Some of the finest lobsters in the world are harvested right here in the United States from the pristine waters of coastal Maine. Eating lobster is a longtime New England tradition. Today it has become a favorite of millions of epicures from all around the world who have found that perfectly cooked lobster is certainly one of life’s simplest pleasures.

Due to its high price, lobster tends to intimidate many home cooks. The truth is, however, that lobster is one of the simplest foods to cook. Steaming the lobster is a great method of slow and delicate cooking that reduces the chance of overcooking, which can cause the lobster to become tough and stringy.

Don’t be afraid that you’ll ruin something so expensive—just go for it! Make sure you only choose freshwater, live, whole lobsters or tails. Go to the website www.cooking-lobster.com, which will show you step-by-step methods of how to cook lobster and the proper methods involved. It is a great source to help you get accustomed to the overall process. On the site, you can see frame-by-frame pictures of how simple it really is.

Some people think fresh lobster is somewhat overrated since it’s a lot of work for very little meat. Usually you can yield around a quarter pound of meat from the average one-pound whole lobster. That is why I prefer steaming or broiling lobster tales. Although they are expensive, they can be prepared and cooked with little mess and you can purchase larger tails that yield a lot of meat.

In my opinion, the only way to serve a whole lobster is to stuff it. I prefer killing the lobster before cooking it. Refer to www.cooking-lobster.com for the proper method. Once this is done, I insert skewers into the tail to keep it straight during steaming.

After the whole lobster is steamed, I’ll let it cool and remove the meat from the claws and reserve. Clean the body using a chef's knife to split the lobsters in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the head sac and intestine. Remove the tomalley and the roe if present and place in a small bowl (or discard if you want). The tomalley and roe are optional for the stuffing. If you want to include them, mix them into the seafood mixture.

For the body stuffing, start with sautéed shrimp, let it cool and add jumbo lump crabmeat and fold in a rich Mornay sauce and reserve for later. Take your cooked mushroom duxelle and place on the bottom of the body shell. Top the duxelle with your Mornay mixture placed in the shell and finish it in the over at 350°. Serve it immediately.

For the tail, I like to cut the meat in half and place it on both sides of the tail placing Colossal Crabmeat in the center to be served with drawn butter. One stuffed lobster can serve two, depending on how much shrimp and crabmeat you use as your stuffing.

This recipe can be prepared in advance for a simple, pre-dinner preparation. Have all ingredients cooked and ready to assemble. First fold the Morney sauce and seafood. Then place the cooked duxelle on the shell, stuff the body of the lobster and place it in the oven. The tail meat and crabmeat could be served at room temperature or lightly sautéed in butter. Simply fill the tail while the body mixture finishes in the oven. Finish by placing the claw meat next to the body.

Lobster Tail Make sure to thaw your lobsters in a refrigerator before preparing. Method: Take the thawed tail and place it on a cutting board. Place the tip of your chef’s knife towards the bottom or end of the shell. Carefully insert the knife tip and bring down the knife through the shell just enough to cut through the hard shell. The cut should run the entire length of the shell. Place the knife to the side and gently pull the lobster meat up through the shell. You might have to carefully break open the shell a little so the meat can be pulled upward. Be careful not to release the meat from the tail end of the shell. Once the meat is out of the shell, carefully cut the meat so it opens up over the shell. Score the back of the meat to help avoid curling up during steaming or baking. Insert wooden skewers in the meat to also help keep the meat straight on the shell. Also, do not forget to fan the tail out (before you cook it) for presentation purposes. Start on the outside and bring each section over the inner section to maintain the fan. Have your steamer ready with sea-salted water under your steamer basket. Allow steaming approximately 1-1/2 minutes per ounce until the meat is firm and white without any translucency. You can also bake the tail in the oven at 375° for about the same time as steaming. Serve immediately with drawn butter and lemon.

Mushroom Duxelle 3 Tbsp Butter 1-1/2 pounds White Button Mushrooms (wiped clean, stemmed and finely chopped) 1/4 cup Shallots (minced) 1/2 Tbsp Garlic (minced) 1/4 cup White Wine Salt and White Pepper (to taste) Method: In a large skillet or sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt, and white pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms begin to caramelize and all the liquid has evaporated, approximately 20 minutes. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pan and until the liquid has all evaporated, approximately five minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest while assembling the other ingredients. Lobster Alternative If you really do not want to experiment with lobster but still love shellfish, try this. Purchase a one-pound can of Colossal Crabmeat and open it. You’ll be surprised at the size of the crabmeat. The only preparation is to gently check for shells. Chances are you won’t find any. Sauté the crabmeat with butter and some blanched sliced almonds, salt and white pepper and serve. This by far is one of the simplest yet flavorful meals you can produce. The meat is expensive but well worth it. Serve with your favorite vegetables and this one is guaranteed to please the shellfish lover in your life. Another option is to serve Colossal Crabmeat as a cold appetizer. Place in a glass-serving dish and serve with drawn butter or light mustard sauce. Once again, this can be prepared in a few moments. Enjoy!

Shrimp or Lobster Bisque
Please refer to our website and search the archives in our Winter 2005 issue for the recipe for shrimp bisque. You can use lobster shells in addition or as a substitute for the shrimp shells. Results will be similar in taste.
http://designinghomelifestyles.com/05winter_shrimp.php