Basic Instructions To Help You In Steaming A Lobster

While wandering around the market we often get to see live lobsters, shining in their glass boxes, with that external hard, red shell and the tasty meat lying underneath. They always seem tempting to the fish lovers for their extremely tender and delicate meat. The idea of savoring lobster meat is absolutely mouth-watering. Once you get the idea of how to cook lobster, the next job of relishing it becomes comparatively easy! There are some basic ways of cooking a lobster - boiling, steaming and grilling. Let's concentrate on steaming the lobster to make it taste richer. There is one golden rule to be kept in mind when you steam a lobster and that is - overcooking, as it reduces the deliciousness of its tender flesh.

The basic prerequisite for a good steaming is to have a good airtight steamer. It will be best if you put the lobster pot inside the steamer, but this is not possible if you are preparing the lobster for more than 4 people. At such times, use a stockpot to steam the lobster on a crab boil burner. Steaming is a less water-consuming process than boiling. Though it is a bit more time-consuming, its softness is preserved best when steamed. One lobster can yield almost a cup full of meat. Here are some basic instructions to help you in steaming a lobster.

Lobster Pot
There are two types of lobster pots. The one in which a lobster is trapped from the sea, is a cage-like structure known as a lobster pot. But while steaming the lobster, we need an instrument that is made of granite or even stainless steel. It has a steaming rack inside and a very tight lid. The steaming rack is porous at its base while the outer pot contains water in it. When the water boils in the pot, you put the lobster in it. The lobster pot avoids direct heat and helps to cook the lobster on the steam itself.

Steaming Process
To steam a single lobster with an approximate weight of 1 to 1.25 pounds, you must fill the lobster pot with three to four inches of water. After that, put two to three tablespoons of salt in it. You can even use sea water. Bring the water to boil and put the lobster in the steaming rack. Then add spices like two to three bay leaves, a small tablespoon of pepper and lemon juice to it. These are basic spices to add a bit of flavor to the meat. You can put other vegetables like onion, celery, etc, if you wish.

Steaming Time
The key skill in steaming the lobster is to manage the time. As said earlier, the lobster should be strictly cooked within the estimated time. Overcooking will ruin the softness as well as the taste of the meat. All you need to have is a timer. A hard shell lobster of approximately 1 to 1.25 pounds takes basic 12 minutes to get steamed perfectly, on a medium flame. And if you have more than one pound of meat to steam, then add 3 minutes for each pound to the total steaming time. Isn't it easy? Remember, the soft shell lobster takes less time. A small shell lobster of 2 pounds will take about three minutes less than the hard shell lobster.

Lobster Type
The frozen lobster is the best option. You can bring it and save it, until you actually want to use it. They are less expensive than the live ones. But the biggest advantage to prepare a frozen lobster is that they are already prepared. The fresh lobster will always taste better, but those who always feel queasy when cooking it alive, the best option is a frozen lobster. To steam, they must first be brought to the normal room temperature. After thawing, you can steam it in a timely manner. The required time will be same as steaming a live lobster.

The Tail
Steaming the lobster tail and then preparing it the way you want is an easy job. You can take either the live or a freshly thawed lobster tail for it. It becomes essential to take the meat out of the shell as the meat curls inside the shell. The time required is same as steaming the whole lobster. Half way through the steaming, take the lid off and rearrange the lobster to get it steamed evenly.

The Grand Finale
There is an easy way to identify whether the lobster is steamed. When it is steamed perfectly, the shell will turn to bright red color and the meat will turn white. If the shell is not bright red and the meat is still translucent, then you will need to steam it a little longer. Even if you stop cooking, the lobster will keep cooking outside the lobster pot. To avoid this, just put the steamed lobsters into a bowl of cold water or ice and then start cracking it. The most important thing to remember is to be careful while opening the lid as it will still be very hot.

You can add a hint of beer while steaming, for more rich flavor. Sea salt or sea water will also enhance the taste of the lobster. Now that you are all done with the steaming, you can prepare numerous dishes or even serve it just like that, with melted butter. A lobster cooked properly will always taste heavenly and you are just left with the important job of savoring it! Just start digging in, along with a glass of whiskey on the rocks!