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Nothing
compares to the delicious taste of Maine lobster, especially
if you know how to select the best. Here are some tips for
selecting and storing Maine lobster.
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Color:
Maine lobsters are usually greenish brown or black in color,
but can also be blue, yellow, red or even white. The color
of a lobster's shell does not affect its flavor or texture.
Activity: Look for lobsters that move around and hold their
claws upward and their tails straight. Claws should never
hang limply and the tails should never curl underneath its
body.
Shells:
Black marks or holes in the lobster's shell are the result
of wear and tear and usually indicate an older lobster that
hasn't recently shed its shell. Marks are not harmful in
any way.
Hard
Shell Lobster: Hard shell lobsters
have been living in their shells for quite a while, and
so they're usually fuller. However, it requires the use
of utensils to gain access to the meat.
New
Shell Lobster: New shell lobsters
have recently molted and are growing into their new shells.
Many people think new shell lobster meat is sweeter and
more tender than the meat of a hard shell lobster and it
is significantly easier to remove from the shell.
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How
to Cook Lobsters:
Live lobster can be boiled, steamed, grilled, or baked. Cooking
a lobster longer than the recommended times usually makes
the meat too tough. When properly cooked, lobster meat is
a creamy white and shells are bright red.
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Facts: |
As
a lobster grows, it sheds its shell, increasing in weight
by 25% each time, and a lobster will shed its shell 24 times
the first year.
A lobster that has lost a claw in a fight is called a "cull".
A lobster is approximately 7 years old before it is legal
to harvest, and it will weigh about 1 pound.
A lobster takes 18 to 24 months to develop from time of impregnation
to the hatching of the egg.
An older lobster only molts every four or five years.
A lobster is the size of a mosquito when it leaves the female's
body.
A lobster will catch fish, other crustaceans, and mollusks
for their food.
A lobster will commonly store food by burying it on the bottom
of the ocean and defending the area much like a dog.
A lobster's age is approximately his weight multiplied by
4, plus 3 years. |
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Until
the early 1800s, lobstering was done by gathering them by
hand along the shoreline. Lobstering as a trap fishery came
into existence in Maine around 1850. Today Maine is the
largest lobster-producing state in the nation. Though the
number of lobstermen has increased dramatically, the amount
of lobsters caught has remained relatively steady. In 1892,
2600 people in the Maine lobster fishery caught 7,983 metric
tons; in 1989, 6300 Maine lobstermen landed 10,600 metric
tons of lobster.
Smackmen
first appeared in Maine in the 1820s because of increased
demand for lobsters from the New York and Boston markets.
Smackmen were named after their boats, a well smack. Smacks
were small sailing vessels with a tank inside the boat that
had holes drilled into it to allow sea water to circulate.
The smacks were used to transport live lobsters over long
distances.
Today,
seafood lovers can't wait to get their hands on these tasty
crustaceans.
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Live
Lobster: Live lobsters should be stored in open containers
in the refrigerator, provided they are kept moist with seaweed,
or seawater dampened towels or newspaper. Do NOT immerse
lobsters in water or place on ice in an airtight container
as they will suffocate and die. Live lobsters can live up
to 48 hours after you've purchased them provided they are
kept cold and their gills are kept moist, as described above.
Cooked Lobster: Store cooked lobsters in rigid, airtight
containers. The product is best if used within three days
from time of cooking.
Lobster
Meat: Lobster meat that has been immediately removed
from the shell after cooking can be stored in an airtight
container for up to four days.
Frozen
Lobster Products: Follow directions on package for
storage and thawing of frozen lobster.
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