Lesson learned about Lobster

Knight

Knight

Well-known Member
Wanting to have my wife enjoy lobster on our 63rd. anniversary I had a 4lb. live lobster Fedex'ed to us from Maine. The lobster was very much alive so no concern about spoilage.

The lesson learned is a lobster that large is really-really difficult to remove the meat from the claws. We have the tool usually used to crack the shell but on those claws cracking the shell took using a hammer. Next time will be 2 or 3 // 1 & 1/2 lb. size.
 

In the far distant past, in the early 1980's, I was in the wholesale Lobster business, buying live Lobsters from Nova Scotia, and having them flown to Toronto by Air Canada. My customers were large hotels, banquet halls, and some of the local community service clubs like the Lions, Rotary and Kinsmen. I would order up to a thousand pounds of live Lobsters at a time, all of which were "pre sold ". My mark up at that time was double what I paid the Nova Scotia suppliers per pound.

In my personal opinion a four pound lobster is like eating beef from a 15 year old cow. A better choice would have been two 2 pounders. Younger is better, in terms of taste and ease of eating the crawler. A Lobster has 2 different claws, and I used to joke that they have both a fork and a knife as claws. One claw holds their prey, while the other claw takes it apart, to eat it.

Commercial Lobster sellers have cold salt water holding tanks where they hold the animals, so the customer will get lively and active Lobsters. Canada exports both live and flash frozen Lobsters all over the world year round. In the month of December, Lobsters are shipped by the plane load to Europe from Canada, as it is considered a Christmas time delicacy there.

My business motto was....You can't get a fresher Lobster, unless you go to the dock and buy one from a Lobster boat, your self.
 
Totally agree, once you go over 3 lbs, the meat starts getting tough no matter how careful you cook it. I’ve settled on the 1.5–2 lb range too, way easier to handle and sweeter. I usually order mine from Maine Lobster Now, they ship them live overnight in chilled boxes so you can cook the same day. Never had one arrive sluggish or soft.
 

Mama likes live lobster and crabs in the shell once in awhile and when she's in the mood I get them for her and I'll watch her eat them while I have something else....if it were just me I wouldn't give you $10.00 for a whole pickup truck load of either one and I'd just as soon eat a big bowl of beans and cornbread.

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Tommy said:
I've lived in northern New England for over 35 years but have never cared much for lobster. We'd cook them when we had guests from away because they expected it. For many years my family would have Alaskan king crab or tanner crab at Christmas time. Pricey but soooo GOOD! :D
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OMG,, it is my favorite food. My dream is to go to Maine and eat a meal consisting of 5 lobsters. Alaskan king crabs are super delicious, too.

Now, 5 lobsters is a lot, so I used to limit myself to two when we went to a lobster shack.
IKE said:
Mama likes live lobster and crabs in the shell once in awhile and when she's in the mood I get them for her and I'll watch her eat them while I have something else....if it were just me I wouldn't give you $10.00 for a whole pickup truck load of either one and I'd just as soon eat a big bowl of beans and cornbread.

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You are really sweet and thoughtful to get those for her.
 
I worked at the University of Maine for 3 years and met my wife there as she was finishing her degree. We moved to Montana and would have live lobsters delivered from Maine guaranteed overnight for special occasions with friends.

But at the University just a year before I started working there I was told by my wife that once a year the school cafeterias would serve lobster at supper, and on that one special night, the cafeterias allowed students to bring wine for the occasion. But it was before I was there. It must have been a bit too expensive to justify.

My ex's older brother had moved from their home in Northern Maine, down to Portland. When my wife and I would visit, her brother would put on lobster feed. Family from all over Maine, and as far away as Boston, would show up. There was a fire pit in the back yard about 3ft wide and 20ft long with corn and two 20ft rows of lobsters lying side by side under the corn and seaweed.
Everyone ate at least two lobsters, including little kids. You were welcomed to a third, but most passed on that one.

Gee that was a long time ago. It was impressive.
 
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WheatenLover said:
OMG,, it is my favorite food.
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Yes, it is special. I'm surprised at how many people in the forum say they didn't like lobster. How is that possible? But tastes vary of course. I understand that at one time, lobster was considered trash fish and was bottom of the barrel cheap. My ex told me there was an old Blue Law still on the books in Maine that forbade the wealthy from feeding their servants lobster more than 3 times a week. That almost sounds like something that was made up, but that's what she said.
 
JustDave said:
Yes, it is special. I'm surprised at how many people in the forum say they didn't like lobster. How is that possible? But tastes vary of course. I understand that at one time, lobster was considered trash fish and was bottom of the barrel cheap. My ex told me there was an old Blue Law still on the books in Maine that forbade the wealthy from feeding their servants lobster more than 3 times a week. That almost sounds like something that was made up, but that's what she said.
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Well, not true according to New England Historical Society. I heard that in Maine, prisoners were served diets almost exclusively of lobster - that's not true either.

"In the New England colonies, the abundance of lobsters made them an ordinary meal. Lobsters in the 17th century sometimes grew to 25 pounds. They piled up on the shore of Plymouth sometimes 2 feet high." 7 Fun Facts About the Lobster - New England Historical Society

I was on Nantucket in 1989 with a friend of mine who was from there. She bought a 20 lb. lobster. The meat was covered in a thick layer of white fat, which was gross. She turned it into lobster salad (like tuna salad). Really, such a waste of good lobster. I like it cooked and eaten plain, and a whole lot smaller than 20 lbs.
 
I never cared for lobster meat; too chewy for me. I do like lobster bisque though. My preference is crab meat. Several years ago, my step nieces threw their mom and dad (my husband's oldest brother) an anniversary at one of the casino restaurants. It was all you could eat seafood and other dishes. So many headed for the lobster. I had one lobster tail and that was it for me. I headed for the crabs after that.
 

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