, NY, days when we used to buy our lobsters (not Maine, but from Long Island Sound) right off the boats from the docks.  Many times when we were out boating on the Sound ourselves, we'd even draw up alongside a lobsterman & buy right from the boat in the middle of the Sound.  Talk about fresh!!!

Oh, & I always boil mine.  Large margin for error & you never end up with meat sticking to the shell as can happen with steaming &/or broiling.  And whether one-pounders or 3-pounders - always tender, never tough.


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## GB (Dec 11, 2008)

BreezyCooking said:


> Oh, & I always boil mine.  Large margin for error & you never end up with meat sticking to the shell as can happen with steaming &/or broiling.


I have never had lobster stick to the shell because of steaming. I have never even heard of that.


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## Jeekinz (Dec 11, 2008)

Here's how I do mine.

I use a 20 qt. stock pot.  You can make a basting sauce of your choice.  I prefer something along the lines of a beurre blanc with parsley.


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## Jeekinz (Dec 11, 2008)

Here's a way to make lobster stock using the lobster cooking water, shells and some veggies.

I froze it and used it for Bouillabaise later on.


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## jennyema (Dec 11, 2008)

The price of lobster has fallen so much that the lobstermen can't make any money on them and some have stopped harvesting them.  It costs more to run the boat and pay the crew than they can make selling them at the dock.


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## Jeekinz (Dec 11, 2008)

jennyema said:


> The price of lobster has fallen so much that the lobstermen can't make any money on them and some have stopped harvesting them. It costs more to run the boat and pay the crew than they can make selling them at the dock.


 
Any extras can be delivered to my house, please. 


Free beer!


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 11, 2008)

> I have never had lobster stick to the shell because of steaming. I have never even heard of that.


 
No offense meant GB, but it can & does happen.  You mentioned that you like steaming because you end up with zero water coming out when you break open the lobster.  However, if steamed just a bit too long, that same no-moisture factor can end up with the meat adhering - strongly - to the shell, especially in the claw & knuckle portions.  Can be very difficult to extract, & dry to boot as well with many threads of meat left behind.  My point re: boiling is that even if someone overcooks the lobster, the meat might end up a bit tough, but it'll still slide right out because of the extra moisture.  Overcooking when steaming can make that difficult.


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## jennyema (Dec 11, 2008)

I've had dry meat in the knuckles many a time in restaurants.  Maybe that was because they steamed or overcooked it.


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 11, 2008)

Unless it's a seaside place where they're definitely cooking the lobsters as they're ordered, I NEVER order whole lobster in a restaurant.

In fact, the one & only time I ever got sick from a lobster was years ago & when hubby & I (for one of the last times) dined at a "Red Lobster" during one of their "Lobster Fests".  They obviously cook the lobsters ahead of time & keep them under those infrared heat lamps.  The claws were so hard that we had to send them back for the kitchen to open.  Figure they took them out back & drove over them with a truck.  In hindsight, we should have sent my lobster back, but we persevered on.  I ended up with severe gastrointestinal distress that night that I totally attribute to that obviously too-long-held lobster.


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## GB (Dec 11, 2008)

BreezyCooking said:


> No offense meant GB, but it can & does happen.  You mentioned that you like steaming because you end up with zero water coming out when you break open the lobster.  However, if steamed just a bit too long, that same no-moisture factor can end up with the meat adhering - strongly - to the shell, especially in the claw & knuckle portions.  Can be very difficult to extract, & dry to boot as well with many threads of meat left behind.  My point re: boiling is that even if someone overcooks the lobster, the meat might end up a bit tough, but it'll still slide right out because of the extra moisture.  Overcooking when steaming can make that difficult.


No offense taken. I never said it does not happen. I only said I have never (in my hundreds of lobsters eaten) seen it.

Also, I never said there is no moisture in the steamed lobsters. I said when you crack open a steamed lobster you do not have that gush of hot water pouring out. The steamed lobsters I have had have been anything, but dry. 

There was a survey done of Boston seafood chefs not too long ago where they asked which they preferred, boiled or steamed. Just about every single chef said that they did not see a difference between the methods. The end result could be the same. None of them claimed that they would be able to tell, by taste, which lobster was boiled and which was steamed.


