Spiny Lobster
Spiny Lobster is the general name given to about four dozen species of clawless lobster found in all the tropical and subtropical waters of the world, as well as the temperate seas of the Southern Hemisphere. While the production of American lobster and spiny lobster is similar (annual landings of each average about 80,000 tons), spiny lobsters are a worldwide resource consisting of dozens of species that are caught in commercial quantities. Earlier this year, the Marine Stewardship Council certified the Western Australia Spiny lobster fishery as one of the first ecologically sustainable fisheries.
The California's commercial lobster industry has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. Total commercial landings last season were 951,518 pounds, The seasonal lobster harvest has not reached the 900,000 pounds level since the record harvests of the early 1950s.
Commercial Spiny lobster season opens Wednesday, October 8, and extends to March 17. Southern California lobstermen set traps marked by a colored bouy to mark the owner of the traps. The following day the traps are pulled, and checked for lobster; then either reset in the same place if the catch was good or moved elsewhere if not.
When alive, the spiny lobster is a beautifully marked crustacean with yellow, orange, green and blue mottling over a predominately rust colored body. They may grow to twenty pounds, but most commonly are between one and five pounds. The California Spiny Lobster lacks the large claws of the Atlantic lobster. It more than makes up for that shortcoming by having a shell covered with sharp spines, large formidable looking antennae, and a powerful tail which can be used in defense or for rapid retreat.
Spiny lobsters must shed their exoskeleton in order to grow. The lobster splits the old shell in half where the main body meets the tail, and crawls out, leaving behind the molted shell in such perfect condition it can easily be mistaken for a live animal. The range is from San Luis Obispo, south to Rosalia Bay, Baja, California.
Most Atlantic caught spiny lobster are frozen raw as tails to be presented as the ubiquitous and flavorless lobster tail. While the California Spiny lobster is nearly always sold fresh, live or cooked. While the market for live spiny lobster grows larger every year, a considerable portion of the California catch is cooked at dockside, iced and shipped fresh to inland fish markets. When buying cooked lobster be sure the tail is pulled tightly up underneath the body, this indicates the lobster was alive when cooked. When buying live lobster, the livlier the better. The lobster should seem heavy for it's size and be sure the shell is hard not spongy. A soft spongy shell is the sign of a lobster which has recently shed it's shell, this type of lobster will have a very low percentage of meat to shell.
Compared to the Maine lobster the spiny lobster is much coarser in texture, but the flavor is exceptionally sweet and delicious. Fast cooking is essential for tender results. Boiling, steaming, deepfrying or charcoal grilling are all recommended.
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