Cooking MONSTER Lobsters!

Okay guys - would appreciate some help/advice/input here within the next 4 hours or so - lol!

Today is my dear husband's birthday, & Monday isn't a good restaurant night (all of the "special" spots around here are closed on Monday), so I told him I'd make him dinner home. I phoned around this morning hoping to perhaps snag some early fresh soft-shell crabs, but no go. As luck would have it, I DID discover that Wegman's market was having a sale on "monster" lobsters ($10.99/lb.). So popped over there & became the proud owner of one behemoth just over 4 pounds, & one just a hair shy of 3 pounds. Both very fresh & frisky.

Since the largest lobsters I've ever cooked have been 2-1/2 pounders, was wondering if my usual 10-12 minutes per pound rule still holds. We both prefer our lobsters boiled (actually, more of a medium simmer), but somehow 40 minutes sounds like an awfully long time for lobster. But then I'd hate to split them & then have to run them under the broiler because they weren't done yet.

Comments?
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I'm guess here as I tend to go by their color. Bring a pot to a boil on high heat. Once there add any seasoning you want to the water and put the lobster in head first. Once in turn it down a bit to a strong simmer. I figure 5 minutes for the first pound and 3 minutes per pound over that.
 
Thanks - 20-25 minutes was what I was thinking, which goes in line with the nice link you provided. I did do a websearch, but found a lot of disparity, so figured I'd see what folks here thought. :)
 

Adillo303

*****
Gold Site Supporter
I have never cooked one that big. I suggest watching the indicators they gave closely.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
How about using a meat thermometer?

How to tell when your lobster is cooked
Care must be taken not to overcook the lobster, as this will result in tougher and less succulent meat. Overcooking also means that some of the delicious flavour will be lost and the meat may shrink, become stringy or even mushy.
Do not remove the lobster from the pot before the shell has turned bright red.
The lobster is properly done when an antennae comes off easily when pulled gently.
The cooked lobster meat will be firm and white in colour.
The internal temperature of the lobster meat will have reached 180°F (80°C).
The green tomalley or liver, which is situated inside the body cavity, will have turned a greenish yellow colour.
 

joec

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That is pretty much how I do it to Buzz go by color and antennae off routine. As I said it was a guess on my part. I have cooked a lot of lobster larger than 5 lbs in my life and even had a few Florida crawfish that large.
 

buckytom

Grill Master
how'd the monsters turn out, breezy?

i agree with around 25 minutes. we usually cook 2+ pounders unless the 1 pounders are on sale, and dw and i debate how long to cook them every time. i tend to go more raw, while she goes for safely overcooked. :neutral:

i remember dw getting a 4 1/2 pounder at a restaurant one valentine's day. i got the claws as leftovers the next day. i had to use a hammer and some serious force to get them open.
 
I have just 3 words to say: BEST. LOBSTER. EVAH!!!

Never again will I listen to those folks who claim that large lobsters are tough & tasteless, regardless of how you cook them. These babies were tender, sweet, & full of lobster flavor. Also absolutely chock full of meat - no empty spaces. And no more difficult to open than their smaller brethren. The only parts that gave a little difficulty were the HUGE "crusher" claws.

Re: cooking, only snafu was realizing that even my largest stock pot wasn't big enough for both of these, so I had to cook them separately. Did the 3-pounder first for around 25 minutes, then split & checked for doneness. Perfect. Had my oven at the lowest setting & put it, plattered, inside to keep warm. Gave the 4-pounder 30 minutes. Again - came out absolutely perfect. Below is an impromptu pic of the 4-pounder cooling off for a few minutes on the counter. (Please excuse the poor setting - I was under pressure to get this meal on the table since poor hubby ended up getting home a bit late from work. No time to set a "stage" - lol!) Just to give some perspective, the platter is 16" long & about 12" across at its widest point.

And since we barely made a dent in them, I have lots of lobster picking to do today in order to enjoy "Lobster Rolls", "Lobster Ravioli with Lobster Sauce", "Pasta with Red Seafood Sauce", etc., etc. As I usually do with leftover shellfish, I'll be freezing some of the meat in the leftover lobster lemon butter. I find this preserves the taste & texture perfectly. And I of course saved all of the shells & will probably throw together a stock to freeze at the same time. I think I'll end up getting a lot of meals out of these for my dollar, & hubby thought it was the best birthday dinner ever!
 

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joec

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I agree nothing wrong to large lobster or even Florida craw fish at 3 lbs or better. Now with that said their are some lobsters that are like eating a Brillo pad, African lobster comes to mind. Don't know why but never ate one that wasn't plain tough regardless of their size.

