I'm posting this on instruction from a maritime friend who just had his latest westcoast seafood disappointment. I had to listen to a half hour rant about how we don't know how to cook lobster or crab out here. He ended it with a poke in the chest and told me I had to get the word out. ( These people are passionate about their crustations!)

Here are his directions:

1/2 cup "rock salt" ( which I take to be pickling salt or kosher salt) for every gallon of water.
NB. a Newfie half cup might be more like a westerner's FULL cup start with a half and work up.

Bring the water to a boil for 20 minutes to totally dissolve the salt and get everything hot.

Take ALL RUBBER BANDS OFF the lobsters if they have them on.

Plunge them headfirst into the water.

Take them out when they turn bright red. "The Lobster tells you when it is done."

That's it. Simple but never done right out here for some reason.

The other hint is to get a pot of fresh seawater and use that, but then you get into the whole pollution and Atlantic vs Pacific seawater debate. ( Who knew easterners were so passionate about their water?) Bottom line here seems to be to have a good salty pot of hot water.

Also, keep your butter in its dish. Butter is only for frying up the leftovers with some cabbage for breakfast hash the morning after the night before. ( Keep the windows open!).

I've tried tossing in variations of a Cajun shrimp boil bag, using cut lemons, peppers, and whatever spices I felt like ( Dill? Coriander? Fennel?) The result was a bunch of suspicious looks.

I also tried shocking the lobsters in an ice bath to keep the meat tender, but that was just a waste of time. They were eaten as fast as the burnt fingers could work.

So there you go. Keep it simple. Plenty of salt in a hot pot. Pull'em out when they are bright red. Rip'em up and eat'em.

Message passed on,
Colin

Hiya, Colin!



crustaceans

Don't want them to get their dander up if it's not spelled correctly, too!

ps: bet this would go great in the Kitchen Talk forum...if I remember, I'll put in a link and help spread the word...

Ooops. Thanks for the correction. Yes they do get a bit touchy when you mess with their icons. Calling them "sea bugs" doesn't win points either!

Thanks for posting this Colin. Maybe some day I'll get up the courage to try cooking one myself ...

My friends told me to add this little bit of advice, passed down from mother to daughter:
If you like Lobster Caviar ( Roe) you can increase your chances of finding some by tickling a lobster's tail.

Turn the lobster upside down and rub your finger up and down the tail. The female lobster has a smooth tail. The male has a "thorny" tail.
(If you are wondering why this is important then perhaps YOUR mother ought to have that " birds and bees" talk with you.)

Oh yes, and the roe can be found in the body cavity.

Happy hunting!
Colin

These instructions make me so grateful that my favourite grocer/fish monger will let me pick out my live lobster or crab and then will cook it for me! I don't have to imagine I hear the poor animal scream as its plunged into boiling water!

I've also heard that you should start them in cool to warm water and bring it slowly to the boil to avoid the lobster/crab going into a spasm. Who knows?????? ......

And AB called them bugs, I think he's still a pretty good cook ......?????