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## GB (Dec 11, 2008)

BreezyCooking said:


> Unless it's a seaside place where they're definitely cooking the lobsters as they're ordered, I NEVER order whole lobster in a restaurant.
> 
> In fact, the one & only time I ever got sick from a lobster was years ago & when hubby & I (for one of the last times) dined at a "Red Lobster" during one of their "Lobster Fests".  They obviously cook the lobsters ahead of time & keep them under those infrared heat lamps.  The claws were so hard that we had to send them back for the kitchen to open.  Figure they took them out back & drove over them with a truck.  In hindsight, we should have sent my lobster back, but we persevered on.  I ended up with severe gastrointestinal distress that night that I totally attribute to that obviously too-long-held lobster.


I am a little confused by this. Are you saying that because the shells were so hard that something was wrong?


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## Lefty7887 (Dec 11, 2008)

I think our boat price for lobsta is below $5 @ #.  I can ship on dry ice.


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## jennyema (Dec 11, 2008)

BreezyCooking said:


> Unless it's a seaside place where they're definitely cooking the lobsters as they're ordered, I NEVER order whole lobster in a restaurant..


 

Luckily I live next door to the ocean.


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## GB (Dec 11, 2008)

BreezyCooking said:


> Unless it's a seaside place where they're definitely cooking the lobsters as they're ordered, I NEVER order whole lobster in a restaurant.



I would never in a million years order a lobster from a restaurant that was not on the ocean. Lobster needs to be fresh and unless you can walk to the ocean from the restaurant (OK that is a bit of a minor exaggeration) then you will find me getting something else.


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## pacanis (Dec 11, 2008)

Us inlanders have to take what we can get. As long as they are alive before cooking, like clams or mussels, you should be fine ordering a whole lobster in a landlocked restaurant. Especially today.
That old oil boomtown in PA, Pithole, used to have them brought in every week. And that was by horse and wagon.


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 11, 2008)

GB - re: the lobster shell hardness - yes.  Neither my husband putting all his weight into using a cracker nor the waiter smacking them with a hammer - an actual claw hammer - could break these suckers open.  They were unbelievably dry - in fact, the whole lobster was very dry.  It definitely was not "fresh from" either a boiling or steamer pot.  I should have sent it back.  Having worked in the restaurant industry, I really believe that during "Lobster Fest", Red Lobster has (or used to have) a number of these beauties already cooked & out under heat lamps.  At least they did back then (this was in the '80's).

Like I said, both husband & I grew up on the waterfront, so definitely know what a decent lobster should be like.  Having one at Red Lobster when we had so many other options was just a severe lack of judgement at the time - lol!


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## GB (Dec 11, 2008)

I have never heard of shell hardness being a factor in a fresh lobster. Shell hardness has to do with how long the lobster has had that particular shell. I actually prefer the hard shelled lobsters. They are a pain in the neck to break into, but I find that the lobster fills out the shell more (it has been in the shell longer so the meat fills up the empty space) as opposed to a soft shell that has a lot of empty space inside where the meat one day would have been had the lobster had a chance to grow more.


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## Lefty7887 (Dec 11, 2008)

In the summer, generally July and August, lobsters shed their shells so that they can grow. Once the lobsters have shed their old shells, there are new, soft shells underneath. These shells will harden over the course of time and as the water gets colder. Since the lobsters shed their shells in order to have room for growth the following year, there is less meat inside a soft-shell lobster than there is in a hard-shell lobster of the same size. This also accounts for their lower prices.


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## Andy M. (Dec 11, 2008)

This is a quandry.  The hard-shelled lobsters are 'fuller' so you are getting close to the amount of meat the shell suggests.  But the shell is thicker and therefore heavier than a soft shell.

On the other hand, a soft-shelled lobster may not fill the shell but the shell itself weighs a lot less than a hard shell because it's so thin.  As a result, a higher percentage of the total weight is meat...

...I think.

So if you had a hard-shell lobster and it molted and became a soft-shell lobster of essentially the same size, you'd pay less for the whole lobster because of the thinner shell and you'd get the same amount of meat for less money.

The soft-shells appear to give you less because there is so much space between the shell and the meat that you feal 'cheated'.


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## GB (Dec 11, 2008)

Andy M. said:


> This is a quandry.  The hard-shelled lobsters are 'fuller' so you are getting close to the amount of meat the shell suggests.  But the shell is thicker and therefore heavier than a soft shell.
> 
> On the other hand, a soft-shelled lobster may not fill the shell but the shell itself weighs a lot less than a hard shell because it's so thin.  As a result, a higher percentage of the total weight is meat...
> 
> ...



The other thing to keep in mind though is that lobsters taste best when taken from cold waters. Summer is actually not the best time to eat lobster even though that is when the majority of people eat them. Lobsters from colder water are much sweeter. For me, I would rather pay a little more for the same amount of meat if it tastes better. I usually only get lobsters in the warm months though because I rarely cook them at home and only go to the ocean in the summer.


