- Lobster, long considered the definition of luxury eating (bisque, Lobster Thermador or Lobster Newberg anyone?), is a delicious seafood that can be served in traditional ways, very simple with a side of melted butter and a fresh loaf of bread, or in a salad or burrito.
- Since you can buy a higher-quality frozen lobster than you might be able to get at home (unless you live on a coast where lobster is harvested and sold fresh), frozen seafood can be superior in quality to fresh seafood products. Frozen spiny or rock lobster tails have clear white meat, no odor, and should be purchased hard-frozen and kept hard-frozen until ready to thaw, cook and eat.
- These days there are plenty of opportunities for everyone to try lobster, as frozen lobster is available nearly everywhere.
- Although very high in cholesterol and sodium, lobster is very low in saturated fat, has no sugar, is high in phosphorus, potassium, selenium, vitamin B12, and zinc.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- frozen lobster top-steam colander wooden skewer melted butter lemon wedges
How to Cook Frozen Lobster
Step 1
- Let the frozen lobster thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before cooking. Cooking un-thawed tails will result in tough meat.
Step 2
- Lobster will thaw faster if placed in a plastic bag and immersed in water while in the refrigerator.
Step 3
- The best way cook the now-thawed lobster is to steam cook (If you are steaming tails, they’ll curl, so before steaming run a wooden skewer through them.)
Step 4
- Bring 4 to 5 cups of water to a full boil in your steaming pot.
Step 5
- Place up to four average size tails in a top-steam colander and cover the pot.
Step 6
- The Lobster will turn red and the flesh becomes white.
Step 7
- Steam 1 1/2 minutes per ounce.
Step 8
- Once the lobster is cooked, carefully remove the steam colander. Bring colander to the sink and run cold water over the now-cooked lobster. This stops the cooking process and allows you to rinse-wash the lobster.
Step 9
- Serve each person some melted butter in a small cup plus some lemon wedges.
RELATED ARTICLES
A. Cook Fresh Lobster
- The traditional way of cooking fresh lobster is by boiling. More and more people today are choosing to purchase their lobsters pre-cooked, but the reason why people still prefer to cook their own is because after cooking, the texture of the flesh turns very spongy rather quickly. So if you can, buy live lobster and and do the cooking yourself at home to achieve the best results. Here's how to cook fresh lobster.
- The traditional way of cooking lobsters is to drop it into boiling water. It was once believed to be rather cruel and inhumane to boil lobster. People thought it would be 'nicer' to the lobster to bring the water from cold to a boil, slowly, with the lobster already in the pot, but this is now to be considered more inhumane than it's predecessor.
- If you plunge a knife into the lobster directly behind it's head in one movement it kills the lobster fairly painlessly. Another method is to put the lobster in a freezer, for two hours, to chill the lobster into unconsciousness. Lobsters have a enourmous tolerance to cold don't forget they are usually lurking around in very deep cold ocean waters. So this method of the freezer won't be uncomfortable for it all.
- Nearing the end of the chilling time, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water so that it is as salty as sea water. The way to tell if it's sea water like is if a raw egg floats it is salty enough. When the water has reached a full boil, drop the lobster in carefully and put the lid on the pot.
- Then turn down the heat so the water simmers during the overall cooking time.
- The standard of cooking times is generally, 15 minutes for lobsters 1.5 lbs, 20 minutes up to 2.5 lbs and an extra 15 minutes for every lb after than.
- This is the traditional method on how to cook fresh lobster.
B. Ways Cook Lobster
- Can't get over the taste of the delicious lobster that you had in your favorite restaurant? If yes, then it's the time for you to learn the art of cooking lobster at home. While eating one at the restaurant could have been a wonderful experience, believe me, preparing and then devouring the luscious dish, right amidst the comforts of your cozy home, would be an unforgettable treat (and a inexpensive one as well)!! Cooking lobsters is not as tough as it seems to be. It is all about bringing the basics of cooking into practicality. There are different methods for cooking a lobster. You can either boil the lobster or steam it or even resort to grilling it. Whichever way you chose, the yummy delight would surely prove to be an appetizing dish on the dining table. To get detailed information on how to cook lobster in different ways, read through the following lines.
