 | | Description: | Clawed lobsters comprise a family (Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine crustaceans. They are important as an animal, a business and a food.
The first quality of lobster can be found in Britanny and along the Channel. Since the 16th century, the most famous has been the wild "blue lobster" (homard bleu) of Audresselles, in the strait between France and England, but this species, different from the canadian lobster, is now very rare.
In Northern America, prior to the 20th century, lobster wasn't popular as food. In the Maritimes, eating lobster was considered a mark of poverty. In some parts of the Maritime provinces of Canada, lobster was used as a fertilizer for farmers' fields. Outside of the rural outports lobster was sold canned, losing much of its flavour which can be disregarded if the lobster is dipped in butter.
The reputation of lobster changed with the development of the modern transportation industry that allowed live lobsters to be shipped from the outports to large urban centres. Fresh lobster quickly became a luxury food and a tourist attraction for the Maritimes and Maine and an export to Europe and Japan where it is especially expensive.
Lobster is most commonly cooked by placing a live whole lobster in a pot of boiling water. Some consider this method cruel, and more humane ways of killing them include inserting a knife into the back of their head and slicing downward, or freezing them for 15 minutes to 2 hours before boiling. The apparent cruelty of boiling lobsters alive was challenged in a Norwegian study released in February of 2005, which determined that lobsters cannot feel pain due to their diminished central nervous system capacity. When cooking a lobster experienced cooks drop the lobster in upside down, head first. The tail may flap for several seconds, so placing the lobster in the pot upside down prevents the cook from being splashed with boiling water.
According to the French cooks of the royal blue lobster of Audresselles, the only way to keep the real flavour of a lobster, without water inside, is to steam it ten minutes on the turned over basket of a pressure cooker, and to serve it cold with mayonnaise.
Lobster is best eaten fresh, and they are normally purchased live. Lobsters are usually shipped and sold with their claws banded to prevent them from injuring each other or the purchaser. Restaurants that serve lobster keep a tank of the live creatures, often allowing patrons to pick their own.
The shell of the lobster makes eating them a slow process for the unskilled or timid, who may require a number of implements, including nutcrackers, a small fork, and a plastic bib. It is possible to shell a lobster by hand if one is careful to avoid the sharp points. The tail can be snapped open by first squeezing its sides inward, and then grabbing the edges of the shell, placing the thumbs on the dorsal side and pulling the sides apart. The claws usually open by hyper-extending the lobster's "thumb" and then pulling it out. Sometimes the claws can then by cracked by simply squeezing them. Otherwise, an ordinary fork is usually sufficient to snap open the side of the claw. This style of lobster-eating is best done outdoors or dockside where flying bits of lobster will not annoy anyone. In a fine restaurant it is possible to cover the shell parts with a napkin before snapping them apart. This also helps prevent injury to the hands from sharp points of the shell. Often a knowledgeable waiter will provide this service.
The majority of the meat is in the tail and the two front claws, but smaller quantities can be found in the legs and torso. Lobsters are often eaten plain, or with butter, lemon juice or white vinegar. Lobster can also be cut up and used in a wide array of dishes. One popular way of serving lobster was to combine it with steak in what became known by the 1960s as surf and turf. It can also be served as lobster soup.
In Canada, Shediac, New Brunswick promotes itself as the "Lobster Capital of the World". |
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