We cook a lot of lobsters since we maintain recreational lobster traps as a hobby. I prefer to steam. Just like with veggies - steamed are better than boiled. ;)

Bring about 2" of water to a boil. Remove the rubber bands and plunge the lobster in the pot head first and quickly cover the pot. Start timing. A 1-1/2 - 2 lb. lobster will take approximately +/-15-18 minutes.

Can't give you an exact time - it will depend on the size of your lobster but when done perfectly the internal temp should be 180 degrees. You can gently pull on one of the small walking legs or antennae - if done, they will come off easily.

Lobster will turn bright red well before being cooked thru.

Enjoy your meal!

/tricia

Well, Steam is about 212 F, and boiling water is 212 F.

The difference is, in boiling water the lobster reaches 212 F faster because water carries more specific heat (BTUs).

The thing to do is to see how little part of the lobster gets to be cooked at 212 F before the interior gets up to the temperature you want, because any meat cooked at 212 F is overcooked.

I am not that good a cook, so I use the "Perfect Lobster for The Dummies" method.

First, I dump the lobster in boiling water for a few seconds to render it lifeless, then I dump it in ice water to immediately cool it down. After I seasoned the lobster, I put it in my sous vide cooker and set the temperature at 135F and walk away.

1/2 hour later, the entire lobster will be guaranteed to be cooked at 135 F. No part of it more than 135 F or less than 135 F. Lobster cooked at 135 F is very nice.

dcarch

This post was edited by dcarch on Thu, Aug 29, 13 at 21:22

If they're in the 1.5-2.5 range then I think a good guideline for steaming is 2 min per quarter pound. So a 2 pounder for 16 min should be good. I find it easier to overcook than undercook lobster, so bigger than 2.5 I'd start to scale that formula back a bit.

FOAS,

H Mart, $4.79 a lb!

Shoprite $5.77 a lb!

dcarch

Thanks dcarch - I'm out east right now but will def jump on some for $5.77 if they're still avail when I get home. I've had lobster on the brain.

I'd grill it after killing it first.

You can't go wrong with Tricia's method. It is the exact way I cook lobsters.

Sometimes I under cook them slightly and then after they are split , I finish them on a hot grill.

~Ann

Yup, that's the way we cook them too! Thanks for the instructions Tricia, many of us don't cook lobster often enough to be clear on the drill. Perhaps Ann T can add your method to the FAQ's for reference!

We steam like tricia. Aprox 5 min per lb. Ours were way big. 3-4 lbs. Steamed 13 min, then froze the tails and claws. Tough that big but great for bisque and seafood stews/chowders.
We undercook as it will have further cooking later.

Thanks so much!!! We are really looking forward to cooking our first lobster.

I don;t think I'll ever muster enough courage to steam a whole lobster.

First of all I likely couldn't get a decent one unless I had them shipped form the coast . Secondly is the "yuk" factor for me. I really only want the claws and tail anyhow.

Trying to figure out a few comments here....

Triciae - what the heck does it matter if you remove the rubber bands before steaming?

Sleeve - if your 3+ lb lobsters are tough - you are definitely over cooking them. I grew up in Maine and never had a tough lobster that was prepared properly.

Alexa

Alexa, I swear I can taste rubber in the finished lobster if I don't remove those bands.

/t

Possibly where we are but a chicken lobster is always more tender melt-in-mouth over a much larger lobster. We undercooked and did not have a scale for weight but the claw was the size of my hand over the lobster roll where the claw is the size of my thumb. Not tough as in not edible, just perhaps the texture of a well prepared shrimp. A bit more firm.

The larger ones here need a framing hammer taken outside to get through the shell.
This may be more close to 8lbs? Steamed 13 minutes.

When we visited St. Johns', before we would go home we would visit the docks and pick up a dozen or more of the smaller (one pounders) live lobsters. Then we would call some friends and invite them to dinner that same night. Since we would not have a lot of time after we got home to prepare dinner, it would be real simple. Lots of lobster and a Caesar salad or steamed asparagus.

The lobster from the waters off Newfoundland is the sweetest.

~Ann

Long time ago, I was stupid enough to buy a 12.5 lb monster. Yes it was a monster!

As I remember, the meat was not tough.