Different Ways Of Cooking Lobster
Boiling
- Take a large pot and fill it with water. Make sure there is enough water to cover the lobster completely.
- Put 2 tbsp of sea salt for every 2 liters of water added to the pot.
- Once the water boils, take the live lobster from behind the claws and drop it headfirst into the boiling water.
- Cover the pot with a lid. Once the water comes to a second boil, start keeping a track of the cooking time.
- For the first lb of weight, you need to boil the lobster for 10 minutes. For every extra pound, add 3 minutes to the cooking time. For instance, while a 2 lb lobster gets done in 13 minutes, a 3 lb lobster would take about 16 minutes.
- Once the lobster has been cooked, drain the water and serve hot.
Steaming
- For steaming a lobster, take a large pot and place a steaming rack on the bottom. This is basically done to hold the lobster.
- Pour about 2 inches of water into the pot and add about a tbsp of sea salt.
- Now, cover the pot and bring the water to boil. Once the water starts boiling, place the lobster on the rack and cover the pot.
- Bring the water to a boil once again.
- Once the water has boiled, you need to start keeping a track of the cooking time.
- For the first lb of weight, steam the lobster for about 14 minutes. Thereafter, cook an extra 3 minutes for every lb of weight. For instance, a 2 lb lobster will cook in 17 minutes and a 3 lb in 20 minutes.
- Once cooked, drain the water from the lobster and serve the yummy delight while it's still hot.
Grilling
- Fill a large pot with water and add sea salt to it. For every 2 liters of water, put 2 tbsp of sea salt.
- Once the water comes to a boil, hold the lobster from behind its claws and drop it headfirst into the boiling water.
- Now, allow the water to boil for the second time.
- Once the water has boiled, time the lobster to boil for further 5 minutes.
- Now, remove the lobster from the pot and place it on its back.
- In the meanwhile, pre-heat the grill at about medium to hot.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the lobster down the middle. Remove the black vein that runs down the tail, the green tomalley and the sand sac, which is located in the head area behind the eyes.
- Apply melted butter and lemon juice on the lobster meat and place it over the preheated grill, shell-side down, for around 8-10 minutes, until it is thoroughly cooked.
- Serve the dish hot.
C. Recipe Frozen Lobster
1. Frozen Lobster Tails
- The best frozen lobster recipes will ask that you defrost the lobster tails in the refrigerator overnight before cooking. Then most recipes for lobster tails will be great!
- There are many wonderful and delectable frozen lobster tail recipes available on the internet. Here is a very easy one to prepare. All you need are your de-thawed lobster tails, butter or oil, and your favorite seasonings.
- You start by rinsing your lobster tails with cool water and then crack the shell. Open the shell to expose the meat cut away as much shell as possible to expose the tender meat inside. Gently rinse again. Place the lobster tails in a baking dish and season with your favorite seasonings. Drizzle the melted butter on the exposed meat of the lobster tails.
- Add just a bit of white wine in the baking dish, if you prefer not to use wine you can also use water or even try pineapple juice for added flavor. Bake for around 15 minutes.
- Frozen lobster tails are easy to prepare. If you are in a hurry and need to cook the lobster tails while they are still frozen, here is a fast and easy way. Fill a pot with enough water that will cover your lobster tails. Bring the water to a rolling boil and then drop in your tails. Let the water return to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for around 8 minutes. That’s it your lobster tails are ready.
- You can also use frozen lobster tails for grilling and broiling, but it is best if you par-boil the lobster tails first. You should par-boil for about 5 minutes then remove and cut the lobster tails and then break the shell into a butterfly style exposing the meat. You can now drizzle melted butter, lemon juice, or lime juice on the tender meat and grill or broil as usual.
