When live lobster for delivery shows up on your doorstep know you are in for a treat. Use care when picking up live lobsters and look to check that all claws have bands on them for your protection. Sometimes they may slip during transit. You do not want a loose claw to grab one of your fingers as it would snap it into like a twig. Only take the bands off claws when the lobster has died.
Defrosting frozen lobsters or their meats should be avoided as it detracts from their flavors when cooking. Do not overcook when heating they should only be warm not hot to the touch. The meat will become a lot tougher if it gets to hot or is cooked to long.
It is very simple to cook live lobsters and only takes about ten minutes a pound to boil. Water should immerse the entire lobster within the big deep pot.
Piercing the head with a hole allows the excess water from cooking to be drained once taken out of the cooking pot. This helps the meat inside stay tender and just ripe with flavor.
You can also recycle the water the lobsters were boiled in and freeze in jars or bags for soups or casseroles that you may want to make in the future.
An important thing to remember is too be sure the lobsters you are cooking is in good health. Never cook a lobster whose tail is straight this means he died in transit or before cooking. You should always take a sniff of your lobsters before cooking to make sure they all smell of freshness. If there is a strange unrecognizable scent to them then never cook them as they could make you and your family sick. They are best cooked as soon as you receive them.
Timing is everything when cooking live lobsters. The harder shelled lobsters take more time than the softer shelled ones do. The softer shelled are considered to be the most tender of the two.
For the more health conscious of us lobsters also tastes wonderful when grilled. This is a lot less messy than the boiling too. Whole lobsters are placed onto a hot grill and then left on one side til it turns bright red then turned and left on opposite side until that is the same in color. Serve with delicious garlic butter and gumbo if you have it on hand.
You can split live lobsters for delivery and cook on the grill too if a whole one is too much for just one person to eat. Place split sides down first and cook three minutes then turn to shell side and cook about 6 minutes longer. The shell will be the shade of bright red as it is when boiling when done. Add some lemon juice squeezed on it and of course butter and your ready to eat.