Lobster! Lobster! Lobster!

[Jester]

So my friend M calls me up the other day to tell me about a Lobster Festival she's putting together at the resort she runs. (Florida Lobster season starts in a couple of weeks.) And she tells me, doesn't ask me, but TELLS me, that I am going to be participating in her lobster cookoff. She doesn't bother telling me at that time about the entry fee, but since it's only ten bucks and I love these sort of things, I was pretty much going to do it anyways.

Now, I have another cookoff coming up on Friday that I am worrying about, but after that I need to focus on this. Especially since there is one significant fact here: I have never cooked lobster. Not in a dish, not by itself, not at all, for any reason whatsoever.

So, I am looking to the CS.com cooks (and you know who you are) to help me come up with some ideas of some potential dishes I could make with lobster. I DO have an idea for one I may be doing, but would love to hear other thoughts on the subject, both ideas for dishes and suggested methods for preparing the lobster for potential dishes. Since, ya know, I've never freakin' cooked lobster in my life.

By the way, we can use either Maine or Florida lobster (two completely different species), but considering the fact that we are IN Florida, and that this comes right on the heels of lobster season opening, there is no way I am going to bother using Maine lobster. Besides, Maine lobster would be more expensive down here. AND, personally, I actually PREFER Florida lobster.

In a semi-related but completely trivial note: The other day I ordered online a goofy lobster hat that I am going to where for this event. Yes, I'm a goof. What's your point?

[lordlundar]

Well, three points I can offer (from what I saw on Good Eats, naturally):

1. Don't get squeamish about killing them. If you start to think like that, consider that their closest cousin, scientifically speaking, is the cockroach. Not so tough to kill them now, huh?

2. If doing a wet cook method, make sure you get a hard shelled lobster. It makes it easier to separate the meat from the shell than the soft shell ones. (soft shelled lobsters are ones that recently shed their old shell to grow into a new one. More meat per ounce than hard shelled, but tends to absorb liquid into the shell easier, and seeing that the shell is not used outside of stocks, it's not recommended.)

3. If doing the wet cook method, forgo boiling the lobster in favor of steaming it. Remember that the Lobster is a shelled sea creature and it has enough water in it as is. Boiling simply adds water to it and makes it waterlogged if you cook it for too long. Steaming doesn't have that issue, can actually wick away some water inside the lobster, and is a heck of a lot faster to cook than boiling, with a smaller pot no less.

[Whiskey]

Lobster Bisque is pretty classic. Sharp knife between the eyes or drop it in a boiling pot to kill. Or Lobster Risotto, but risotto is a bitch.

[Nurian]

I wish I could help but my shrimp/lobster allergy came up before I found out I love to cook .

I like the hat, though

[Sarlon]

couple of points from a lifelong lobster eater (spent ALOT of summers on the coast of maine).

• agreed with getting the thick shelled variety, more meat but expect to use a hammer
• Florida lobster is not NORMALLY from Florida, its generally from Africa or south america, it just migrates up this way since its colder down there now.
• think cream sauces or VERY light sauces if you serve it by itself...the meat from gulf lobsters (which by the sounds is what you'll be using) is VERY tough, very dry, and almost no fat on it
• look into a beschmel, or a light pasta dish with a garlic butter sauce
• gulf lobster has little taste also but you don't want to loose any flavor by overpowering it with what your serving it with, just keep that in mind too

Hope this helps any....or made any sense.

[Sheldonrs]

"lobster killer, lobster killer."

[Eric the Grey]

My first thought when I saw this thread was Lobster Magnet.

Can't contribute otherwise to the conversation. I love to eat Lobster, but never cooked it myself.



Eric the Grey

[Jester]

I got my lobster hat in the mail today! WOO HOO!

Also, now that the Non Perishable Cookoff is over, I can focus all my culinary attention on the Lobster Cookoff, with two weeks until it is here.

I am really leaning towards doing Lobster Lasagne, though I am not locked into that. Towards that, I have some questions for the culinary minds inhabiting this board:

1. What do you think of the idea of Lobster Lasagne?

2. If I do it, I am thinking of using a red sauce and a bechamel sauce. Is this a good idea? Or should I use strickly a bechamel sauce and leave the red sauce out? Or perhaps an alfredo sauce?

3. I am thinking of butter-poaching the lobster before putting it in the lasagne, rather than steaming or boiling it, to add an extra richness to it. What do y'all think of this?

