LOBSTER INSTITUTE

BASICS: How to Start

The American lobster, Homarus americanus, is synonymous with the Maine coast. Even when it is trapped in other places on the east coast of North America, it is often referred to as "Maine lobster."

Lobsters have been fished commercially in Maine since the mid-1800s. In the past thirty years, the lobster has become a gourmet seafood item. Its sweet, tender meat has excited the palate of connoisseurs throughout the world. And, there is just nothing like the beautiful, bright red color of a freshly-cooked lobster.

Many people, however, are intimidated by lobsters. This book will explain how to buy, cook, and eat lobsters, and provide some delicious "tried-and-true" recipes for many ways to serve them.

When you buy a lobster, how do you tell if it's alive?
Only buy a live lobster. As long as the lobster is moving - either its legs, antennae, or flipping its tail - it is alive. Lobsters should always be alive before cooking. A cooked lobster should have a tail that is curled, indicating that it was alive when cooked.

How many lobsters do I need to buy?
If lobster is to be served whole, a 1- to 2-pound lobster serves one person.

How many live lobsters make a pound of meat?
It is difficult to say exactly how many live lobsters it takes to make a pound of meat, mainly because lobsters contain more meat at different times of the year. According to Donald Look of A. M. Look Canning Company of East Machias, in the middle of the winter when lobsters are most full of meat, it takes about 41/2 pounds of live lobsters to get a pound of meat. However, in the late summer, when lobsters have shed, it takes about nine 1-pound live lobsters to get a pound of meat.

How many cups of lobster meat are in one pound?
Approximately two cups of meat equal one pound.

How do you hold a lobster so you aren't pinched?
Hold it at the end of the carapace where it joins the tail (Figure 1). Many cooks prefer to leave the bands on the claws when they cook lobsters to avoid being pinched. (Bands also prevent lobsters from damaging themselves.)

If you cook lobsters with rubber bands on the claws, does it make them taste like rubber?
Tests conducted at the University of Maine showed there was no taste difference between lobsters cooked with rubber bands on the claws and those cooked with no bands.

How do you pack live lobsters to travel?
Put lobsters in a styrofoam or insulated outer box packed with ice. To prevent lobsters from coming into contact with fresh water, ice should be enclosed in plastic bags. Cover lobsters with seaweed if possible. Lobsters packed in ice will last at least a day.

How long can you keep live lobsters in a refrigerator? How long will they stay alive?
Live lobsters can be kept for approximately 12 hours under refrigerated conditions although most will survive for at least 24 hours. Keep them covered with a damp cloth or a layer of seaweed to provide moisture. Live lobsters cannot be stored in fresh water or enclosed in plastic bags.

How long can you keep cooked lobster in the refrigerator?
It will probably be good for 3 to 4 days.

When is lobster less expensive to buy? Why?
In Maine, lobsters are less expensive from the end of August to the beginning of Novemeber because that is when most lobsters are harvested.

What's the difference between a hard-shell and soft-shell lobster? Is one a better bargain?
When a lobster outgrows its shell, it molts and discards or "sheds" the old shell. It then has a soft shell and is called a "shedder." As the lobster feeds, its shell hardens, and it adds meat to its body. Soft-shell lobsters have less meat than hard-shell lobsters, but their shells also weigh less. Since you buy lobsters according to their weight, they are about the same in terms of price. It should be noted, however, that hard-shell lobsters usually survive longer in the refrigerator than ones that have soft shells.

Is it okay to eat a soft-shell lobster?
Yes. Some people prefer soft-shell lobsters because they say the meat is a little sweeter and they don't need any tools to crack them apart.

How often does a lobster molt?
Lobsters molt about twenty-five times in the first 5 to 7 years of their lives. After that time, they molt less frequentlyÑabout once a year. After a molt, it takes months for a shell to harden and fill with meat.

How much do lobsters gain in size when they shed?
They increase about 20 percent each time.

How much water is necessary to boil a lobster? Should you use salt water?
Put one to two inches of water in the bottom of the pot to steam lobsters, or allow 21/2 quarts of water per lobster if you want to boil them. You don't have to use saltwater, but some people believe lobsters taste better if you add salt to the water or use seawater, which contains 21/2 to 3 percent salt. (For complete instructions on how to cook lobsters, read further in this chapter.)

