Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

[rbh]

So, the wife thought it would be a nice treat to order in a couple live lobster as the grocery store was having a promotion #1 pounders, $10 bucks each for live atlantic lobster.

So I am headen down to the store in an hour to pick them up, but here is the kicker, once I get them, what do I do with them.
We are eating around 6pm PST how do you store them and when you go to boil them up do you kill them first or just drop them in to the boiling water??


Thanks

Rob


(PJ, I will trade you a #1 pound lobster for a 5 pound dungeness crab?? this is a good trade bud )

 

[wifisher]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Store them in a pail, or whatever you have laying around. No need to worry about keeping them in water at that point.

No need to kill them before cooking. Some people think it is inhumane is the only reason for pre-killing.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

So, the wife thought it would be a nice treat to order in a couple live lobster as the grocery store was having a promotion #1 pounders, $10 bucks each for live atlantic lobster.

So I am headen down to the store in an hour to pick them up, but here is the kicker, once I get them, what do I do with them.
We are eating around 6pm PST how do you store them and when you go to boil them up do you kill them first or just drop them in to the boiling water??


Thanks

Rob


(PJ, I will trade you a #1 pound lobster for a 5 pound dungeness crab?? this is a good trade bud )

Keep them in the bag the grocery store gives you and put them in the fridge. Live lobster can live in the fridge for a day with out water. The cold of the refrigerator slows down their metabolism, so they are basically sleeping in there.

You don't want to kill the lobster before you cook them. Pretty much from the moment they die their digestive system starts digesting their innards if you kill them before you cook them which is no good. It's actually law here in MA and allot of other states that lobster needs to be sold live or cooked for this reason.

I would suggest steaming them rather than boiling. An inch and a half to two inches of water in an appropriate sized pot will do.

Final note; If you feel at all guilty about dropping them in the water live, don't. A Lobsters nervous system is about the equivalency of a cockroach (both are bugs), you wouldn't feel guilty about stepping on a cockroach right?

P.S. Heres a link on steaming you can use when you go to cook your bugs;
http://www.lobsterhelp.com/steaming-lobster.html

10-12 minutes for 1 - 1 1/4 lb bugs. Make sure you've got crackers, picks and drawn butter ready!

 

[aspeck]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

What they said ... but don't over cook them or you will have rubbery lobster ... just enough to change their color.

 

[rbh]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Thanks guys!

How much meat are we going to get out of a #1 pounder???

And drawn butter, what do I have to do??

 

[sasto]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

I yank the tail off....split it on the bottom side....and put them on the grill. YUMMMMMY!

 

[sasto]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

I split these on the topside just as they were done

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Thanks guys!

How much meat are we going to get out of a #1 pounder???

And drawn butter, what do I have to do??

Depends if they are hard shell or soft. Hard shell you will get a little more meat out of them but it may be slightly firmer. Soft shell will be less meat, the meat is a little softer, and some say sweeter.

If you know what your doing, you can maximize how much meat you get out of them. The claws and tails are obvious. Make sure you pull the meat out of the "knuckles" from the body to the claw. You can get some meat out of the legs with a pick too. If you open up the body, the cells around where the legs connect to body have pockets of meat. If you feel adventurous, the green stuff in the body known as the "tamale" is good eating. Almost like lobster bisque. Some frown upon eating it, because it's liver, and may contain toxins. I say go for it.

All in all, you will get probably 6-8 ounces of meat out of it.

As for drawn butter, I just throw a stick of butter in a pot on the stove, or put it in the microwave for a little over a minute.
That's fine for me. The purists who want real drawn butter go through the process of melting down the butter and separating the solids from the oil.
Here's the process if you want to try it; http://www.ehow.com/how_2303670_make-drawn-butter.html

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

I split these on the topside just as they were done

Spiny lobster tails huh? I've had those before. Not too bad, but certainly a different flavor from Maine/Atlantic lobster.

If I remember correctly, I think the spiny lobster actually croaks (dies) once they take it out of the water too.

 

[rbh]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Well the bugs are in the fridge!

Just keep them in the plastic bag, no pot with water????

Wife goes after I tell her the bugs are in the fridge that she got a flash back of men in black when the **** roach goes "damn decent of you ol'e chap" when the guy doesn't step on him.

 

[oddjob]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Hi Sasto, what kind of steak is that is the bread at the top.?

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

I've also heard that if you want to be more humane, put them in a pot of cold water and slowly heat it up, less of a shock I guess.

My pick is the grill. Mmmm, enjoy!

 

[mike64]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Yeah, live lobsters. I just drop em live into a pot of boiling water, like others have said. Sometimes the simplest ways are the best. I like that green tomalley (liver) too-- it's like lobster-flavored butter. I like to steam up some asparagus and roll the top of a spear in the tomalley. And in addition to digging the meat out of the knuckles, break off the little legs along the side and suck the last morsels of meat out like a straw. Yes, I likes me some live lobster.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Well the bugs are in the fridge!

Just keep them in the plastic bag, no pot with water????

Wife goes after I tell her the bugs are in the fridge that she got a flash back of men in black when the **** roach goes "damn decent of you ol'e chap" when the guy doesn't step on him.

Yep, just keep them in the bag, no water........ unless you got a tank with sea water and a bubbler to circulate/aerate the water

 

[Robbabob]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Well the bugs are in the fridge!

Just keep them in the plastic bag, no pot with water????

Wife goes after I tell her the bugs are in the fridge that she got a flash back of men in black when the **** roach goes "damn decent of you ol'e chap" when the guy doesn't step on him.

Hey Rob,

No need for fridge, really, but I guess it doesn't matter. Unless you have sea water, no point in putting them in water.

Remember to take off the rubber bands and then put them in head first, not tail first. Tail first will have them wanting to jump out at you; head first will be more "humane" as they say ;-)

Allow for lobster room in the pot when filling with water. Easy to have too much water and get spillage. You want this to be a fun and enjoyable experience, not scared and panic.

Option: add creole powder to the water. You'd be surprised how much you can add before you can taste it in the meat; meaning, add a lot.

Ennnnjoyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

 

[rbh]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Great advise guys

THANK YOU!!

Robbabob, wuz creole powder, I think it is a southern states thing, right??

What is in it.

Rob

 

[Philip_G]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Guess I'm in the minority, I sever the nerve just behind the head just as they're going in, I find live lobster knocking on the side of the pot to get out can be off putting to my guests. I usually steam them though.

I never understood the head down thing either? Don't lobster swim backwards?

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

I'm not sure about creole powder, but OLD BAY makes an excellent spice mix for seafood that I add to the water for my lobsters and crabs.

 

[Robbabob]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Great advise guys

THANK YOU!!

Robbabob, wuz creole powder, I think it is a southern states thing, right??

What is in it.

Rob

It may be a southern states thing... "Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning" has Salt, Red Pepper, Garlic and other spices. here's a link http://www.tonychachere.com/

I never looked for it before I moved here... never did the 'low country boil' as it's called.

Good Eatin'!

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Fresh lobster, still kicken sorta

Great advise guys

THANK YOU!!

Robbabob, wuz creole powder, I think it is a southern states thing, right??

What is in it.

Rob

It would be a way to change the wonderful taste of Atlantic lobster into the flavor of a crawdad boil.

Let the flavor of the lobster speak for itself.