4. After cooking off the lobster in whatever way I do, I intend to make a large chunky dice out of the lobster tail meat. Good idea, or is there a better one out there? I want big bite-size chunks of lobster in the lasagne. I plan on using 2.5-3 pounds of lobster meat in it.

5. How much weight will I lose once I de-shell the tail? I plan on buying tails, not whole lobster, cooking them in the shell (of course), then de-shelling them for their introduction into the lasagne. If I buy a one pound tail, how much of that weight is shell? Anyone know this?

6. Are there any other suggestions you may have, either towards Lobster Lasagne or for any other recipes?

7. Why do I get flagged by spellcheck programs for spelling it lasagne instead of lasagna? I have seen it spelled both ways all my life. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

[Squeaksmyalias]

I have a question. When are we going to see a picture of you wearing this lobster hat? Also why am I the first person to ask this?

[Sarlon]

1. What do you think of the idea of Lobster Lasagne? interesting...

2. If I do it, I am thinking of using a red sauce and a bechamel sauce. Is this a good idea? Or should I use strickly a bechamel sauce and leave the red sauce out? Or perhaps an alfredo sauce? bechamel sauce most definatly.....red sauce would over power the flavor...

3. I am thinking of butter-poaching the lobster before putting it in the lasagne, rather than steaming or boiling it, to add an extra richness to it. What do y'all think of this? if you've done it before....GREAT! if not then find another way....butter poaching like milk poaching is VERY difficult to do right and with something as delicate as lobster meat theres not alot of room for mistakes.

4. After cooking off the lobster in whatever way I do, I intend to make a large chunky dice out of the lobster tail meat. Good idea, or is there a better one out there? I want big bite-size chunks of lobster in the lasagne. I plan on using 2.5-3 pounds of lobster meat in it. if you can I'd find a way to shred it long wise...chunks would be lost if you're doing a 9x13 pan

5. How much weight will I lose once I de-shell the tail? I plan on buying tails, not whole lobster, cooking them in the shell (of course), then de-shelling them for their introduction into the lasagne. If I buy a one pound tail, how much of that weight is shell? Anyone know this? suprisingly not alot will be lost in the shell...unless you get a tail thats JUST been shed, which will have ALOT of water in it. Make sure to ask where you buy it from if its recently shed. or look them over first if you're buying them locally. Shell color you want good clear brownish red color in the shell, make sure it doesn't smell to fishy and see if they have been deveined. (probably not if they are being sold to you in shell.) if not PM me and I can give you some tips.

6. Are there any other suggestions you may have, either towards Lobster Lasagne or for any other recipes? I would still stick with a bisque or a bechemal sauce. Lasanga tends to be bold flavors, which can over power the lobster which tends to be more delicate.

7. Why do I get flagged by spellcheck programs for spelling it lasagne instead of lasagna? I have seen it spelled both ways all my life. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? no clue....must be like potato and potato

[Jester]

When are we going to see a picture of you wearing this lobster hat?

Probably shortly after the event itself, Which is probably going to be the first time I actually wear said lobster hat out in public. And yes, there will be pictures. Just remind me.

3. I am thinking of butter-poaching the lobster before putting it in the lasagne, rather than steaming or boiling it, to add an extra richness to it. What do y'all think of this? if you've done it before....GREAT! if not then find another way....butter poaching like milk poaching is VERY difficult to do right and with something as delicate as lobster meat theres not alot of room for mistakes.

I've never done it before, but I am all about trying new things and new methods, and rising to new cooking challenges. By all means, tell me how to do it right, Obiwan!

if you can I'd find a way to shred it long wise...chunks would be lost if you're doing a 9x13 pan

What do you mean? How would chunks be lost? Especially as I plan on using about 3 pounds of lobster in a 9x13 pan?

[lordlundar]

7. Why do I get flagged by spellcheck programs for spelling it lasagne instead of lasagna?

At the risk of a threadjack, probably the same reason I get flagged for spelling the full pronunciation of etc. (it's etcetera by the way)

[Squeaksmyalias]

Probably shortly after the event itself, Which is probably going to be the first time I actually wear said lobster hat out in public. And yes, there will be pictures. Just remind me.

Trust me I will.

[Jester]

it's etcetera by the way

I know. I took Latin for two years in high school, thank you very much.

[BookstoreEscapee]

At the risk of a threadjack, probably the same reason I get flagged for spelling the full pronunciation of etc. (it's etcetera by the way)

probably thinks it's supposed to be two words. apparently the one word spelling is common enough to be accepted by "many dictionaries" (according to wikipedia)...but I've never seen it that way.