Par Cooked Lobsters Recipes

LOBSTER RECIPES - FOR COOKED LOBSTER OR CRAYFISH

Steps:

• If lobster was frozen, thaw lobster overnight in a bowl or tray (with sides to catch liquid). Drain well before use.
• Cut between head and tail: Insert a small knife at a 45 degree angle into the gap between the tail and head. Cut along the top and sides through to the middle - no need to do underneath.
• Separate head from tail: Twist the tail to separate it from the head. It will pull out meat from the head as well.
• Clean: Scrape or trim off any yellow of black residue on the end that came out of the head.
• Cut underside: Cut down both sides of the soft shell on the underside of the tail. Then peel it back like a can of sardines to reveal the lobster flesh.
• Remove flesh: Carefully remove the flesh - it should come off the shell cleanly.
• Remove poop vein - if you see a poop vein (black "string" down the back of the lobster tail meat), then carefully pull it out. If you stretch the meat out straight, you should be able to pull it out in one go. Otherwise, pick it out when you slice it. (Sometimes poop vein is thick, sometimes barely there!)
• Residual meat in head: There will be some residual meat in the head that can be used. The yellow "mustard" (called tomalley) has very intense lobstar flavour but is an acquired taste... I do not eat it!
• How to serve: Lobster tail meat can be served whole, sliced into thick or thin pieces or diced, depending on use. I do not recommend shredded as it loses juiciness.
• Make Sauce per the Dipping Sauces recipe.
• Serve alongside lobster for dipping. Either cut the lobster into bite size pieces, or serve whole for people to cut themselves. Plate it up individually or on a share platter.
• Make the Prawn Cocktail recipe but substitute prawn for lobster cut into small bite size pieces.
• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once foamy, add garlic and cook until light golden. Remove from stove, add lemon juice and parsley.
• Serving: Pour into serving bowl and serve alongside lobster. Garnish with parsley leaves and lemon wedges.
• Eating: Let people either dip in bite size pieces or drizzle over lobster, plated up indivudually or on a share style plate. Mop plate clean with crusty bread!
• Make the sauce per the Lemon Browned Butter Sauce recipe.
• Slice the lobster into bite size pieces. Pile onto plate or arrange on indivudual plates. Sprinkle with salt (necessary as browned butter is unsalted).
• Serving: Drizzle with some browned butter, then serve more on the side. Garnish with parsley leaves and lemon wedges.
• Eating: To eat, dip or drizzle lobster with more browned butter. Mop plate clean with crusty bread!
• Blitz ingredients in a Nutribullet or small food processor until it becomes a paste. It should be smooth but a bit of courseness for texture ie don't blend into a smoothie.
• Slice lobster into bite size pieces. Arrange on indvidual plates or share plate. Drizzle little dollops of salsa verde over lobster - don't go overboard, the flavour is quite strong!
• Garnish with lemon wedges & parlsey leaves, serve.
• Place lobster in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, lemon, chives, celery, green onions, salt and pepper. Gently toss to coat.
• Split then generously butter buns or rolls. Stuff generously! Makes 2 mini brioche buns or 3 round rolls.

PAR-COOKED LOBSTERS

Steps:

• Place lobsters in a container with tight-fitting lid. Cover with cold water, remove lobsters and measure water. Pour water into another large pot, and add 1 tablespoon vinegar for every quart of water. Boil.
• Return lobsters to lidded container. Pour the hot water over them, cover and steep 2 minutes for 1 1/2-pound lobsters, 3 minutes for 2-pound lobsters. Remove lobsters. Reserve water in container.
• Pull off lobster claws and knuckles, and return to hot water for 5 minutes. Twist off tails, and discard bodies.
• Snip through bottom sides of tail shells with shears. Remove meat. Discard shells. Cut tail meat in half lengthwise. Remove vein running through top of meat. Place meat on a platter lined with paper towel, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Remove claws from hot water. Twist off knuckles, and reserve. Hold claw, pull down on small pincer and pull it off. Use heavy shears to snip shell at knuckle end enough to open it; remove meat in one piece. Add to platter with tail meat.
• Use shears to snip through the knuckle shell, pry open and remove meat. Add to the platter.

PAN-ROASTED LOBSTERS

Steps:

• Kill the lobsters with a sharp-pointed knife plunged into the body behind the head.
• Remove the bands from the claws. Twist off the tails, and carefully split lengthwise. Twist the claws and knuckles off the bodies; separate the claws from the knuckles. Crack the claws a little using a sharp blow with the back of a knife. Split the bodies. Remove the intestinal tract from the tail meats. Arrange the lobsters in a single layer in an ovenproof baking dish, tail and body shells down. Sprinkle sea salt (preferably from Maine) and black pepper over the lobster meat, followed by a generous dressing with the olive oil.
• Preheat the oven to its hottest temperature setting. (See Cook's Note)
• In a non-reacting skillet filmed with a little melted butter, saute the mushrooms over high heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Place the lobsters in the oven, and roast until the shells are almost uniformly red and the meat is opaque, as long as 7 or 8 minutes in a home oven.
• Remove the lobsters from the oven. Add the mushrooms and shallots. Pour the hard cider over the lobsters, and scatter the butter pieces around the dish. Place the lobsters back in the oven, and continue roasting, checking frequently, until the butter has completely melted, about 2 or 3 minutes. Swirl the pan to combine the liquid ingredients into a saucy emulsion. Check the seasonings and adjust with more sea salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the lobsters on dinner plates and spoon the sauce over them.