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 11, 2008)

You're totally missing the point here GB.

I never said that shell hardness had anything at all to do with freshness.  I've had literally thousands of hard-shell (& some recently molted soft-shell) lobsters over the years.  Shell hardness has nothing to do with freshness.

HOWEVER - if you cook a lobster & then leave it drying under heat lamps for an indefinite period, the shell eventually turns to CONCRETE.  That's the point I'm trying to make here.  Not that the lobster wasn't "fresh" when cooked, but that it was then left to sit for Lord knows how long under heat lamps.

Why I had serious gastro problems that night & the next day is anyone's guess, but it probably had more to do with the handling of that poor lobster than anything else.  Certainly not the shell hardness.


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## GB (Dec 11, 2008)

I was not missing your point breezy. Anyway, my point was that shells can be rock hard for plenty of reasons and that just because a shell is hard does not mean you did not get a good lobster.


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## pacanis (Dec 11, 2008)

Very interesting train of thought, Andy.
How about this, though; While you say the freshly molted lobster's shell is lighter, it is also _larger_ that the original shell, thus the reason for molting.... So which weighs less, the smaller hard shell or the larger soft shell? 
And.... if a lobster is like anything else that molts, it is in a weakened state, so may have even dropped a little weight during the molt.

Think about it. Just not too hard


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## GB (Dec 11, 2008)

Also, what is filling up the space inside the empty shell while the lobster is alive? Is it dead space or is it liquid of some sort or what? What is in there when it is weighed?


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## Andy M. (Dec 11, 2008)

My head hurts, I think I'll go lie down for a while.


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## Adillo303 (Dec 11, 2008)

Just to liven the game up a bit. I read that when a lobster is caught, it has had it's last food. From that time till cooked, it is living off storred food / fat / whatever. The ones that are air freighted are less time since their last meal and supposedly better tasting.

For extra credit, how about the cost to meat factor on a lobster that is just about to molt. Two shells to dealwith.

AC


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 11, 2008)

AndyM - I don't blame you - lol!!!!

Just relax.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. No need to add salt, the lobsters carry enough as it is.  I always laugh at folks who insist that lobsters need to be cooked in salted water.  Apparently they don't realize the amount of salt water that naturally exists in lobster flesh (shrimp too, for that matter).  Add 1 to 2 -pound lobsters.  If cooking more than 2 lobsters at a time, do them in batches.  Wait 15 minutes.  Remove & enjoy. Period. It's not rocket science.


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## Jeekinz (Dec 11, 2008)

This is starting to look like a knife thread.


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## pacanis (Dec 11, 2008)

Adillo303 said:


> Just to liven the game up a bit. I read that when a lobster is caught, it has had it's last food. From that time till cooked, it is living off storred food / fat / whatever. The ones that are air freighted are less time since their last meal and supposedly better tasting.
> 
> For extra credit, how about the cost to meat factor on a lobster that is just about to molt. *Two shells to dealwith*.
> 
> AC


 
Not necessarily, AC..... 
If it was a male lobster that just molted, they eat their shell. 
However, if it was a female, they mate right after molting.
I guess the girls figure they don't want to let that new shell go to waste


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## Kat (Dec 12, 2008)

Awesome, thanks for the info everyone!  I have always heard around here that it's too much work to do lobster and to just go to a restaurant, but that'll be easy as pie to do.  We'll probably get together and do it sometime in January after the holidays, so I'll let you all know how it goes.


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## Adillo303 (Dec 12, 2008)

You go Pacanis - Love your answer.

Jeeks - It certainly does, dosen,t it.

Typical DC - A lot of good information, some honest opinion and a thread of fun running through it.

BTW - Who layed on the bottom to watch what lobsters do with their shells after they molt?

AC


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 12, 2008)

Well - all this lobster talk + the NYT's article re: lower prices had me lusting for them, so this morning I bought 2 at our local WalMart (forgot that we do actually have 2 supermarkets rather than just one that carry live lobster - WalMart, as well as Giant).

Turns out not only were they a few dollars lower ($11.00/pound down from $14.00/pound a few weeks ago), but they must have just gotten this bunch in (from Canada) as they were shooting around the tank like rockets instead of just sitting on the bottom like slugs.  So I now have 2 of the devils sitting in a box in the fridge awaiting their boiled & lemon-buttered fate - lol!!  Also picked up some stuffed deviled crab while I was at it to enjoy as a starter.

Thanks a lot guys - like my wallet really needed this right now - lol!!!


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