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Guide to Buying Live Lobsters

Choosing between buying lobster at the local supermarket or ordering the lobster online can be quite difficult. You can choose to pay more and order the lobster online, or pay less and buy the lobster at the local supermarket. The question then might be asked, "What is the benefit of paying more and ordering online?"

The reason for paying more boils down to one simple benefit: fresher = tastier, meatier lobsters.

Did you know that the reason salads in supermarkets manage to have such a long shelf life is because those little sealed bags of salad have pumped air in them - not air exactly as you and I breathe but air with the same elements calibrated to a different ratio and this is what stops the salad from spoiling so quickly. As soon as that container is opened the salad will start to spoil faster.

Maine Lobster is very similar. Do you really want to be buying seafood that 's been artificially kept edible?

Lobsters kept in tanks are generally not fed. This quickly leads to atrophy which is the lose of muscle. Additionally, lobsters are loners by nature. They do not school together like fish. When in close proximity to each other, they will fight, often to the death. In a crowded tank environment, there is a great deal of stress put on the lobsters, and this adds to the atrophy. Two weeks in a tank being kept alive without food will cause a lobster to loose nearly half of its meat due to atrophy.

The primary reason it may cost more to buy lobsters online is the cost of overnight shipping. While shipping prices will vary depending upon location, in general it is very expensive. For example, an 8lb. box that measures 12"x15"x18" will cost $90.12 to ship by Federal Express from Portland, Maine to San Francisco, CA. This is a significant expense.

To reduce the cost of shipping, try to find an online lobster and seafood provider that will include shipping charges. Some will do so provided a minimum amount is ordered. Others provide simply to build customer goodwill.

When buying live lobster, make sure that it is quite vigorous and lively. Observe the lobster’s reaction when the fishmonger picks it up out of the lobster tank. If the lobster contracts unto itself, then that's a good sign! If the lobster is lethargic and appears to be very sluggish, then I would recommend you find another place to purchase your lobster otherwise you might be disappointed!

Here are some other guidelines for buying fish and seafood:

If you're buying part of a whole fish, or all of it, take a good look at its eyes, they should be clear and bright, not sunken and cloudy. The gills should be a deep red color and the skin shiny and slippery. If you pick up the fish it should feel firm, not floppy like some old rag doll.

If you're after clams, scallops or mussels, there are two very simple rules to follow. Before cooking, if it's open and doesn't close when tapped sharply don't buy it or cook it. After cooking if it's still shut, don't eat it.

When buying crab or lobster, pick it up, it should feel heavy for it's size.

The third option for buying fish and seafood is frozen food department. This can be a very good alternative to fresh fish. Look for fish that has been 'flash frozen', this means that the fish has been caught and filleted very quickly - possibly at sea, then frozen very quickly thus retaining all the flavor and nutrients. This is almost always a far better option than fish that has been lying around for days in the refrigerator.

Keeping Lobster Fresh

Never keep live lobster in fresh water! this would kill it. Live lobster should be cooked as soon as possible. If you intend to cook the lobster at a later time, keep it in the refrigerator, on a bed of ice and covered with a damp cloth for a few hours at best.

Once cooked, lobster can be kept for one or two days in the refrigerator. It may also be frozen once it has been cooled after cooking. To freeze whole lobster, wrap with plastic wrap, transfer it to a freezer bag, remove air and seal, then freeze. When you’re ready to eat it, simply immerse frozen lobster in boiling water for two minutes rather than letting it defrost, which tends to affect flavour

Whether you serve them alone or with a steak (Surf & Turf), you will want to read this article so you don't spend more than you have to for an inferior product.
Just imagine sitting down to the table after working hard to put this fabulous meal together and one of the lobster tails is "bad". How disappointing! And it can happen if you don't choose your tails correctly.

Thinking about making a special meal for my incredible wife, I went on-line to do some research on lobster tails and see what was available. I had no idea how little I know about them or what to choose. Warm water, cold water, rock lobster, spiny, Australian, Caribbean. Where did all these choices come from?

Clawed or Unclawed?

Most of us think of live Maine lobsters with those two large, meaty claws when we think of lobsters. You buy them live in many supermarkets today or have them sent to you via the Internet. If a Maine lobster is missing a claw, it is called a "cull".

Spiny lobsters, also called Rock Lobster, have no claws but hard shells and very long antennae. They come from both warm and cold water climates and are the most the source for frozen lobster tails. There are more than 40 species of clawless lobsters found around the world. They can grow as large as 15 pounds but most range from 1 to 5 pounds.

When I asked Chef Lee Lippert why they don't sell the tails from Maine lobsters, he told me they are just too expensive. The Maine lobster outgrows their tail meat after they reach one pound so the bigger the lobster, the less tail meat. In a one pound lobster, there is about 6 ounces of meat in a Maine Lobster tail but 7 1/2 ounces in a New Zealand clawless tail.

Water or Cold Water Lobster Tails?

When it comes to lobster tails, the first and most likely the most important decision you will make is whether to buy warm water or cold water tails. Warm water tails come mainly from Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America with big suppliers from Cuba and Nicaragua. Cold water tails generally come from Maine, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

According to Chef Lee, 1 out of 5 warm water tails that he handled while in the restaurant business were bad. What does he mean by bad? The tail stays mushy after being cooked it doesn't firm up firms up but falls apart easily has an ammonia odor

What was his experience with cold water lobster tails?

Over his 25 year experience and having cooked more than 10,000 lobsters, he figures he only had 5 bad ones. That's some difference. It tells me if you want to avoid a disappointment when making a special diner, you want to buy cold water tails. Yes, you will pay more for cold water tails. Lee figures it's about a $5.00 difference per pound but I think of it as buying an insurance policy. It will end up costing a lot more if you end up throwing one of the tails away besides ruining a beautiful dinner.

How can you tell the difference between warm water and cold water tails? Ask before you buy. You want to know specifically if they are from water or cold water and where they were caught. If you fish provider doesn't know, stay away. Check their shells. Caribbean warm water tails have distinct yellow spots and a yellow band across the tail. Australian tails don't have these markings.

Quality and Taste Differences?

There is a definite difference in taste and quality between warm and cold water tails. The cold water tails have whiter meat and are considered more tender because they grow more slowly in colder water. Most people will tell you the more expensive cold water tails also have a cleaner taste.

Having trouble finding a supplier of quality Lobsters in your area. Rest assure, the best and freshest lobsters are only a phone call away. Buy Live Lobster Online

Lobsters are the King of Crustaceans. Lobsters hold in important role in society today such as within the food supply and as an economic lively hood for many individuals. So come discover what makes lobsters the King of the Sea.

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