Cooking lobster: how it's done
My first class in preparing fish 101 at Spermalie Hotel School began with lobster. I had expected something simpler like cod or mussels. We looked at each other and you could just guess what was going through our minds: how do you cook a lobster?
Buying lobster: some tips
Before you can cook a lobster, you must first buy it. Read the following tips and never buy an old lobster again.
- The lobster must be alive and have 2 claws. When you pick them up, they move and spread open their tail and claws. If those hang limply down, then you are dealing with a dying lobster.
- Never cook a dead lobster. Bacteria develop very quickly in the dead animal and make you sick.
- Ask your fishmonger how long the lobster has already been in the water tank. After the lobster is caught and leaves her natural habitat, she no longer eats. She languishes and consumes herself from the inside out.
- You can keep a live lobster in a tray at the bottom of the refrigerator for 24 hours. Just be sure to cover them with damp newspaper.
How much lobster do I buy per person?
How much lobster you need per person depends on the dish you are preparing. You can expect a 30% net yield if you carefully empty the shells and legs. As a general rule of thumb a 450-gram lobster is enough for one person. For two people, an 800-gram lobster will do. You will then have 240 grams of lobster meat.
Court-bouillon or water?
To cook a lobster, you need to have a boiling liquid. You can use salted water or a court-bouillon. A court-bouillon is a seasoned vegetable broth in which you cook all kinds of fish, shellfish and seafood. Our teacher at hotel school said, "If you cook the lobster in a court-bouillon, you have to warm up the sea." By this he meant that the court-bouillon should taste very salty. He also advised us that more pepper is better than less.
Does the lobster feel pain?
When you prepare a live lobster, you have to kill it yourself and this can trigger strong emotions. Lobsters are invertebrates and have no pain sensation like humans or vertebrates. However, they do react to unpleasant stimuli, so it is important to kill the lobster as quickly and humanely as possible.
One of the quickest ways is to boil the lobster in water or a court-bouillon. It is important that you do this in a large bowl with at least 4 liters of liquid. When steaming, the process takes longer. Many chefs stick a pointed knife between the eyes and quickly halve the animal and then cook it on a grill or in a hot skillet à la minute. The animal dies within seconds.
Whichever method you prefer, you can anesthetize the lobster first. To do this, place them in the freezer for half an hour. The extreme cold slows down the lobster's metabolism and it is in a coma, so to speak, without dying. Cook, steam or grill the lobster immediately after that half hour.
Ingredients
- ½ leek
- 1/3 celery
- 2 onions
- 1 carrot
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 sprig thyme
- 3 cloves
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 liters water
- 1 glass white wine
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Preparation
Cut the vegetables into coarse pieces. Crush the peppercorns. Put all the ingredients together in a high stockpot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables and herbs have released all the flavor. Your court-bouillon is now ready.
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Cooking lobster for a warm dish
Take the lobster and firmly stick her head down into the simmering broth. I always hold the lobster at the end of the head. Then I don't get pinched when the lobster moves her tail. The temperature will inevitably drop. Immediately place the lid back on the pot. Leave the stockpot on the highest setting of the heat for another minute, then remove from the heat.
Let the lobster cook in the court-bouillon away from the heat. Count 3 minutes per 100 g. This means that a 600 g lobster will have to "stand" for 18 minutes. According to this rule of thumb, the lobster is still a little raw inside. For hot preparations, this is exactly what we need. After all, you are reheating the lobster and an overcooked lobster is a tough lobster. You can also cook the lobster ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Soak a kitchen towel in the court-bouillon and wrap the lobster in it before placing it in the refrigerator. Note that the lobster will lose flavor in the refrigerator.
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Cooking lobster for a cold dish
If you eat chilled lobster, then it must be fully cooked. To do this, I use the following method. Plunge the lobster into the boiling court-bouillon with the head down. Immediately place the lid back on the pot. When the boiling point is reached again, count 5 minutes for a small lobster of 450 to 500 grams. For larger ones, add 1 minute for each additional 100 grams.
![SG Lobster 0688]()
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How do you know a lobster is fully cooked?
The lobster is fully cooked when the shell has a bright red color and the core temperature measures 57 to 60°C. The meat is also no longer translucent.
Immediately remove the lobster from the court-bouillon with a slotted spoon when the cooking time is up. Plunge it into a bowl with ice water to stop the cooking process.
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An alternative: steam the lobster
Do you have a steam oven or a large steamer at home? Then you can also steam the lobster. This will give you a more tender, juicy lobster. This method also retains more flavor. You may find that in a steam kettle your lobster cooks a little less evenly. Lift the lid slightly and give the lobster a little nudge with a wooden spoon halfway through the steaming time.
When steaming, the water or oven does not cool as quickly as it does when you boil the lobster. Once the maximum steaming temperature is reached again, count 8 minutes for a small lobster of 450 to 500 grams. For larger ones, add 2 minutes for each additional 100 grams.
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How to cut lobster?
Your lobster is cooked and now you just need to cut it up. To cut your lobster, you will need a sharp chef's knife and a cutting board.
- Place the cooled lobster on the board and cut the rubber bands from the claws.
- Locate on top of the head a kind of cross, formed by 2 transverse seams. Insert the tip of the chef's knife straight down there.
- Hold the head of the lobster firmly and, with a downward push, halve the tail lengthwise.
- Turn the lobster, take hold of the tail part and halve the head in the same way.
- Remove the intestinal tract from the tail.
- Pull the claws from the body at the base or chop them off with a cleaver.
- Crack the claws and hinge joints with the blunt side of the chef's knife or with kitchen scissors.
- You can now remove the meat from the shells. For the smaller legs and carcass, you can use a lobster fork.
You are now an expert at cooking lobster. Want to treat someone special to a fancy dish? Then prepare my steak & lobster. This surf and turf dish is truly out-of-this-world.