How to Cook Lobster: Maine Lobster Recipe
Preparing Maine lobster is a continental culinary pleasure defining New England food. The rich taste well-aligned with sweet and tender meat makes it widely regarded as the gold standard of seafood lovers! Sounds delightful! Right? Speculating how to cook lobster? We’ve got you! Just make sure to use fresh lobster and determine the timings. The use of only a few basic ingredients, such as butter, lemon, and herbs, can make one feel lavish at home! Our guide to this recipe will ease you with every process! Be it selecting the right lobster or offering it in a beautiful way, making every bite taste from the Maine.
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We know cooking can be a mess! Likewise, cooking lobster at home may sound a rocket science, but it is not as challenging as it appears to be. The trick of how to cook lobster is to know how to work with it and cook it in a safe way and still have a rich taste of lobster. Don’t forget the freshness! You should prepare and eat the Maine lobsters fresh. Try not to miss out on the embellishments. It’ll allow the dish to be more delightful and presentable. Thus, if you’re celebrating a special dinner or just rewarding yourself with a taste of the coast, knowing how to cook a lobster properly will work wonders! It may turn a normal dinner into a dining experience, bringing you an ocean buttery flavor and fishy freshness!
Choosing the Right Lobster
The most important step to follow when making a Maine lobster recipe is the choice of lobster. When you’re purchasing live lobsters, you should always seek out those that are alive and that move well with their tails curled up when lifted. The shells are supposed to be hard. It means that the lobster has just been scaled and is full of meat.
However, lobsters that are 5.5 to 5.9 pounds are tender. So, we suggest that those are easy to cook evenly to bring out the best flavor. Now, coming to the things you shouldn’t do! Never take a lobster that looks slow or has a broken shell. It will affect the overall texture and flavor negatively. And, to attain that Maine taste, freshness is important!
The lobsters in Maine are valued because of their juicy meat and cold water. So, in cases of availability, purchase the lobsters directly, and preferably from reputable seafood markets or suppliers. They would ensure providing you with lobsters that are stored in cold and clean saltwater tanks. Coming to the hard-shell lobsters, you can have their best version when boiled or steamed, like in the steamed lobster tails recipe. On the other hand, the soft-shell lobsters work best in recipes such as lobster rolls or grilled lobster tails recipe. Now, if you couldn’t purchase fresh lobsters for some reasons, you can definitely use flash-frozen products of well-known suppliers in Maine to keep up with the best flavor.
How Long to Cook Lobster
If you are searching for how to cook lobster, then how long to cook a lobster important equally! It’s highly important because overcooking of lobster might make it tough and rubbery. To boil a lobster, place it in a plenty of boiled water. The water needs to be salty! Check it before you put in the lobsters. It will require approximately 8 to 10 minutes if the lobster is 1 pound. This lobster that weighs 5.5 pounds requires some 12 minutes. But, if you choose to steam it, instead of boiling, you must add 2 more minutes more. Are you looking for the signs to know it’s ready? Look at the lobster’s shell. It becomes bright red, and the meat within becomes white and opaque, when ready! However, the last thing you want to cook is two or more lobsters in a large pot!
Time also varies depending on the cooking technique that you are using. In case of grilled or baked lobster tails recipe, the total time should be around 8 to 10 minutes, with a midway flip required for an even cooking. When steaming or poaching whole lobsters, you can just watch the antenna they come right out when the lobster has been cooked. After you’re done with this step, it is necessary to transfer the lobsters to an ice bath. It’ll help maintain the tenderness.
Baking Lobster in the Oven
Baking lobster in the oven is one of the simplest and at the same time the fanciest methods of extracting the natural sweetness of lobster. Want to know how to cook lobster in the oven?
Your first step is to preheat your oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your lobster tails by cutting them at an angle across their shells. Gently, mix the meat in melted butter and garlic. Add some lemon juice to it to develop a bit of extra flavor. In addition, lobsters should be placed on a covered foil-baked dish and baked uncovered. It takes 12 to 15 minutes for lobster tails, though this depends on the size of the tail. The internal temperature must be approximately 140 degrees Fahrenheit for the meat to become opaque. It’s the time when you’ve prepared the lobster well.
