Lobster - Boil or Steam?
Aug 2, 2012, 10:06 am
#16
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Thats crazy! Coming from Boston, I just bought a few lobsters at the local supermarket for $6.99/lb.
The New England lobster market is FLOODED with lobster this year - way too much lobster, not enough people buying. Even nice restaurants that once charged $20-25 per lobster roll are rolling back to $15.
The New England lobster market is FLOODED with lobster this year - way too much lobster, not enough people buying. Even nice restaurants that once charged $20-25 per lobster roll are rolling back to $15.
Aug 2, 2012, 10:37 am
#17
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Soft shelled ones can't travel, they are too delicate, so you will probably never see them on the west coast. Supposedly according to news reports a couple weeks ago, wholesale they are going for $1.50 per pound. The lobster processing plants are already backed up from the huge glut of lobsters from Canada in the spring, so they can't take them either.
That means that for weeks prices in my area have been $3.99 or $4.99 per pound at one store or another. The boats apparently can't even be bothered to sort them so it's your choice usually of hard or soft at the same price.
As one store advertised recently - Bologna $5.99 per lb. Lobster $3.99. You Choose.
Aug 3, 2012, 12:02 am
#20
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I think that would be ensure a more painful and slower death. Think about it. If they throw you into boiling, may be more painful at the beginning but you'll die faster.
Aug 3, 2012, 7:49 am
#21
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This started as theoretical chat around a few lobsters and free flowing wine/beer.
Aug 3, 2012, 3:54 pm
#22
Join Date: Sep 2010
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Not to copy the same post from the cheap lobster price thread, but currently the New England market is flooded with lobsters in their new shells (soft shelled) and some which have not molted yet (hard shelled). The new shells are very early this year because of the warm winter, and warmer water temps because of it.
Soft shelled ones can't travel, they are too delicate, so you will probably never see them on the west coast. Supposedly according to news reports a couple weeks ago, wholesale they are going for $1.50 per pound. The lobster processing plants are already backed up from the huge glut of lobsters from Canada in the spring, so they can't take them either.
That means that for weeks prices in my area have been $3.99 or $4.99 per pound at one store or another. The boats apparently can't even be bothered to sort them so it's your choice usually of hard or soft at the same price.
As one store advertised recently - Bologna $5.99 per lb. Lobster $3.99. You Choose.
Soft shelled ones can't travel, they are too delicate, so you will probably never see them on the west coast. Supposedly according to news reports a couple weeks ago, wholesale they are going for $1.50 per pound. The lobster processing plants are already backed up from the huge glut of lobsters from Canada in the spring, so they can't take them either.
That means that for weeks prices in my area have been $3.99 or $4.99 per pound at one store or another. The boats apparently can't even be bothered to sort them so it's your choice usually of hard or soft at the same price.
As one store advertised recently - Bologna $5.99 per lb. Lobster $3.99. You Choose.
I remember watching a Chinese cooking show where the chef was preparing a medium sized crab for cooking. The chef is speaking Chinese so I don't know what's going on but I figure she's just describing the dish in question. She's holding the very live crab down on a counter with what looks like a dish towel and chatting away nonchalantly when, without any warning and in a single motion, she uses the towel to rip off the top carapace of the live crab. JHF! It was so sudden and unexpected that I literally jumped out of my chair and shouted out something like "S**t!" or "F**k!" (don't remember which). She quickly followed that up with a cleaver and chopped the crab into large pieces and threw them into a stir fryer. The crab went from "ok" to frying pan in probably less than 10 seconds but, jeez, it scarred me for life! Just thought I'd share.
Last edited by uszkanni; Aug 3, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Aug 3, 2012, 4:58 pm
#23
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Okay, one more horror story. A lobster can be lulled to sleep by rubbing the back of its head, just behind the eyes. It'll be totally pliable. Roll it to its back, spread out the claws, then wake it up by thrusting your chefs knife into the thorax, clean it, stuff it and bake it. Or so I'm told.
Also, if you unband a claw and hang it from the rack in your walk in cooler, it will hold on indefinitely.
On topic - prefer steamed, if possible.
Also, if you unband a claw and hang it from the rack in your walk in cooler, it will hold on indefinitely.
On topic - prefer steamed, if possible.
Aug 3, 2012, 7:13 pm
#24
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Steamed.
Aug 3, 2012, 10:13 pm
#26
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Aug 3, 2012, 11:05 pm
#27
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Aug 4, 2012, 4:01 am
#28
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They're $5.99/lb until Sunday (8/5) at H-Mart in Norwalk (according to Google, about 30 miles from Santa Monica). Don't know if it's worth the drive for you or not.
Still, thanks anyway.
Damn! Now I'm in the mood for butter poached lobster risotto with sauteed chantrelles and maybe some fresh peas (added at the very end, just to heat them up a bit). Guess I'm headed off to Costco or Albertsons this weekend to find me some (overpriced) lobster.
Aug 4, 2012, 10:19 am
#29
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Here's my 3 pounder from our last visit.
Aug 4, 2012, 2:18 pm
#30
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Not sure how exactly how they do it, but we always get the broiled lobsters when we go to Francisco Centro Vasco.
Here's my 3 pounder from our last visit.
Here's my 3 pounder from our last visit.
--added . . . I checked out the menu. The prices seem VERY reasonable for NYC.
Last edited by youreadyfreddie; Aug 4, 2012 at 2:24 pm