- Frozen lobster tails can also be used in many casseroles and any other dish that calls for lobster tails. Frozen lobster tails can be a little tougher than fresh, so watch your cooking time. If you overcook the lobster tails they will for sure be tough and rubbery. I recommend that you always de-thaw the lobster tails; this will help the lobster tails not to become tough while cooking. You can also marinate the tails after de-thawing in an acidy juice like lemon, lime, or pineapple. This will not only help tenderize but will also add a unique and delectable flavor to your lobster tail meal.
2. Frozen Lobster Salad
Ingredients for Frozen Lobster Salad
- Mix
- 1 cup lobster meat cut in pieces with
- ½ cup white sauce
- ½ cup white stock in which
- 1 tablespoon gelatin has been soaked and dissolved
- ¼ teaspoon salt and
Instructions
- Few gratings nutmet.
- Leave until cold.
- Beat
- 1/4 cup cream until stiff, heat in
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise dressing, add to the lobster mixture and freeze in refrigerator pan.
- Serve on a bed of lettuce or Romaine.
- Crab meat or other shell fish, salmon or chicken may be used in place of lobster.
D. Cook Freeze Lobster
- Frozen lobster has some definite benefits over fresh live Lobster.
- Frozen lobster can be bought and stored until you are ready to use it.
- Frozen lobster will be less expensive.
- Frozen Lobster tail is easier to obtain.
- A big benefit is that the frozen lobster has already been prepared so you don't have to deal with the dilemma of cooking a live lobster.
- It is true that fresh live Lobster will generally taste better but that comes at a considerably higher cost. This is because fresh lobster is usually bought for the meat in the tail and claws. Frozen Lobsters tails can come from any of dozens of other different varieties of claw-less species which makes them more available and less costly.
Sources Of Frozen Lobster
- In general, there are two distinct sources for frozen Lobster tails. Some are harvested from warm waters and some come from cold waters. Most chefs consider the warm water varieties to be the least desirable. This is because by the time that they are harvested and get to you the meat is of poor quality in a large percentage of the tail.
- You should always try to buy your frozen tail from the cold waters of southern countries and avoid the central American variety. Sometimes the information is on the package though often it is not. Then you have to rely on the information the vendor can give you or guess based on the price. The warm water tails will always be the least expensive.
Cooking the Lobster
- To get the best flavor and texture from frozen lobster tails they should be thawed prior to cooking. It is possible to cook frozen tails but doing so will produce a tough less tasty meat.
- To thaw frozen lobster tails let them sit in their unopened packaging in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. You can thaw them faster by immersing the package in water, then letting that sit in the fridge.
- In a rush you can use a microwave with a defrost setting to thaw the tails. Just be careful so that you don't start cooking the Lobster tails this way.
- Once thawed, the Lobster Tails should be cooked in a timely manner. After thawing they can be boiled, steamed, baked, broiled or grilled. It's up to you.
Here are the two most popular and easiest ways to cook Lobster, boiling and steaming.
Boiling thawed frozen Lobster is really easy.
- Fill a pot with enough water to cover the Lobsters you are cooking,
- Add about one tbsp salt per quart of water
- Heat the water to a rolling boil
- Drop the Lobsters into the boiling water
- Cook for about 1 minute per ounce of Lobster
- Steaming is similar except you will use less water. You will need a steaming basket that can hang into the pot but not reach into the water and a tight lid.
- Put 1 to 1 ½ inches of water into pot.
- Add salt (1 tbsp per quart of water)
- Heat the water to boiling
- Hang the steaming basket into the pot
- Cover with heavy Lid (If you don't have a heavy lid sit a brick or rock on top to hold the lid down)
- Cook them for 7 to 8 minutes
- Just remember, be careful and watch out for the hot steam when you open the pot and remember that the pot, lid, strainer and Lobsters will all be extremely hot.
- Serve the Lobster on a platter with some hot clarified butter and you are ready to feast.
E. Cook Frozen Crab
- Now the other problem with crab is that, it is so rare within the common household, not many people know what to do with it or even have an idea how to start. Weather you get Frozen Crab, Fresh Crab Claws or even get yourself some Fresh Crabs Delivered is completely up to you.
