Agriculture, Fisheries and AquacultureHOME / FACTSHEETS / All About Lobster Information on buying, storing, preparing and serving of lobster: How To Buy Lobster Lobster may be purchased live in the shell, or freshly cooked in the shell. When purchased live, lobster should show some movement and the tail should spring back when straightened out. Lobster that show no movement when handled and whose tail hangs down straight are dead and should be discarded. When handling live lobster, be careful of the claws as they can give you a severe bite. To protect the handler and to prevent the lobster from harming each other in captivity, the claws are usually immobilized by placing an elastic band around them. When buying cooked lobster, check that they are a bright red-orange colour, have a fresh aroma and that the tail section will spring back into a curled position after being straightened out. Lobster is sold as either canners or markets, in accordance with size. Canners weigh between ½ and 3/4 lb (250-375 g) while markets weigh over 3/4 lb (375 g). Lobster is also sold as cold pack (meat, frozen in cans and vac pac bags), hot pack (meat, heat processed in cans) cocktail, chowders, paste, tails and whole, frozen in the shell.
| Top of Page |
How To Store Lobster Live lobster should never be placed in fresh water or on ice. Under ideal cool, damp storage conditions, lobster can live out of water for up to 36 hours. Cooked lobster in the shell can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days if placed in a tightly covered container. They can be stored in your refrigerator for several hours by placing them in a large container covered with damp newspaper or seaweed. Shucked lobster meat can be refrigerated for two to three days. Live lobster should never be frozen but cooked lobster freeze well. For best results, the cooked meat should be removed from the shell and placed in plastic containers, glass bottles or freezer bags. Prepare a brine solution of 1/4 cup (50 mL) salt to each quart (litre) of fresh water. Pour this over the lobster so that all the meat is covered and ½ inch (1.2 cm) headspace remains. Whole cooked lobster can be frozen in individual heavy plastic bags. Place the lobster in the bag, being careful that the sharp shell does not puncture the bag, cover with a brine solution, seal tightly and freeze immediately. Whole cooked lobster may also be frozen in plastic pails with tightly fitting covers. Pack the lobster in the pail, cover with a brine solution, leaving a one inch (2.5 cm) headspace, cover tightly and freeze. To thaw lobster, place it in the refrigerator and allow 15 to 18 hours defrosting time per pound (500 g). To speed up the defrosting time, place the package under cold running water for ½ to 1 hour per lb (500 g).
| Top of Page |
How To Prepare Lobster Lobster should be cooked either in clean seawater or salted fresh water (add 2 tbsp (25 mL) of salt to each quart (litre) of fresh water). Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the lobster and bring it to a boil. Grasp the lobster firmly by the back just behind the claws and plunge it head first into the boiling water. Cover, return the water to a boil and then lower the heat to a bubbly simmer. Lobster will cook in 12 to 20 minutes depending on the size. Canners will cook in 12 to 15 minutes, while larger lobster will require up to 20 minutes of cooking time. Timing should start only after the water has returned to a boil. Once cooked, the lobster should be drained immediately. They can now be served hot or chilled quickly by being dipped in cold water. It is important to cool the lobster quickly so that they do not remain in the temperature range in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you wish to use the lobster in a prepared dish, you can now remove the meat from the shell. Lobster has an average meat yield of 20 to 25 percent. This means that a one pound (500 g) lobster will contain 3 to 4 oz (100-125 g) of meat. It will take approximately 5.5 oz (160 g) of meat to make 1 cup (250 mL). If using canned lobster for your recipes, remember that an 11.3 oz (320 g) can will yield about 2 cups (500 mL).
| Top of Page |
How To Serve Lobster There are two methods for serving lobster in the shell. The shell can be broken apart using lobster crackers and the meat then picked out, or the lobster can be cut in half down the centre and the claws cut open with a large heavy knife. All of the lobster is edible except for the shell, the small stomach (hard sac) behind the head and the dark vein running down the back of the tail. The green material in the body is the liver or tomally. This is excellent eating, as is the red material, or roe, which is found in the body of the female lobster.
| Top of Page |
| ||||||
