Maine Lobster
- Live Main Lobster *
- Sea Salt
Fill a large pot with enough water to cover lobster plus three inches. Add 1 tbl of sea salt per quart of water and bring to a full rolling boil.
Holding live lobster by the tail with claws down, place lobster into pot.
Boil lobster 8 minutes for 1st pound plus 1½ minutes for each additional pound.
After removing from pot, spray cold water over lobster to stop the end of the tail and the claws from overcooking.
Lobster can be eaten immediately or refrigerated for later and eaten cold.
* Note: Unlike warm water lobsters without large claws (South African, Brazilian, Florida, etc.) , larger Maine lobsters are not tougher. The larger a Maine lobster is, the more meat is obtainable per pound and per dollar.
After a lobster molts its shell, its new shell is soft with additional room for the lobster to grow into and thus contains more water and less meat. In addition, the lobster is using much of its energy to grow its new shell and so has less fat and its meat may be less flavorful. Therefore, if you have the choice, it is better to purchase what is known as a "hard-shell" or "full" lobster.