How do you tell when a lobster is done?
If the antennae pull out easily, the lobster is done.

Why do lobsters turn red when they are cooked?
A live lobster is greenish-brown because of many different color pigment chromatophores. When it is cooked, all the pigments are masked except for astaxanthin, which is the background red pigment.

Does lobster contain much fat or cholesterol?
Lobster (without butter) is very low in calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol. It has less fat than flounder, and about the same amount of cholesterol. Lobster meat also contains omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, the substances that seem to reduce hardening of the arteries and decrease the risk of heart disease. (Figure 2)

What part of the lobster is tomalley?
The tomalley functions like a combination intestine, liver, and pancreas in the lobster. Some people think this is the best part of the lobster to eat.

Is it necessary to remove the black vein in the tail before eating?
It won't hurt you, but some people prefer to remove it because it is the intestine which is part of the digestive system and does not taste very good.

What is the sac? Why remove it?
The sac is the stomach of the lobster and is located behind the eyes. Many recipes say that the sac should be removed because it can be filled with shell particles, bones from bait, and digestive juices that are not very tasty.

What is the red part that you sometimes see inside a lobster?
These are the roe or unfertilized eggs which have not been extruded. It is called "coral" and some people find it very tasty.

Are there parts of a lobster that are poisonous?
No

What are "culls"?
Lobsters that have lost one or both claws. It takes three or four molts for a lobster to regenerate a claw to full size.

Why does a lobster drop a claw?
A lobster can drop a claw as a defense mechanism and grow another over a period of years.

What are chickens, quarters, selects, and jumbos?
The following common terms are used to describe the size of lobsters, according to the Maine Department of Marine

Resources: 1-pound: chickens
1-pound to 11/8-pound: heavy chickens
11/4-pound: quarters
11/2- to 13/4-pound: selects
2-pound: deuces or 2-pounders
2- to 21/4-pound: heavy selects
21/4- to 21/2-pound: small jumbos
Over 21/2-pound to approximately 4-pound: jumbos

What are "shorts" or "snappers"?
They are undersized lobsters that a lobsterman throws back into the ocean so they can grow to legal size.

What are "canner" lobsters?
Canners are smaller lobsters caught only in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada. At one time, all of these lobsters went into a cannery. Since the water is warmer in this area, lobsters mature at a smaller size. It is legal to catch small lobsters only in this region.

Are large lobsters tougher than small lobsters?
Most people think there is no difference in tenderness between the meat of small and large lobsters. However, cooking a lobster for too long can make it tough. Also, according to some people, meat from soft-shell lobsters is more tender than that from hard-shell lobsters.

How old is an old lobster?
No one has yet found a way to determine the exact age of a lobster because it sheds its shell every time it molts.

Is the "Maine lobster," Homarus americanus, found only in Maine?
No, it's found on the east coast from Newfoundland to North Carolina. There are many other kinds of lobsters found in other parts of the world.

Is a crayfish a baby lobster?
No. Crayfish are related to lobsters but they live in fresh or brackish water. Lobsters live only in saltwater.

Ruth Lane, Secretary/Treasurer of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, wrote the following letter when she was asked to contribute some recipes for our cookbook:

"Enclosed are some recipes I found. I don't eat enough lobster that I'm ever tired of them plain boiled. I tried a few of the recipes but I found I had a hard time being objective. I like lobster plain.

I asked a few of my friends but they eat lobster plain, too. I made some of the casseroles and fed it to the kids. 'Too bad to cover up the taste of lobster,' they said. Oh well, what can I say? We like it plain."

The two most common ways to cook lobsters are steaming and boiling. Most fishermen prefer to steam lobsters.

To steam lobsters, put about 2 inches of seawater or salted fresh water in the bottom of a large kettle. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Put in the live lobsters, one at a time, grasping just behind the claws. Let the water boil again and begin timing. Allow 18 minutes for a 1- to 11/4-pound hard-shell lobster and 20 minutes for a 11/2-pound hard-shell lobster. If the lobster has a soft shell, reduce the cooking time by 3 minutes.

