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Cooking Lobster
at Home
by Richard Massey
Lobster has always
be one of those extravagant meals which few people ever try because
of the high cost. With restaurants paying thirty dollars a pound, by
the time they put their markup on it, you're easily paying sixty
dollars for a ten ounce tail. This high cost leaves lobster dinners
for the well-to do or at least only for special occasions. But, this
doesn't have to be. With more and more retail store offering lobster,
you can create a romantic dinner for two at a reasonable price. If
you buy two eight ounce tails for thirty dollars, that's only fifteen
dollars a person. Add a starch and vegetable and it's still cheaper
than going out to dinner and having steak or even chicken. Turn the
lights down low, add a candle and ship the kid's off to grandma's house.
Cooking lobster is
relatively easy. There are hundred's of recipes on the internet or in
books. The simplest way is to split the shell down the top, pull the
meat out of the shell about 90% of the way and lay it on top of the
shell. Place in a pan with a little water and cover with foil (do not
let the foil touch the lobster). Cook at 350 F degrees until the meat
turns white (around 140 F) then baste with butter and season with
salt and pepper. As with any food, avoid the temptation to overcook
it. When overcooked the lobster meat will become tough and less appealing.
About Lobster...
Lobsters are ten legged arthropods, meaning they have no backbone.
The lobster creates its skeleton on the outside in the form of a
shell with joint appendages. There are two major types of lobster on
the market. Maine also called Canadian or American lobster and spiny
sometimes call rock lobster.
The Maine lobster
inhabits the cold waters of the Atlantic in the area of Canada and
the northeast United States. This lobster has two claws, one claw
very large and flat, while the other is smaller and thinner. These
lobster take up to seven years to reach one pound and average about
one to three pounds when harvested. The Maine lobster is sold live or
already cooked and usually the meat used in mixed dishes or dishes
like lobster thermador.
The spiny lobster
is a clawless warmwater variety, which are actually large seagoing
crayfish. There are 49 species of spiny lobster which swim the
world's warm waters. Because the tail is the only real edible part of
the spiny lobster, it is usually sold frozen as a lobster tail. The
spiny lobster found off Florida, Brazil and the Caribbean are called
"warmwater tails", while those found off South Africa, New
Zealand and Australia are markets as "coldwater tails". The
coldwater variety of spiny lobster is considered superior and favored
among restaurants.
Cooking lobster at
home can be a delicious alternative to going out. Why not give it a try?
About The Author
Chef Richard has
worked for some of the top fine dining restaurants in the United
States and is the author of the ebook "Chef's Special". You
can find free recipes, informative articles and order the ebook at http://www.csrecipes.com
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