To get a restaurant-like finish, use the “butter-broil” technique. In this, you bake the lobster halfway, then broil it for the remaining few minutes or so, until the top side turns golden brown and becomes slightly crispy. After doing so, present your baked lobster with melted butter, lemon pieces, and a bit of fresh parsley sprinkling. Here’s one good thing you should know! Oven baking of lobster maintains cleanliness. It also ensures uniform cooking, which retains the juices, making it a moist and flavorful dish, ensuring the actual Maine-style lobster dinner.
Serving and Enjoying Lobster
Lobster is all about emphasizing on the buttery rich flavor. But, the presentation is about the simple elegance. When your lobster is cooked, just rest it so that the juices settle. The shell should be opened using kitchen shears or lobster cracker, so that it is easy to access the tender meat. Also, the lobster can be served hot in melted butter. The additions of fresh lemon, sea salt or herbs will give it a finishing touch. Nevertheless, corn on the cob, baked potatoes or a crisp green salad are traditional sides that go well with the sweet, tender lobster meat.
In order to truly appreciate lobster in the Maine fashion, you cannot hurry up to savor each bite. Meddle the tail and claws open and do not forget the delicious meat in the legs and knuckles. The meat is immersed in warm clarified butter and this adds natural sweetness to it. As a more informal meal, lobster meat may be in lobster rolls, pasta or creamy bisques. However, once the lobster is prepared perfectly, it requires nothing, but a good company and some melted butter giving indescribable flavor of Maine coastal.
Safety Tips for Cooking Lobster
With how to cook lobster comes some safety tips too! Safe cooking of lobster guarantees the enjoyment of a wonderful and peaceful meal. So, here are some tips.
- Never freeze live lobsters or store them at room temperature! Always buy live lobsters kept in a cool, damp environment before you find time to cook them.
- Want to cook it in the best way? Start with a strong set of tongs, and then to put them in the boiling water. Take it in a headfirst position to make sure that they cook quickly. You need to have a big pot to ensure that your lobsters get enough space.
- This is a vital hygiene tip not to be forgotten! Wash your working surfaces with water before and after touching seafood.
- You can determine whether the lobster is cooked well or not, through its shell. Looking for signs? It should be a bright red and the meat must be firm, white and opaque. Be careful! There are great chances of food safety problems, if you don’t cook the lobster properly, while overcooking can ruin the texture.
- Thinking about storing the leftovers? Freeze them within the next two hours after cooking! Make sure you consume them within the next two days to maximize on the preservation.
frequently asked questions
How long does it take to cook a lobster?
How to cook frozen lobster in shell?
To cook a frozen lobster, you’ve got two options. Either thaw it in the refrigerator or place it in cold water. In case of a refrigerator, make it 24 hours, and for cold water, it’ll take less time. After that, boil or steam it. The time it should take is 10 minutes per pound. When the meat is dense and the shell turns red, it’s ready!
How do I know when lobster is fully cooked?
Can I cook lobster in the oven?
Yes! You can cook the lobster in oven. It’s one of the simplest yet the fanciest ways to enjoy its juicy and delicious taste. To cook lobster in oven, you’ll have to pre-heat on the temperature of 375-degrees Fahrenheit. Before you put lobster in it, cut it down and mix it with butter, garlic, and lemon juice.
What is the best method to cook lobster for flavor?
The best method in how to cook lobster depends on one’s taste and preference. Generally, steaming or grilling add to its flavor. As you grill the lobster, you get a smoky taste. If you prefer it moist and tender, then you should go with the steaming method.
Conclusion
Preparation of Maine lobster is not merely a dish, but rather a journey that transports the kitchen to a bit of the Maine coast. Considering this guide, after you master the process, you are going to feel how good it is to make this iconic dish of the sea at home. For a variation, you can try the Fried Lobster Tails recipe and the Boiled Lobster Tail Recipe as well.
Now, if you are too lazy to stand in the kitchen and think about seafood places, we’ve got your back! Instead of searching ‘seafood near me’, you can visit Red Crab Juicy Seafood for its outstanding seafood menu. Each bite will be a delight, and the ancient tradition of the most popular food in Maine.