To boil lobsters, fill a large kettle three-quarters full of water. If seawater is not available, add 2 tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. A good rule of thumb is to allow 21/2 quarts of water for each lobster. Bring the water to a boil. Put in the live lobsters one at a time and let the water boil again. Lower the heat, cover the kettle, and simmer about 15 minutes for 1-to

11/4-pound hard-shell lobsters and 20 minutes for 11/2- to 2-pound hard-shell lobsters. Again, soft-shell lobsters take a little less time, so reduce the cooking time by 3 minutes. When the antennae pull out easily, the lobsters are done. Serve whole lobster, either hot or cold, with a side dish of melted butter.

1. Twist off the large claws.

2. Crack each claw with a nutcracker, pliers, knife, hammer, or rock.

3. Separate the tail from the body by arching the back until it cracks.

4. Break off the tail flippers.

5. Insert a fork (or a thumb) and push the tail meat out in one piece. Remove and discard the black vein which runs the entire length of the tail.

6. Unhinge the back shell from the body. The green part in the body cavity is the tomalley, which many people consider the most delicious part of the lobster. The coral-colored roe is also edible.

7. Open the body by cracking it apart sideways. Lobster meat lies in the four pockets (or joints) where the small walking legs are attached. The small walking legs also contain excellent meat which can be removed by sucking.

1. Place the lobster on its back. Cross the large claws over its head and hold firmly with your left hand. Make a deep, quick incision with a sharp, pointed knife and draw the knife quickly down the entire length of the body and tail.

2. Spread the lobster flat. Remove the tomalley and roe. Break the intestinal vein where it is attached to the end of the tail. With your fingers remove the sac or stomach. This will break the other end of the intestinal tract. Remove the intestine. Clean the cavity by holding under cold running water, if necessary. Drain well.

1. Plunge the tip of a heavy knife into a live lobster between its head and first segment. Lobster may show signs of movement for a few minutes.

2. Peg the tail to prevent curling by inserting a wooden skewer lengthwise through the meat. At this time, or after the lobster is cooked, cut through the under shell of the body and remove the intestinal vein and small sac below the head.

3. Arrange lobster in a 9x12-inch baking dish with the back down and add 1/2 cup hot water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap turning back a corner to vent. Microwave on high, turning over after 6 minutes. Total cooking time is 9 to 12 minutes.

1. Snap tails off live lobsters. Remove and discard the under shell on the tail section. Insert skewer lengthwise through the tail at both ends to prevent curling as it cooks or clamp tightly in a double wire broiler.

2. Place lobsters shell side down on grill grates set in high position. Grill for 5 minutes on medium heat. Turn tails during cooking, grilling the other side for 6 to 7 minutes. Return tails to shell side down position and baste meat with melted butter mixed with lemon juice.

To insert the skewer:
Make sure the skewer pierces the hard shell at both ends. Put as many tails as will fit on a skewer. Repeat.

Gregory Griffin, Cape Elizabeth

Melt butter in a skillet and put in cooked lobster meat. Fry until meat is a bit browned. Add vinegar to taste.

Louise Alley, South Bristol

head, shells, and legs of 2 or more lobsters
2 quarts water (including water in which lobsters were cooked)
1/2 cup onion, chopped or sliced
1/2 cup celery, chopped, plus a handful of celery leaves
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 clove garlic, halved
2 or 3 sprigs of fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon parsley flakes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small bay leaf
5 or 6 whole peppercorns
2 or 3 whole cloves or allspice
1/4 teaspoon thyme or sage

1. Bring all ingredients to a rolling boil, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool, strain, and refrigerate.

2. Pour into 1-pint (or 8-ounce) containers, leaving expansion space. Label and freeze. This stock may be used as a court bouillon for cooking shrimp, in sauces for fish, or for bisques.

Linda Kelsey, South Bristol

1. After lobsters have cooked the proper time (see How to Cook Lobsters on page 8), remove from cooker and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. Remove from shell, following directions of How to Eat Lobsters. Remove tail first, pull back tail flap, and remove vein. Throw away any lobster tail meat that doesn't come out whole or that crumbles into small sections.

2. Place all meat into a saltwater bath made by mixing 1/4 cup salt with 1 gallon water. Stir gently, then rinse in colander, and package. It may be stored in the refrigerator or frozen.

Bob Brown, Lusty Lobster, Portland

The recipes in this book were contributed by the women of the lobster industry. Many of them were handed down from their mothers or grandmothers and call for whole, natural ingredients. With the increasing emphasis on diets that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol, we decided to include some substitutions that contain fewer calories and less fat, but still make the dishes taste delicious.