Going out to eat lobsters usually turns out to be a very expensive affair. Why spend extra at restaurants when you can easily prepare lobsters at home like a pro? People who have adopted a pescatarian diet might also benefit from learning additional ways of preparing lobsters.
Lobsters do not have bones inside, but they do have a hard outer shell called the exoskeleton. This shell is what is intimidating about crustaceans to most people. Breaking the shell is easy with some kitchen shears, a chef’s knife, and your bare hands.
Lobsters decompose quickly once they die, so if you use a dead lobster for cooking, you could end up with a mushy dish. While purchasing, you should always look for a live and active lobster.
You can freeze lobsters for about 20 to 30 minutes to stun them before cooking. Beware of overcooking a lobster, as it makes the meat tough and chewy. The size of a lobster usually lies between the range of 1 to 4 pounds. For the best taste and portion, choose lobsters that are between 1½ to 2 ½ pounds.
The simplest and most often used method of preparing a lobster is boiling it. However, steaming a lobster (6 minutes per pound) is the preferred alternative for the best flavour.
Preparing lobsters:
Grilled Lobster:
Grilling a lobster is an easy and delicious way of preparing it. For those who can cook it outside, do it over a charcoal/ wood-fired/ gas grill. For best results, lobsters need to be halved, cleaned, blanched and brushed with lemon-garlic butter and seasoning before grilling.
For best results: lobsters need to be halved, cleaned, blanched, then brushed with some lemon-garlic butter and butter, and finished off with seasoning prior to grilling.
It is essential to watch the heat of the grill, as you do not want to overcook the lobster. You can also use the oven to grill the lobsters. Consider serving lobster with lemon wedges and a creamy sauce for additional taste. Use the lobster shells to make stock or to enhance the flavours of other lobster dishes.
Lobster roll:
For these rolls, you warm some cooked lobster meat with butter. Stuff it into some long hot dog rolls with some lettuce, salt, black pepper, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Serve with some potato fries.
Lobster fritters:
A creative way to prepare lobsters is to make fritters. To make the fritters, clean and boil a 1 ½ pound lobster. Remove the meat, coarsely chop it and cool it. Mix the meat with a cup of all-purpose flour, ¾ cup of buttermilk, an egg yolk, boiled and cooled sweet corn kernels (from one cob), minced chives, and a tbsp of melted butter.
Fold in an egg white (beaten to soft peaks), and half tsp each of baking powder and baking soda. Add some salt and pepper. Drop dollops of this batter into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Serve with a mint/basil mayo dip.
Bring out the best of your grilled/steamed lobster dish by pairing it with good side dishes, like a tangy tomato salad, corn, or grilled vegetables. You no longer have to wait for an occasion for a fancy lobster dinner. Just prepare it at home with confidence and enjoy!