That is my standard birthday dinner also lobster and more lobster. Looks great really does.
 

High Cheese

Saucier
Re: cooking, only snafu was realizing that even my largest stock pot wasn't big enough for both of these, so I had to cook them separately.

I bought a cheapo $19 20qt pot just for situations like this and cooking pasta for alot of people. I also have slightly smaller ones for stocks, etc.
 
Oh - & one more thing. Both of these behemoths were cooked absolutely perfectly, yet my firm yanking on the antennae left them all firmly in place. Sorry - don't think I'll be using that has a doneness barometer in the future - lol!
 
Heck, we'll be enjoying these guys for a couple of weeks - freezer is stuffed with numerous pints of lemon-butter-infused lobster chunks & tail "medallions", & fridge is holding the shells so I can hopefully make stock tomorrow.

I have to admit that while the initial $ outlay was relatively high (around $72 for both lobsters), when you figure in all the meals I'll be gleaning from these two beauties, it really does work out pretty well dollar-wise per meal. Much less than you'd ever pay at a restaurant - & I can ensure that the quality will be superlative. :)
 

AllenOK

New member
Lobster Rolls
Lobster and Chive Bisque (good use for the shells here) (allrecipes.com)
Lobster Spring Rolls with a Citrus-Chili Dipping Sauce (foodnetwork.com)
Lobster Smothered in White Truffle Butter with Toasted White Corn Pancakes and Roasted Baby Beets (foodnetwork.com)
New England Creamed Corn and Charred Lobster Chowder with Summer Truffles (foodnetwork.com)
Lobster and Crab Stuffed Mushrooms (not sure where I got this one, hesitant to post the recipe)


Light Fresh Maine Lobster and Peach Salad
Yields: 1 serving
From: awew

1 fresh Maine Lobster
1 whole (crisp) peach
½ c marinated garlic cloves
1 Bermuda onion
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
½ bunch scallions
6 oz mesclun mix
½ c light raspberry vinaigrette
Zest of 1 lemon

Boil lobster and shuck by cutting tail in half and crushing claws (save tail shells). Pit the peach and julienne. Dice peppers, half of the onion, ¼ of the scallions and lobster tail. Toss diced mixture together. Place mesclun mix on plate. Arrange peach slices, marinated garlic cloves, the other onion half julienned and the lobster claws around the edges of the plate. Place the lobster tail shells in the center of the salad and use as cups to hold the diced pepper and lobster mix. Drizzle with the light raspberry vinaigrette. Garnish with remaining scallions and the zest of one lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

These are just a sampling of the Lobster recipes I've collected over the years. The one recipe I actually posted is from a friend of mine.
 

buckytom

Grill Master
wow, allen. :chef:
lobster and peach salad just screams summertime! thanks for the recipe, once again.

and wtg, breezy. enjoy your monster leftovers. i made the mistake once of trying to cook three 2+ pounders in a single, albeit huge pot. it took forever to get the water at a roilling boil, and then the temp dropped too much with so much mass of cold beast added. instead of dying in a few seconds, i tortured the poor delicious things to death, and they came out tough. you did well by cooking them seperately.

josie, i remeber african lobster tails were all the rage around 20 years ago. they were huge and delicious. i don't know what happened, but they did get tougher and smaller over the years. i haven't seen them at fish mongers or in restaurants in a long time now.
 
Thanks for the ideas Allen!!

I've pretty much decided that - outside of the lobster stock - we'll be enjoying:

"Lobster Rolls" - a husband request. I reheat the meat lightly in lemon-butter, then bind - also lightly - with just a little mayo & freshly ground black pepper. Hubby likes his with a little chopped lettuce. I frou-frou mine up a bit with arugula & a little chopped fresh tarragon if I have it on hand.

"Lobster Ravioli with Lobster Sauce" - I have a package of Monterey Pasta Company "Lobster Ravioli" in the freezer. Plan on making a light white-wine cream sauce & folding in some lobster meat to dress the pasta with.

"Pasta with Red Seafood Sauce" - I have some red seafood sauce (fish, shrimp, clams, mussels) in the freezer, & plan on adding some lobster & dressing linguini with it.

The stock, of course, will be saved for future use - a soup or bisque perhaps? Maybe a boullabaise? Time will tell - & it will be nice to have in the freezer.
 
And Bucky - my 3-pounder did just fine in my 170-degree oven while waiting for the 4-pounder to cook. No dryness; no toughness. I'm thinking separate cooking is definitely the way to go with these big guys unless you have huge commercial equipment.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
If you kept the shells it makes a good lobster stock or mixed with other sea foods for a fish stock.
 
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