ISO healthy ideas for leftover lobster

[looz]

This New Years Eve we celebrated by having a "Feast" at my home cooked by my sister's boyfriend who is a chef. One of the courses was lobster. We had two people cancel at the last minute, and ended up with two extra lobsters. (The only reason they weren't eaten was because there was so much other food. I never thought there could be such a thing as leftover lobster!)

Because I was hosting, I now have two whole lobsters plus the bodies of four more in my freezer. (Tail and claw shells didn't get saved.) My sister's boyfriend suggested I make a lobster bisque from them. This sounds delicious, but I did entirely too much feasting over the holidays, and I'm looking for something a little lighter to do with them. I also have absolutely no experience cooking with lobster, so any tips for how to prepare the bodies are welcome!

Thanks in advance!

[rcallner]

Give them to me!

[ipsedixit]

Serve the lobster with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil and minced garlic.

[kubasd23]

mmm that sounds great ipse!! I love lobster in scrambled eggs. I cut it into slightly smaller than bite size pieces, then add it to the eggs when they're just about set up (so the lobster doesn't become over cooked). I put in some tarragon, too.

[looz]

Ooh! That sounds tasty! I often make a sauce like that (but with Japanese light rice vinegar) for vegetables or tofu. I never thought of trying it with lobster!

[looz]

Haha! This is indeed a princess problem, isn't it!

All these salads and salad rolls are sounding pretty delicious. I think I'll do that with some of the meat.

I do want to try making a soup. Any suggestions as to what to put in it? My husband doesn't eat shellfish, so I *never* cook it. It feels strange having no idea whatsoever to do with something!

How much meat can I expect to find in the lobster bodies? I have so very little lobster experience. Mr. Chef just served the tails and claws, and my husband packaged up everything for the freezer before I got a chance to even look at it.

Should I run into this problem in the future (unlikely!) would I be better off not freezing everything right away? We did that because we had so many other leftovers, it seemed like they would stand freezing the best, and I didn't think I would be able to get to doing something with them for a few days at least. Did I make the right choice?

(On another note, we usually go out for dinner on NYE. This indulgent feast at home was remarkably cost effective! Our seven-course meal including wine, lobster, and lamb worked out to about $50/person - about half what I spent going out last year. We had enough leftovers to have my sister and her bf over again last night for round two, then I took the *rest* over to my sister-in-law for dinner for two tomorrow! And that doesn't even include the lobsters in the freezer!!)

[fourunder]

Should I run into this problem in the future (unlikely!) would I be better off not freezing everything right away?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With Maine lobsters......you should always steam them before you freeze for use on a later date.

[looz]

No, I mean, if I have already-cooked lobsters, should I put them in the fridge or freezer? How long will they keep in the fridge?

[fourunder]

If you treat them like fresh fish, whole or fillet, on ice (or packed) in a drain pan set-up, they should keep 2-3 days, just like shrimp. It's not recommended to store in water...as it is believed they will lose some flavor.

[hotoynoodle]

whole lobsters the yield is about 30%. not a lot.

frankly, i don't think lobster meat freezes all that well, so i think using it in a light fresh asian style soup would be nice. you could also do spring rolls, with rice noodles and fresh herbs.

[gingershelley]

Or a kind of plain, lots of veggie salad, with lobster on top and a home made lemony mayo as dressing. Ok, here in the NW, I eat dungeness crab; now I need to go get one and make a big crab salad!

Thanks Looz, for dinner tomorrow night!

[fourunder]

Normally, I would only suggest this as the ultimate summer salad, but

Cold Lobster salad with any of the following:

Bibb/Butter Lettuce
Endive
Radicchio
Julienne Peppers, red-green-yellow-orange
Fresh Green Peas
Julienne Sugar Snap Peas or Snow Pea Pods
Julienne Daikon
Red Onion Slivers
Avocado
Cherry Tomatoes

In a Citrus Vinaigrette

If you do not like that idea, than a warm lobster salad or seafood salad, Italian Style.

[gingershelley]

Looz, what a nice problem to have... wish my NY started with 2 tails and 4 lobster bodies in my fridge!

I would pick the meat from the bodies and make a seafood soup, using the body shells to make a stock with some onion, celery/carrot, etc. bay leaf. after you take the meat. I suggest this since you say in the freezer already, so not so tender to use just as a fresh application.

If your 2 whole lobsters are barely cooked or not at all, poach quickly or warm in the lobster stock you made from other bodies, and make an emulsified lemon viniagrette with a little garlic and champagne vinegar, and top a salad made with watercress, a little radichio, fresh radishes, avocado, and (out of season) baby hearloom tomatoes; top with the lobster, and you have a new-year version of a lobster louie! Delish!
Serve with lots of crusty bread and good butter. Not so light in the end, but seems like it when you eat it:)

[nomadchowwoman]

This is what my friend calls a "princess problem" (!), but you still need a solution, don't you? ; )

I don't know how light you want to go, but you could make a lovely risotto. Or you could make a light pasta sauce w/lemon or white wine, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and parsley and toss it w/angel hair (even a good whole grain version). You could make make a stir fry w/mushrooms and maybe some (out of season) asparagus, or peas. You could use it to top a salad. Or make lobster coktail w/a nice dipping sauce. Or summer rolls.
Assuming the bodies are cooked already, you just have to pick the meat out.