Do you prefer soft shell or hard shell lobster? Do you know the difference? And if you do, how do you get the type of shell you favor? LobsterAnywhere.com has the answers.
If you live anywhere in the U.S. other than New England, the lobster you select from that cold water tank, whether a chef will be preparing it for you or you will be steaming it yourself at home, is a hard shell lobster. Hard shell lobster is hardy, healthy, and can travel long distances in the right shipping conditions. But those same lobsters can become as delicate and fragile as their paper-thin shells during molting season. Hard shell and soft shell lobsters are not different breeds, but rather the same lobsters at different times during the year.
Twice a year, when the water of the Atlantic Ocean gets warm, lobsters molt, or lose their shells. A lobster needs to lose its shell in order to grow, and as it increases in size, it grows a new shell to fit. The average lobster grows 20% in size each time it molts. Most lobsters molt at least once a year. Young lobsters molt more frequently, and older lobsters molt less frequently.
Soft shell lobsters are fresh lobsters that have recently molted. Their shells are new and brittle. Over time, their shells become harder and harder, so a soft shell lobster will become a hard shell lobster in a few months.
The lobster grows to fit its new shell. Therefore, when you crack into a soft shell lobster, you’ll find less meat, as the lobster hasn’t had a chance to grow into its new shell yet. The meat is also watery, and not as versatile as hard shell meat. For example, soft shell meat is too fragile to be grilled. However, some lobster fans insist that the meat of the soft shell lobster is sweeter than meat at the hard shell stage.
If you are curious to try soft shell lobster, you’ll have to travel to New England, since soft shell lobster is far too delicate to ship. Come visit us in Maine during the late summer months or early in the fall, when all the lobsters have recently molted. You can crack fresh soft shell Maine lobsters with your bare hands!
Meanwhile, though sometimes hard to find through other sellers, hard shell fresh Maine lobster delivery is available year-round from LobsterAnywhere.com. With its thick, solid shell, hard shell fresh Maine lobster is sturdy enough to ship anywhere across the country. You can grill, saute, bake, or even fry the thick, succulent fresh Maine lobster meat that is delivered right to your door.
To learn about how live Maine lobsters are caught, categorized, selected, and shipped, visit our Lobsters 101 tutorial.
Check back for periodic updates on our Lobster Anywhere blog for cool tips on cooking and eating lobster, great lobster recipes, and curious lobster trivia and history. What’s more, we just launched our You Tube Channel. So now you can watch our how to cook lobster videos!
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