STEAMED LOBSTERS

Steps:

• Choose a pot with a tight-fitting lid that is large enough to fit the lobsters comfortably with enough room for the steam to circulate around them. Wrap the lid tightly with a kitchen towel. Place a steamer basket or an upturned colander in the pot, and pour in cold water to a depth of about 2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, put the lobsters on a cutting board. Place the tip of a large, heavy knife at the cross marks on the back of a lobster's head. In one quick motion cut down through the head to the cutting board. Repeat with the remaining lobsters.
• To keep the tails straight and ensure even cooking, slip a thin wooden skewer through the length of the lobster's tails.
• When the water is boiling, quickly add the lobsters to the pot and cover. Steam the lobsters, shaking the pot occasionally, until cooked through, about 8 minutes for 3/4 to 1 pound lobsters, about 10 minutes for 1 to 1 1/4 pound lobsters, and about 11 minutes for 1 1/2 to 2 pound lobsters.
• Remove the lobsters from the pot and, if you are serving them whole, set them aside for several minutes to rest. Using the back of the heavy knife or a mallet crack the claws. Transfer the lobsters to plates and serve with drawn butter and lobster claw crackers.
• To remove all the meat from the lobster: Transfer the lobster to a colander in the sink and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking. Using your hands, twist the claws, knuckles, and tails off of the lobsters. Reserve the bodies for making broth.
• On a work surface, rest the tails on their sides and, using the palm of your hand, press down on them to crack the shells. Holding a tail with both hands, with the belly facing you, break the tail shell back and pop out the meat. Repeat with the remaining tails. If you have female lobsters (the swimmerets at top of the tail are soft and have hair-like wisps protruding from them), you may want to prepare coral butter, (recipe follows) with the roe. The roe are the dark green eggs located in the body and the top of the tail. Carefully cut open the top of the tail and the body and remove the roe.
• Grab the "thumb" of a lobster claw and move it back and forth. Try to wiggle the shell off of the meat while pulling out the internal piece of cartilage, leaving the meat attached to the claw (this is a tricky maneuver, if it doesn't work you should be able to shake the meat out). Place the claw horizontally upright with the curve of the claw facing up. Using the heavy part of the blade of the knife, with a short and swift motion, crack the back end of the claw. Drop the claw to its side and, with the back of the knife, crack the side of the back of the claw. Remove the cracked back end of the claw and wiggle the meat out from the shell. Repeat with the remaining claws.
• Place the knuckles on the work surface and cover with a kitchen towel. Using the back of the knife, crack the knuckles. Using your hands, remove the shell from the knuckles and carefully pick out the meat. You may also use kitchen shears to cut open the knuckles and remove the meat.
• Place the butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute.
• Set the saucepan aside and let the butter settle, undisturbed. The milk solids will come to the top of the butter and the watery whey will collect on the bottom. Skim off the milk solids with a spoon and pour the drawn butter into a serving bowl or several small ramekins, taking care not include the watery liquid in the bottom of the pan. Serve.
• Yield: about 1 cup
• Place the butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute.
• Set the saucepan aside and let the butter settle, undisturbed. The milk solids will come to the top of the butter and the watery whey will collect on the bottom. Skim off the milk solids with a spoon and pour the drawn butter into a small bowl. Wipe out the sauce and return the drawn butter to it.
• Place the roe in a medium bowl and whisk lightly to break it up. Heat the butter over medium heat until just hot. Gradually pour the warmed butter over the roe, while whisking, until the eggs turn bright red. Serve with lobster or other shellfish.
• Yield: about 1 cup

THE BEST WAY TO COOK AND EAT LOBSTER

Steps:

• 1. Choose live lobsters about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each, figuring on half a lobster per person. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the lobsters in the water head-first, cover, and return the pot to a boil. Cook lobsters until they are bright red and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
• 2. Remove the lobsters from the water with tongs and let rest for 4 to 5 minutes to settle. Lay each cooked lobster on its back on a cutting board. Cut in half, down the center from the head to the tail. Carefully pull the shell apart with your hands. Remove the gills and the stomach sac behind the head and discard. Remove the intestinal vein. Leave the roe in place.
• 3. Before eating, tie on a bib. Start by separating the lobster's head from the tail by twisting it off. Next, remove the tail meat from its shell with a small, dull knife (or your fingers!). Crack the claws and remove the meat with a pick. Now suck the meat from the legs. Eat up and have fun!