Here are 6 easy recipes for cooked lobster or crayfish that make the most of this luxury seafood! When you buy pre-cooked lobster, it's best to keep it simple to preserve the flavour in the flesh (flavour is better with freshly cooked raw lobster - but much more expensive to buy!).TOP TIP: Keep it simple and don't re-cook lobster that's already cooked (risk of drying out, loss of flavour). Treat it like buckets of cooked whole prawns you peel yourself!Rundown of each recipe in recipe notes below.
If lobster was frozen, thaw lobster overnight in a bowl or tray (with sides to catch liquid). Drain well before use.
Remove shell (see photos in post):
Cut between head and tail: Insert a small knife at a 45 degree angle into the gap between the tail and head. Cut along the top and sides through to the middle - no need to do underneath.
Separate head from tail: Twist the tail to separate it from the head. It will pull out meat from the head as well.
Clean: Scrape or trim off any yellow of black residue on the end that came out of the head.
Cut underside: Cut down both sides of the soft shell on the underside of the tail. Then peel it back like a can of sardines to reveal the lobster flesh.
Remove flesh: Carefully remove the flesh - it should come off the shell cleanly.
Remove poop vein - if you see a poop vein (black "string" down the back of the lobster tail meat), then carefully pull it out. If you stretch the meat out straight, you should be able to pull it out in one go. Otherwise, pick it out when you slice it. (Sometimes poop vein is thick, sometimes barely there!)
Residual meat in head: There will be some residual meat in the head that can be used. The yellow "mustard" (called tomalley) has very intense lobstar flavour but is an acquired taste... I do not eat it!
How to serve: Lobster tail meat can be served whole, sliced into thick or thin pieces or diced, depending on use. I do not recommend shredded as it loses juiciness.
Serve alongside lobster for dipping. Either cut the lobster into bite size pieces, or serve whole for people to cut themselves. Plate it up individually or on a share platter.
Lobster Cocktail:
Make the Prawn Cocktail recipe but substitute prawn for lobster cut into small bite size pieces.
Lobster with Herb & Garlic Butter:
Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once foamy, add garlic and cook until light golden. Remove from stove, add lemon juice and parsley.
Serving: Pour into serving bowl and serve alongside lobster. Garnish with parsley leaves and lemon wedges.
Eating: Let people either dip in bite size pieces or drizzle over lobster, plated up indivudually or on a share style plate. Mop plate clean with crusty bread!
Slice the lobster into bite size pieces. Pile onto plate or arrange on indivudual plates. Sprinkle with salt (necessary as browned butter is unsalted).
Serving: Drizzle with some browned butter, then serve more on the side. Garnish with parsley leaves and lemon wedges.
Eating: To eat,dip or drizzle lobster with more browned butter. Mop plate clean with crusty bread!
Salsa Verde:
Blitz ingredients in a Nutribullet or small food processor until it becomes a paste. It should be smooth but a bit of courseness for texture ie don't blend into a smoothie.
Slice lobster into bite size pieces. Arrange on indvidual plates or share plate. Drizzle little dollops of salsa verde over lobster - don't go overboard, the flavour is quite strong!
Garnish with lemon wedges & parlsey leaves, serve.
Lobster Rolls:
Place lobster in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, lemon, chives, celery, green onions, salt and pepper. Gently toss to coat.
Split then generously butter buns or rolls. Stuff generously! Makes 2 mini brioche buns or 3 round rolls.
Notes
DESCRIPTION OF EACH RECIPE
Lobster with seafood sauce (choose from 4) - alla seafood platter style, the most classic way to make the most of lobster flesh.
Lobster Cocktail - it's Prawn Cocktail, but made with lobster!
Lobster with garlic butter - a dead set sure thing you can never go wrong with!
Lobster with French Lemon Butter Sauce (Beurre noisette) - "it's French, darling!" Made with browned butter which has intense buttery, lemon flavour, this sauce is a French classic and is a very elegant, restaurant-worthy sauce for lobster. Plates up elegantly as an individual starter (see in post)
Lobster with Salsa Verde - bright green parsley garlic sauce, a classic with seafood that delivers big flavour! Excellent sauce to serve with plain seafoods, and looks striking against the white flesh;
Lobster Rolls - a New York favourite! Best for freshly cooked lobster otherwise the lobster flavour isn't as strong. If using the discount Woolworths/Coles lobster, you need to stuff (very!) generously to ensure you get a good lobster flavour (the lobster flavour in those isn't the strongest)
1. Lobster - this list has been created as a compilation of recipes that work well using pre-cooked lobster. The uses are more limited than using raw lobster, and the main tip I have is to use the lobster as is, without cooking it again (risk of drying out, loss of flavour).If you have raw lobster, the variety of options is much broader so don't limit yourself to just this list!Frozen lobster - place on a tray or large bowl and thaw overnight in the fridge. Drain well before using.Removing lobster shell - do not do this until you are ready to serve the lobster as it protects the flesh and keeps it juicy.2. Salsa Verde - leftovers can be frozen. Thaw in fridge overnight. Use as sauce for fish or other seafood. Strong flavour means you needn't do anything else to flavour the fish!3. Lobster rolls:
1 whole lobster currently selling at discounted prices at Woolworths/Coles (~500 - 600g each, whole) will yield around 140g / 1 cup lobster meat and will generously fill 2 mini brioche buns or 3 mini brioche round rolls. The recipe has been scaled down to suit 1 of these lobsters.
Larger lobster? Click on servings and slide up until the lobster weight reaches the size you have.
Do not skimp on filling - there will be too much bread which will takeover the lobster eating experience!
Mayonnaise quality is key for a great lobster roll experience! Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise is the best in my opinion (smoothest, richest flavour and mouthfeel), followed by Hellman's then S&W Whole Egg Mayonnaise.
Low fat or cheap mayonnaise brands - too sweet or too sharp or just don't taste real! Don't waste your lobster on bad mayo - use the good stuff!