Then you can chill the meat down and reuse it later in a dish that calls for further cooking.Ĭooked lobsters will turn bright red, but that's not the best indicator of doneness, especially for large lobsters. Parboiling, or blanching cooks the lobster just enough so that the meat can be removed from the shell. When you need partially cooked lobster meat for a dish, parboiling is the way to go. It's harder to overcook a steamed lobster. Steaming preserves a little more flavor and it's more forgiving on the timing front. In contrast, steaming is more gentle, yielding slightly more tender meat. For recipes that call for fully cooked and picked lobster meat, boiling is the best approach.
Boiling is a little quicker and easier to time precisely, and the meat comes out of the shell more readily than when steamed. Serve warm for dipping.īoiling and steaming are the methods of choice when you want to serve diners a whole lobster. Add lemon juice, parsley and seafood seasoning. In a small saucepan, slowly melt butter over low heat being careful not to let the butter brown. Halfway through, lift the lid carefully (the steam is very hot) and shift the lobsters around so they cook evenly. Add the live lobsters one at a time, cover the pot, and start timing. Set a steaming rack inside the pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Put 2- inches of seawater or salted water in the bottom of a large kettle. A 4 to 5- gallon pot can handle 6 to 8 pounds of lobster. Let the lobsters rest for 5 minutes or so after cooking to allow the meat to absorb some of the moisture in the shell.įor timing, use the weight of individual lobsters, not total weight of all lobsters being cooked.Ĭhoose a pot large enough to hold all the lobsters comfortably do not crowd them. Stir the lobsters halfway through cooking. Add the live lobsters one at a time, and start timing immediately.
Fill with water, allowing 3 quarts of water per 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of lobster. Choose a pot large enough to hold all the lobsters comfortably do not crowd them.