A lesson in shucking lobsters

I've always been in love with lobster. Perhaps it's the luxury aspect, (they are expensive and difficult to get hold of in the UK), or the fact that they taste really good. I'm assuming this is the reason why they are so beloved and the height of gourmet eating. It certainly isn't due to the painful, guilt ridden torment of boiling them alive or the trouble of extracting that sweet morsel of flesh from the sharp, torturous shell, then again, maybe it is. I've long felt that some people have sadistic tendencies when it comes to poor old shellfish.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may remember the trauma of the spot prawns. Neil and I were mercifully spared the horror of killing them that day. Instead, we just drowned them, unaware of the poor soul's slow deaths as we merrily skipped around for the afternoon. Last night, no such blissful ignorance could be claimed. We watched, fascinated and a little horrified as the crustaceans were boiled before our eyes.

Kevin, a native Nova Scotian, flew from home, where the 'Sea beetles', as he calls them,  are generally tastier and far cheaper, with a whole bunch of them in his back pack (Shhhh). After their little adventure on an airplane, the lobsters' time was up.

I watched the demise of these magnificent creatures and I'm giving you the option too. There was no screaming, (which some people try to dismiss as the escaping of air through the shell), or frantic escapees, just a peaceful, uneventful slow boil. The appearance of the vivid bright red indicating that they are cooked, like a built in meat thermometer that pops up when it's ready. I like to think this is the lobster's last angry outburst, "if you're going to eat me, then do it, but I want you to feel really bad about it"!

Lobster is of course, not complete without garlic butter. Dipped into the liquid gold, flecked with parsley, garlic and a swirl of lemon, it seems to highlight the sweetness and subtle fishy flavour. We discussed the varying ways lobster can be prepared and eaten, such as Lobster Thermidor, or taken out of the shell and then placed back inside, but Kevin wanted none of it. In Nova Scotia, he said, lobsters were given to you whole, freshly steamed or boiled and sometimes hacked in half, but not usually shucked, that was for the eater to do and I imagine a great deal of pride and manliness is associated with doing it well. Kevin certainly knew his way around one, as the short video shows.(video coming soon)

We had some veggies cooked on the barbecue to accompany. At first, Neil was adamant that the lobsters were going to meet their end in this fashion. He was convinced they would be thrown alive onto the burning hot embers. I was sceptical and relieved that even the most rugged moose - hunting, lobster - shucking Nova Scotian man would not resort to this kind of shellfish homicide.

Asparagus, charred on the tips until crunchy and juicy inside, spring onions, blackened and slipped out of their burnt skins, sweet and tender and corn, simply caramelized until it tasted as though sugar had been poured onto it and baked in.

But really, it's all about the lobsters. The claws hold the largest nugget of meat, the technique for removing it whole requiring a sharp blow with the knife and a twist to release the shell without tearing the flesh. Kev told us the best piece was the knuckle, where it was tender and sweet. The legs make tasty eating, requiring the flesh to be sucked out like an ice pop. The tail which is the largest single piece, is the usual accompaniment to a 'surf and turf' platter with a steak, but it is chewier and less tasty than the other limbs. 

Because these creatures had died for us, it seemed only fitting to try a little of the less desirable 'stuff' inside. The roe, deep red and more solid, had a dense, meaty texture, not unlike liver with a bitter, strong fishy taste and the tomalley, the actual liver, green and paste like, was pleasantly mellow with a subtle taste. Kev said his mum spreads this on toast. They really know how to eat lobster back East, Kev even taking the shells and bodies home to make stock. 

 

So, Thank you Kevin and Marcus, (for the use of your house) and Thank you lobsters. My mission is complete. I have taken part in the cooking of live crabs, spot prawns and lobsters. I suppose one day I may call myself a cook.

Recipe - Boiled lobsters and garlic butter

(This isn't so much a recipe as a technique in case one day you find yourself fortunate enough to have a live lobster at your disposal).

To feed 9 people we had 7 two pound lobsters

Get out your largest pan and fill it 2/3rds with very salty water, ideally water taken straight from the ocean or sea. 

Bring the water to a fairly steady slow boil. Take the rubber bands from the lobster's claws, (carefully) and quickly put in as many as will fit comfortably into the water, ensuring they are completely immersed. Put a lid on and let them boil for about 10 minutes. repeat if necessary with the other lobsters. When they are all ready and cool enough to handle, the fun shucking begins. Pile onto plates and let everyone help themselves, simply dipping into the butter as they go.

Recipe : Garlic and lemon butter

1 tsp oil

2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced or crushed

Juice of one lemon

1 tbsp finely minced fresh parsley

First, melt the oil and a little butter in a pan over low - medium heat. Add the garlic and gently fry until beginning to take a little colour. Add the butter and slowly melt.

Add the lemon juice and parsley, mix together well and pour into two small ramekins. 

The ideal thing to do is to keep the butter warm and melted over some sort of device which holds the ramekins above a small flame. If you don't have one of these, (like us, last night), simply pop into the microwave after a while to reheat.