- How to cook frozen crab is easy, and in many cases you don't even have to cook it as it may already be pre-cooked meaning it only needs to be dressed and served. Now to cook frozen crab you may simply want to heat and serve. There are many simple methods and tricks available for this procedure.
- Within this website you will find some delicious recipes and methods of cooking crab varieties and other related products such as shellfish. Enjoy your stay, bookmark this page and return as often as you would like.
- Crabs is are extremely healthy and good for you. High in protein and low in fat, get eating them and get your friends eating them.
- A very popular type of crab meat is from the King crab, and more specifically their legs. They have a soft, sweet and juicy taste and are valued as a delicacy within most popular restaurants. Those looking to get slim, then king crab legs are a must for you. The calories within King Crab legs are unbelievable, as a single serving of this dish will provide you with approximately 100 calories whilst in today's usual snack food industry such as Burger King and McDonald's, you can be sure to ingest more than 400-500 calories per serving. Now what sounds more appealing to you?
Cook Frozen Crab
- So to weigh your options then, tasty and healthy crab legs in comparison to the grease filled burgers that you probably have had a few times a week for the past few years?
- Crab meat overall is filled with health benefits with a high source of Vitamin C + B12, folate, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, copper and selenium. Another great benefit is the amount of omega-3 fatty acids they hold which are clinically proven to prevent cancers, heart attacks and other heart diseases, as well as boosting the immune system.
- Crab legs can be prepared with a number of cooking methods and served in a number of healthy ways due to their smooth and delicate texture, not to mention their flavor. You can use real recipes or imitation crab recipes to create the perfect dish.
- To touch back on the subject of calories again, if you are really concerned with calories and want to go on a strict diet, you would be better to steam or boil the crab meat. This only takes a few minutes from which you can then simply dip in oil, lemon juice or even serve them with soups or salads.
F. Cook Frozen Shrimp
- Shrimp scampi, shrimp newburg, shrimp paella, coconut shrimp, shrimp and cashews--there are myriads of dishes that highlight the versatility of shrimp. Frozen shrimp has found its way into almost every household freezer as one of the few seafoods that don't turn into mush when frozen. Many times, people think they are buying fresh shrimp from their grocery store but are actually buying frozen shrimp the fishmonger has thawed for the display case. Look for shrimp sized at least at 36 to 40 count per pound, preferably raw. Any smaller than that and you are dealing with salad shrimp, which are fine, just tiny and impossible to peel. Do a little math yourself and make sure that the thawed shrimp is not more expensive than the frozen packages, in which case the frozen will be fresher and cheaper.
Instructions
Step 1
- Empty the package of frozen shrimp into a container of cold tap water. Let it sit for ten minutes before adding fresh tap water. Within about thirty minutes, the shrimp should be thawed enough to peel.
Step 2
- Peel the thawed shrimp. By grasping the tiny little feet on the bottom and pulling up, the whole skin should peel off with the exception of the tail. Pull on the tip of the tail and it should slide off easily. If you notice the shrimp smells like ammonia or is mushy, discard it. If the shrimp was frozen properly, there should be no fishy smell.
Step 3
- Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the shrimp and discard of the shells. They will smell up your kitchen quickly if not removed. Cover the shrimp and refrigerate if not using them immediately.
Step 4
- The shrimp are ready for any recipe that calls for fresh or frozen shrimp. It is recommended that they be used within six hours of being thawed as they are highly perishable. At no time before cooking should they be left out of refrigeration for more than ten to fifteen minutes.
G. Cook Frozen Crawfish
- Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to buy frozen crawfish? Just imagine of we had a steady, dependable, reasonably inexpensive supply of them year round. Sadly, that's not the case. While they aren't quite as good as the fresh version, sometimes our only choice is to buy frozen crawfish. Think of it this way: isn't a cake with just a little bit less icing still better than no cake and no icing? In other words, oh well.