The tough part was a biology friend who wanted the Lobster shell intact for display for her class. That took a while.

dcarch

Interesting that lobster has such a cachet today; in the early part of our country's history, it was considered trash food. Indentured servants had it written in to their contracts that they could only be served lobster so often. likewise, when the Lewis & Clark expedition arrived at the pacific northwest, they were upset that they had to eat lobster, shellfish and salmon.

I like lobster--tastes almost as good as crawfish--and I like it prepared the simpler the better. Steamed, then served (as Lewis Grizzard once said about grits) with 'enough butter to choke a goat.'

Now I'm really curious to sous vide some lobster. I can understand sous viding beef to get a final temp of say 130 throughout, or fish to get a med rare, etc. I can unsterstand sous viding chicken at lower temp but with longer cook times making it safe. But what's throwing me off here is the desired final temp of the lobster. If Tricia is cooking to 185 and other sources suggest 175, then why go for such a high temp in the middle if a lower temp is preferred? Surely a shorter cook time could achieve a lower temp, at least in the middle, with traditional cooking methods.

From Cooks Illustrated:

2. COOK TAIL TO 175 DEGREES: A tail temperature of 175 ensures perfectly cooked meat. (We cook fish to between 130 and 140 degrees, but lobster requires a higher temperature since its muscle fibers are longer and require more heat to shrink.)

DC - you happen to know if Shop Rite is still running that sale?

Lobster Facts:

• When the first European settlers reached North America, lobsters were so plentiful that they would reportedly wash ashore in piles up to 2 feet high. Their bounty made them a precious source of sustenance during hard times and gave them a nasty reputation as the poor man’s protein.

• Native Americans used lobsters to fertilize their crops and bait their fishing hooks. They also ate the abundant crustaceans, preparing them by covering them in seaweed and baking them over hot rocks. According to tradition, this cooking method inspired the classic New England clambake.

• At first, lobsters were gathered by hand along the shoreline. In the late 1700s, special boats known as smacks, which featured tanks with holes that allowed seawater to circulate, were introduced in Maine for the transport of live lobsters. The workers who operated these shellfish-friendly vessels were known as smackmen. It was not until the mid-19th century that lobster trapping, also first practiced in Maine, became a more popular way to collect the sea creatures.

• Dirt-cheap because they were so copious, lobsters were routinely fed to prisoners, apprentices, slaves and children during the colonial era and beyond. In Massachusetts, some servants allegedly sought to avoid lobster-heavy diets by including stipulations in their contracts that they would only be served the shellfish twice a week.

• The first lobster pound was established in Vinalhaven, Maine, in 1876. The town is still home to a thriving lobster fishery.

• Lobster began to shed some of its negative reputation and gain a following among discriminating diners, particularly in Boston and New York City, during the 1880s. Prices immediately began to rise.

• Because lobster was considered a delicacy by the time World War II began, it was not rationed. The booming wartime economy allowed wealthy cravers of crustaceans to consume them at unprecedented rates.

• American lobsters or Maine lobsters, as they are commonly known can weigh more than 40 pounds and grow up to 3 feet long. The largest lobster on record was caught off Novia Scotia in 1988. It weighed in at 44 pounds and was 42 inches long. Scientists believe it was at least 100 years old twice the lifespan of the average lobster.

• The lobster, which has changed little over the last 100 million years, is known for its unusual anatomy. Its brain is located in its throat, its nervous system in its abdomen, its teeth in its stomach and its kidneys in its head. It also hears using its legs and tastes with its feet. One of the few things lobsters have in common with humans: They tend to favor one front limb, meaning they can be right-clawed or left-clawed.

• When crowded into tight quarters such as store display tanks, lobsters tend to become cannibalistic. Sellers tightly band their claws to prevent them from feasting on their neighbors.

• Though considered a rich and decadent food, lobster meat contains fewer calories than an equal portion of skinless chicken breast. It also boasts healthy omega-3 fatty acids, potassium and the vitamins E, B-12 and B-6.

/tricia

"---DC - you happen to know if Shop Rite is still running that sale?----"

Yes. $5.99 a lb lobster

Why not find a H Mart near you? $4.79 a lb.

dcarch

Prices may vary a bit but won't be "high" anytime soon. Suppy/demand. Over supply. Maine is trying to diversify their fishing industry. Story on CNBC over Labor Day weekend.

/t