Preparation of Lobster
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the lobster
Select a heavy live lobster for its size.
Boil a large amount of water in a kettle.
Hold the lobster by the back and plunge it head first into the boiling water.
Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on size.
Chill the lobster thoroughly in cold water.
Extract the meat
Break off the claws and tail.
Remove the meat from the tail and discard the intestinal vein.
Separate the body from the shell and save the coral.
Discard the gills.
Break the body in half lengthwise to remove meat.
Disjoint the large claws and remove the meat whole if possible.
Remove meat from the small claws.
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
- Provides the main body of meat, which sets firm and tender when cooked through.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the cooking water so the lobster meat takes on a light savoury flavour.
The step that matters
Plunging the lobster head first into boiling water. Dropping it in headfirst into vigorously boiling water kills it quickly and evenly. Overcooking toughens the protein, so the simmer time should match its size.
“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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