- We can use frozen crawfish tails for every recipe, except the boiled one. They are processed in plants across Louisiana (stay away from the ones that are processed in China!) by workers that literally work their tails off. I once knew a large family of Vietnamese-Americans that would travel to a plant near Breaux Bridge every weekend during the season. I believe that there were nine members of that family that would work 14 hour days on the weekends. They would peel so many of them to be turned into frozen crawfish that they would come back on Mondays with cuts ALL over their hands. They could barely even open them from the swelling. These guys truly knew what it meant to work for a buck, since they are only paid according to how many pounds of tail meat they produce.
- Frozen crawfish are generally sold by the pound. They normally come in one pound packages, and the costs for these can vary wildly depending on the time of the year and the region of the country that you are in. If you are in a region where you can't find them (Yankee!), you can even order them online from many companies right here in Louisiana. I found one site that had them listed for $17 per pound. Just do a Google search for "frozen Louisiana crawfish" and you will see plenty of online suppliers. Whenever you do buy frozen crawfish, just make sure that you read the package. If it says "China" or any other name that you can't pronounce in English, complain to the owner and remind him that he is supporting Communism when a superior American product is readily available.
- You can also freeze your leftover crawfish from a boil. Whenever we have a crawfish boil and there are any left over (very rare), we all sit around and peel every one of them to throw into the freezer. I like to keep all of the fat and juice in them and freeze it that way, by not washing them off. A friend of mine swears that they will freeze better, or taste better in the end actually, if you put enough water in the ziploc to cover them before putting it in the freezer. I can't say that this really makes a difference, but he sure can cook a lot better than me, so maybe he's on to something.
Cook Frozen Crawfish Tail
- Well if you are speaking of frozen craw-fish tails the most suitable dish would be what's called Crawfish Etouffe. There are a number of ways to do this. You will need at least one pound of cleaned, craw fish tails. The easiest would be to defrost the crawfish in cold water or the fridge. It is not safe for seafood to be at room temp. for too long. Chop onion, bell pepper, celery and saute in butter. Add crawfish tails, one can of cream of mushroom soup, and 1 can of Rotel brand chopped, or stewed tomato's (if desired). Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer approx 20 min. Season with garlic salt or powder, Cayenne pepper, and sea salt. (season to your taste). If a thicker etouffe gravy is desired use a mixture of corn starch disolved in cold water and add to boiling mixture. If you are a cajun, creole, or if you are a chef use a medium roux to flavor and thicken. Simmer approximately 20 minutes. Serve over hot cooked white rice and garnish with green onion and parsley. You'll love it!!
H. How to Cook Whole Frozen Lobster
- Although very high in cholesterol and sodium, lobster is very low in saturated fat, has no sugar, is high in phosphorus, potassium, selenium, vitamin B12, and zinc.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- frozen lobster top-steam colander wooden skewer melted butter lemon wedges
How to Cook Frozen Lobster
Step 1
- Let the frozen lobster thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before cooking. Cooking un-thawed tails will result in tough meat.
Step 2
- Lobster will thaw faster if placed in a plastic bag and immersed in water while in the refrigerator.
Step 3
- The best way cook the now-thawed lobster is to steam cook (If you are steaming tails, they’ll curl, so before steaming run a wooden skewer through them.)
Step 4
- Bring 4 to 5 cups of water to a full boil in your steaming pot.
Step 5
- Place up to four average size tails in a top-steam colander and cover the pot.
Step 6
- The Lobster will turn red and the flesh becomes white.
Step 7
- Steam 1 1/2 minutes per ounce.
Step 8
- Once the lobster is cooked, carefully remove the steam colander. Bring colander to the sink and run cold water over the now-cooked lobster. This stops the cooking process and allows you to rinse-wash the lobster.
Step 9
- Serve each person some melted butter in a small cup plus some lemon wedges.
Tips And Warnings
- Another option is to brush butter on the lobster to barbecue grill or broil them. They will dry out quickly; only bbq or broil for only a minute. If you’d rather just broil without steam cooking, allow 5 to 6 minutes per pound.
- Seafood can be easily overcooked. Don’t buy cooked seafood unless it will be served right away. Double cooking toughens the lobster meat.
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