Lobsters - boiled vs. steamed
Which is the better method for preparing?
Probably the best lobster I've had is at The Lobster Pound in Ogunquit, ME, where they keep the lobsters in an enormous tank of ocean water. And then, I believe, they boil them in the ocean water.
Short of having ocean water at one's disposal, is it better to steam or to boil?
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cassoulady
Jul 8, 2009 02:58 PM
I put them in a pot with a few inches of boiling water head first. Put the lid on and cook.
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Butterguy
Jul 8, 2009 11:49 AM
Dont forget to dip that scrumptuos lobster meat in CLARIFIED BUTTER. Hate to see people invest in a lobster and then dip it in stick butter.
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re: Butterguy
Fritter
Sep 8, 2009 10:44 AM
If you removed the "moisture" you would have nothing left. I assume that you meant to say ;
Clarified butter= milk solids and water removed.
In which case I would agree. It's still nothing more than melted stick butter which has been clarified. Other than aesthetics I'm not sure I see the difference in this application.-
re: Fritter
Butterguy
Oct 20, 2009 10:36 AM
The difference between stick butter melted and clarified melted. Clarified is essentially a concentrated butter flavor or a pure fat that will enhance all the other flavors that come in contact with it whether dipped, saute', or baked.
The water/moisture and milk solids dull the butter flavor of regular stick butter.
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krisrishere
Jul 8, 2009 07:25 AM
Ok, don't kill me. Years and years ago, my dad talked to some lobster man in Maine and he told him the "secret" to cooking lobsters - the microwave. Of course my dad tried it and honestly, it was fantastic. Even now my dad still cooks his lobsters like this; put the lobster in an ovenproof dish, cover with plastic wrap, high 7 minutes. It steams the lobsters from the inside out. Sacrilege, I know, but it really is good.
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re: NYCkaren
krisrishere
Jul 9, 2009 09:41 AM
It honestly doesn't smell any different than if you were steaming them on the stove top. Plus, that smell is amazing to me :)
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According to the Main Lobster Council....steaming vs. boiling......
Benefits of Steaming
In contrast, steaming is more gentle, yielding slightly more tender meat. It preserves a little more flavor and it’s more forgiving on the timing front. It’s harder to overcook a steamed lobster.Benefits of Boiling
Boiling and steaming are the methods of choice when you want to serve diners a whole lobster. Boiling is a little quicker and easier to time precisely, and the meat comes out of the shell more readily than when steamed. For recipes that call for fully cooked and picked lobster meat boiling is the best approach -
todao
Jul 7, 2009 07:27 PM
IMO, it doesn't make a bit of difference whether you steam them or boil them, the trick is not to over-cook or under-cook them. "Salt" is sodium chloride; except for iodized salt there is no real difference in salt. It all comes (or came) from the ocean. Either in recent history or in ancient history. There is a difference in the size of the granules (table salt, kosher salt, pickling salt) and some, admittedly, do contain trace minerals but you'll be wasting your money if you spend extra bucks on a special salt. Ocean water's hint of unusual flavor comes from sea weed and minerals in the water, not the salt.
Be sure you have enough boiling water in your tall pot to fully submerge the lobster.
Salt the water heavily to about 3% - 3.5% by weight (unless you're using sea water) and bring to a full boil.
Select a live, active lobster rather than a docile inactive critter.
It should be heavy for its size
Use tongs to pick it up and place it (don't drop it) into the water head first and hold it down to prevent it from flapping its tail and splashing boiling water onto you or others.
When it becomes inactive, allow it to remain at full boil for 5 - 15 minute, depending on size, weight and shell thickness, until it is completely cooked.
You'll know it's done when you can't flex the tail easily; the tail will be rather stiff and inflexible. If you can easily flex the tail, the lobster is not done.
There is no set time for cooking a lobster. Their shells are not the same thickness and they differ in weight and muscle mass. After you gain some experience cooking them you'll develop a sense of when a certain shell characteristic/size/weight lobster is done to your liking.›1 Reply -
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BernalKC
Jul 7, 2009 05:04 PM
Steamed for sure. In salty water. No reason not to use sea salt and get as close to Ogunquit ocean water as you can. Use enough liquid, even if it partly covers the lobster, to retain for use as broth for dipping at the table.
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re: BernalKC
Short of having ocean water at one's disposal, is it better to steam or to boil?........lobstaman
Steamed for sure. In salty water........BernalCK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Here in lies the confusion for most., Steamed and boiled is used interchangeably for most minds. I am by no expert, but I find steaming above the waterline results in less shrinkage and more apt to be less tough from over cooking....however, I find boiling lobsters in salted water or ocean water to have more sea/ocean taste...I guess it's the added salt.
Ultimately, if cooked properly...or should I say if not overcooked, either way is fine for me. I can't say I have ever dipped any lobster in broth or cooking liquid, but I will say I have dipped always in drawn butter.
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re: fourunder
Without doubt this will ignite a furor but, I have cookbooks from the 1930's--and a few articles from Gourmet from shortly afterward (when it wass finally started) that insist on sea water OR water with a little iodine in it to replicate sea water. then, it is insisted, the lobsters must be started in cold water and the heat brought up slowly to a boil. Anticipating howls, these guys insisted that lobsters cannot feel and are just sent off to sleep. As an alternative, one author just says sever the spinal cord and that's that. The argument is that plunging a lobster--or crawfish, for that matter---into boiling water toughens it.
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