To Boil Lobsters
Ingredients
Directions
Bring 1 gallon of water to a fast boil.
Add 5 ounces of coarse sea salt to the boiling water.
Carefully add the lobster to the pot.
Boil a moderate-sized lobster for 15 to 20 minutes, a large lobster for 30 to 40 minutes, or a very large lobster for 1 hour or more.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Lobster
- Is the main protein; its texture firms and turns opaque as it cooks in the boiling water.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the boiling water so the lobster meat is lightly flavoured as it cooks.
The step that matters
Boiling time by lobster size. Cooking time depends on size, and overcooking toughens lobster meat because the proteins tighten and squeeze out moisture. Matching the time to the lobster's size helps keep the meat tender.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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