Lobster Tails Blog

It was the New Yorkers and Bostonians that really gave the Maine lobster its place on the culinary map, after they developed a taste of its delicious sweet and succulent meat. Lobsters nowadays are somewhat synonymous with exclusive restaurants and expensive buffets. We imagine them nestled amongst leafy green salads, drizzled with butter sauces, displayed on pure white porcelain and handled with gold cutlery. Lobster throughout history has been prized as a delicacy, especially throughout Western Europe, as their history stretches from Roman banquet halls to feasts thrown by Tudor monarchs. But lobster is too delicious to leave solely to these precious reserves.

Fresher the Better
The main thing to know about lobsters is – the fresher the better! Ideally you should pluck them straight from the ocean and have them on the table within the hour. Lobster lovers rejoice! If you crave juicy, sweet Maine lobster, but don’t want to go through handling live crustaceans, buy lobster tails from LobsterAnwhere. The frozen lobster tails are 100% natural – no additives – just pure lobster meat, which can be stored as fresh as the day it was caught – up to six months. But what lobster tails are the best?

Types of Lobster
For the most part there are two main types of lobster, cold water and warm water. First up is the warm water lobster, which is commonly caught off the coast of Asia, the Caribbean, Florida, California and the Mediterranean. Warm water lobsters have a fishier taste, often with a softer mushier texture, which means they are often difficult to handle. Cold water lobster is commonly caught off the coast of New Zealand, south Africa, Australia, and of course Maine. These lobsters are firmer sweeter and more succulent, with whiter meat. They are transported frozen to many warm water areas because you just can’t compete with the taste. Don’t compromise – always pick cold water Maine lobster. You’ll never be disappointed.

Order Lobster Tails
Frozen lobster tails can be bought in a variety of sizes, from the Jumbo, Extra-Jumbo all the up to our Colossal, which weighs in at about 16-20oz. There is no difference in quality, it all depends on what size party you intend to cook for, or how hungry for lobster you are.

Fresh-Shucked lobster tails are a lifesaver if you aren’t too keen on cracking your own lobster tails. These tasty morsels are ready shucked, and can be quickly prepared.

Barbecue Lobster tails are heaving with lobster meat – these come ready spilt and cleaned and make barbequing lobsters a synch. Never has lobster been easier to eat.

Baked Stuffed Lobster. You know just writing those words makes me hungry. Handmade these deluxe packages include a 5oz lobster tail filled with a lobster stuffing – that’s lobster meat, walnuts, parmesan cheese and drizzled with lemon butter.

Lobster never tasted so good. And to top all this off – these are available to order right now, with next day delivery. So prepare for that dinner party occasion with the best lobster possible – or even better – just having a lobster dinner can be an occasion in itself.

How to Cook Lobster Tails
After taking your frozen lobster tails out of the freezer it is best to defrost them before getting started. This is done by placing them in a bowl of cold water in the fridge over night. For a simple boil cook, place them in boiling water – ensuring that the whole tail is covered – and then wait until the meat is bright white and shells turn red or orange. Crack open the lobster by piercing the underside with a sharp knife or crack with lobster-crackers. Then, gently pull apart the lobster. Alternatively you could crack the lobster first and then bake or grill the meat with butter and spices.

That Perfect Lobster Accompaniments
I feel I am rather a minimalist when it comes to my lobster – but no lobster is complete without a drawn butter sauce for dipping. Served warm there is no hassle to this recipe, merely melt the butter in a warm pan and pour into a dipping bowl. Alternatively, stir in lemon juice and chopped parsley for a lemon-butter. Or gently fry chopped garlic in butter for a garlic-butter. You can choose to strain the garlic away for a lighter taste or keep them mixed in – either way is delicious.

You don’t have to travel to Bar Harbor, Maine to enjoy fresh lobster or to Cape Cod, Massachusetts  to host a clambake. LobsterAnywhere brings the lobster party to you. Since 1999 it has been shipping live Maine lobsters, New England clam chowder, succulent lobster tails, across the country, along with easy cooking instructions that can transform anyone into an instant five-star chef.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Celebrate the end of the summer New England style with a simple broiled lobster recipe serving two.

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons Of Butter, Softened
2 Tablespoons Of Grated Lemon Zest
1 Tablespoon Of Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Of Fresh Chopped Parsley
1/2 Teaspoon Of Cayenne Pepper
2 1 1/4 lb. Maine Cooked Lobsters
2 Tablespoon Oil

Cooking Method
Beat the butter, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and cayenne pepper until blended. Split the lobsters in half, remove intestines and stomach. Brush shells and meat with oil. Broil until heated, turning at least once. Dot meat with the lemon butter, and serve.

