“The first time I ever saw a lobster was when I went out to this fancy restaurant with my parents. I was about four years old and half asleep on my mums lap. My dad ordered a lobster and asked the waiter to show the red fellow in advance. When I opened my eyes I saw this huge claw dangling above my head. I carefully got up and saw there was a lobster on our table! It was very alive, so my dad gave his approval and not much later it ended up on my parents plates. That was my first one on one experience ever with a lobster.”
1: The first and most important term while buying a lobster, or any fish for that matter, is that it has been caught in a sustainable way. Make sure you know the source! Lobsters, some of them MSC-certified, are caught in wild in for example America, Canada, Australia, Norway and the Netherlands. I prefer an European lobster, while the meat is tender and slightly sweet.
2: A lobster needs to be very alive! When you pick one up, it should be moving its claws and tail. That way you know it’s fresh. A lobster doesn’t have any food in a tank where it’s kept after it has been caught, and when it stays in too long, it will eat itself from the inside. It then will visually appear very weak. You don’t want that! It’s also important to make sure the shell is flawless and not cracked or broken in any way.
3: Always buy one big one rather than two small ones. First, it’s much nicer to share a lobster with your partner, secondly it’s far more lobster-friendly to not eat the younger ones, and finally, larger lobster mean less difficulty in getting the meat out of the claws, so expect less waste.
That’s it for buying one! Then in regards to preparing a lobster… Don’t boil the poor thing alive. Put a knife between its eyes and cut through. Meanwhile bring a big pan of water to boil, throw in the lobster and cover with the lit. When it’s done don’t let it go cold! Eat it slightly warm, that way the lobster meat is at its best.
