MIke R
Senior Insider
I am going to honor them by letting them live for two more days in my traps....
A Good Reason to Kill a Lobster
June 15, 2011 at 2:20PM
by Elizabeth Gunnison
Today is National Lobster Day, and what better way to honor this noble, prehistoric creature than to eat a couple for dinner tonight? Personally, we recommend this recipe for spaghetti with lobster, chiles, and mint, by chef and seafood expert Dave Pasternack.
Lobster doesn't get a lot of play in home kitchens, despite being great-tasting, nutritious, and always impressive to guests. There are three major reasons for this: lobsters' high price, the hassle of procuring and storing them live, and one's general uneasiness with the prospect of putting a living thing to death with one's own bare hands. I mean, who needs it, right? Pass the steaks.
We can't really help you with the first two dilemmas, but as for the killing part, here's some advice:
How to kill a lobster: Boiling lobsters whole is standard operating procedure among home cooks handling the crustacean, but many chefs avoid this method to keep the delicate, pricey tail meat from toughening up. Instead, while the lobster is still alive, they separate it into claws, a body, and a tail using their (usually latex-gloved) hands. From there, the claws can be boiled, and the tail meat extracted and cooked gently over low heat (don't worry, this method is demonstrated in Pasternack's recipe). If you can stomach this technique — and, by the way, the tail and claws will keep moving once separated from the body — you'll get the most from your lobster meat.
And why you shouldn't feel so bad about the whole thing: However you choose to do the deed, don't make the decision based on a sense of mercy. According to the University of Maine's Lobster Institute (of course they have their own lobster institute up there), the most current thinking among neurophysiologists is that lobsters cannot feel pain, given that they lack a brain and have a nervous system similar to an insect. So you can cool it with all the lobster guilt and just eat.
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/national-lobster-day-5924097#ixzz1PNFxG1mU
A Good Reason to Kill a Lobster
June 15, 2011 at 2:20PM
by Elizabeth Gunnison
Today is National Lobster Day, and what better way to honor this noble, prehistoric creature than to eat a couple for dinner tonight? Personally, we recommend this recipe for spaghetti with lobster, chiles, and mint, by chef and seafood expert Dave Pasternack.
Lobster doesn't get a lot of play in home kitchens, despite being great-tasting, nutritious, and always impressive to guests. There are three major reasons for this: lobsters' high price, the hassle of procuring and storing them live, and one's general uneasiness with the prospect of putting a living thing to death with one's own bare hands. I mean, who needs it, right? Pass the steaks.
We can't really help you with the first two dilemmas, but as for the killing part, here's some advice:
How to kill a lobster: Boiling lobsters whole is standard operating procedure among home cooks handling the crustacean, but many chefs avoid this method to keep the delicate, pricey tail meat from toughening up. Instead, while the lobster is still alive, they separate it into claws, a body, and a tail using their (usually latex-gloved) hands. From there, the claws can be boiled, and the tail meat extracted and cooked gently over low heat (don't worry, this method is demonstrated in Pasternack's recipe). If you can stomach this technique — and, by the way, the tail and claws will keep moving once separated from the body — you'll get the most from your lobster meat.
And why you shouldn't feel so bad about the whole thing: However you choose to do the deed, don't make the decision based on a sense of mercy. According to the University of Maine's Lobster Institute (of course they have their own lobster institute up there), the most current thinking among neurophysiologists is that lobsters cannot feel pain, given that they lack a brain and have a nervous system similar to an insect. So you can cool it with all the lobster guilt and just eat.
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/national-lobster-day-5924097#ixzz1PNFxG1mU