Popularity: 25% [?]

You have a craving for Maine lobster, so you go ahead and order a whole lobster at a restaurant and it is brought to your table. What do you do first? Some people are uncomfortable with the beady eyes of the lobster staring at them and the whole creature taking up their plate, but have experienced the rewards of taking apart and eating the best lobster. They move their focus elsewhere, such as to the tail or claw meat, and tackle it first. (Pictured below, an impressive crusher claw).

For some lobster lovers, the tail meat is the best part of the lobster, but others really enjoy pulling the meat out of the claws and savoring the legs. If you are hungry and can’t wait, there is substantially more meat in the tail and it is easier to push out with a fork. Customers may favor the claws for the sweeter and tender meat, and there are two to devour. Perhaps you eat other parts of the lobster that others never taste: the body, legs, or tail flipper. The tail and claws are easy to eat, but don’t forget the knuckle meat within the shell between the claw and the body of the lobster.

When lobsters flap their tails and move around in the water, the twisting movements tend to make the tail meat more fibrous than the claw. The claw muscles, which are used less, are softer. The crusher claw, the larger of the two, which a lobster uses for crushing, is tougher than the pincher claw that pulls underwater prey apart. Since claws can be puny in terms of meat, most people rely on the tail meat to satisfy their appetites. Others enjoy the inside body of the lobster: the vein, intestine, roe (or eggs). If you do consume these parts, it is recommended to wash them out.

Taking a lobster apart before eating is an art. It involves protecting your clothing with a lobster bib and napkins, and taking the time to crack the lobster open, and remove the meat from the tail, claws, and legs. This whole process can be messy, and it may leave you behind others dining with you who are not so brave. You may have to adjust to the idea of finishing last, so here are some helpful tips on how to eat a lobster:

With nutcracker, small fork or picks on hand,

• Attack the claws first: Separate the claws from the knuckles, then crack the knuckles in half with a nutcracker and remove the meat with a fork.

• Pull off the legs: Twist them and roll out the meat (with a fork or another tool).

• Crack open the Tail: Bend the tail backwards to crack off the end of shell and twist the tail fins and pull them off. Use your fingers or a fork to push the tail meat out of shell.

• Use the extras sparingly: If you enjoy the green liver, or tomalley, from the body (unappealing to some people), mix it with lemon juice or butter to make a spread for bread or crackers. It is not highly recommended to consume it regularly, as it may contain some contaminants.

Tip:  If you are at home, use a rolling pin to push the meat out of the legs.

Eating lobster with lemon juice or melted butter is the usual way to enjoy a meal. There are many recipes that can be added to a lobster dinner, and we recommend that you browse through some on the LobsterAnywhere.com site for ideas.

Or, you may just wish to order lobster tails and save the trouble. Large lobster tails are sold by weight comparable to 2-6 pound lobsters and may be ordered either fresh or frozen, or out of the shell from LobsterAnywhere.com. Even easier, LobsterAnywhere offers lobster claws pre-cooked and ready to enjoy.,

What’s your favorite part of the lobster? Send us your comments – we would love to hear from you.

Popularity: 15% [?]

With the warm weather this Memorial Day weekend the boats are out hauling in lobsters for the summer season. For lobster lovers who do not want to handle live lobster, lobster tails are the right choice for you to throw a Memorial Day lobster party. Add a little zest to your summertime fun with this recipe for lobster tails with balsamic dressing.

Ingredients:
4 Lobster Tails from LobsterAnywhere!
Select 6-7 oz. lobster tails, 8-10 oz., 16-20 oz. tails
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp chopped shallots
1 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Cut the bottom of the lobster tail shell with kitchen scissors, so they will lie flat. Put in shallow dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over tails. Marinate for at least two hours in the refrigerator, turning a few times. Broil tails, basting with marinade, for 12-15 minutes. Alternatively, you can grill your lobster tails.

To learn more about our lobster tails, see our article Lobster Tails for any Season and our video for how to cook lobsters on the grill. LobsterAnywhere ships hand-selected, hard-shell Maine lobsters tails right to your doorstep.

Popularity: 10% [?]

There are a number of myths and tall tales concerning Maine lobster. Are you a lobster expert? Test your crustacean knowledge. You may be surprised what you find out about Maine’s own food group.

MYTH #1: Summer Lobster is the best

FACT: Summertime is lobster time in New England. The majority of lobsters caught in the summer are soft-shell. For the tourist a soft-shell lobster will usually be a good buy and a snap to open. This is due to the fact that a soft-shell lobster has less meat because it has not filled out its shell yet.  Squeeze the sides of the lobster’s body; the soft shell will yield to pressure, while the hard shell will be firm, and tightly packed with meat. Some locals  believe the meat of the soft-shell lobster is sweeter, but compared to a hard-shell lobster of the same size, the meat is wimpy and watery!

MYTH #2: The big lobsters have tough meat.

FACT: The size of the lobster–small or large–does not determine the quality. The larger the lobster or the older the lobster does not necessarily mean tougher meat.  Tough or rubbery meat is usually the result of a lobster cooked too long.

MYTH # 3: Female Lobsters are the best.

FACT: Actually sex doesn’t really matter, unless you’re a fan of roe. The red “stuff” is the lobster roe or coral. It is the female lobster’s unfertilized eggs. Females have a slightly wider tail, than the mail lobster. And adult males have bigger claws. The amount of meat of a male lobster versus female lobster is negligible. In short, there is no taste difference.

MYTH #4: Lobster scream when you cook them.

FACT: Lobsters have no vocal chords. The sound you may hear is actually steam escaping from the shell as the lobster cooks.  Lobsters have a ganglionic nervous system (as opposed to our central nervous system) and do not feel pain like we do.  To kill a lobster humanely, we believe boiling or steaming is the quickest method.

MYTH #5: Lobsters are Red.

FACT: “Red as a lobster” is just a tale. Lobsters come in just about every color but red. They can be blue, light yellow, greenish-brown, gray, dusty orange, some calico, and some with spots. However, they all turn red when they hit hot water. The hot water cuts the link between astaxanthin, a red substance contained in the lobster’s shell, and protein, which in cold water brings out the predominant coloring.

Myth #6:  There is only one kind of lobster found in the USA.

FACT: Actually there are two kinds of lobster crustaceans found in U.S: the Maine or American lobster and the spiny or rock lobster. The true lobster has claws on the first four legs, lacking in the spiny lobster; the spiny lobster has a pair of horns above the eyes, lacking in the Maine lobster. The spiny lobster is found in warm waters off Florida and southern California, while the American lobster lives in the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland south to New Jersey. Nine states on the East Coast haul in the American lobster. Eighty percent of the total came from Maine in 2004, according to the U.S Commerce Department.

MYTH #7: Maine catches the most lobsters in North America.

FACT: False,  Canada accounts for more than 60% of lobsters landings in North American. In fact, Canada catches twice the lobsters of Maine. Maine lands approximately 60% of the U.S. catch, followed by Massachusetts at 18%. Surprisingly, as much as 70% of lobsters landed in Maine are shipped back up to Canadian processors and are then shipped back to the U.S. as Canadian product.

MYTH #8 : Only buy lobsters in months with an “r” in them.

FACT: Folklore says that lobster and other shellfish should be eaten only in months with “r’s” in them — September, October, etc. Actually lobster can be eaten 12 months a year. The notion that live lobster should not be eaten in “r”-less months, that is, months that occur during warm weather — may have started in the days when shellfish where shipped without adequate refrigeration and could spoil.

MYTH #9: Lobster is high in fat.

FACT: Maine lobster is a low fat, low cholesterol dish. Maine Lobster has less calories (98), cholesterol (72mg) and saturated fats (0.1g) than turkey and chicken. (Of course, that doesn’t include your butter). Lobster meat contains omega-3 fatty acids, thought to reduce hardening of the arteries and reduce the risk of heart disease.

MYTH #10: Lobsters are scavengers.

FACT: Contrary to what most people think, lobsters aren’t simply scavengers. Lobsters usually move around and hunt for food at night. Researchers have discovered that lobsters hunt down live prey as well (except for bait), which includes fish, snails, crabs, clams, mussels, sea urchins, and sometimes other lobsters! That’s why lobstermen immobilize the  claws with bands. Inshore lobsters tend to stay in one place, seldom moving more than a mile or so, but deep water lobsters farther out on the Continental Shelf follow a seasonal migratory pattern shoreward in summer, returning to the Shelf again in the autumn.

Popularity: 27% [?]