Gill Meller
LATIN NAME
Homarus gammarus
SEASONALITY
Lobsters can spawn at any time; avoid egg-carrying females at any time
HABITAT
All around the British Isles and across Europe, extending to Norway and North Africa
MCS RATING
2–4 Lobsters from the Southwest or the Channel Islands are the best choice
REC MINIMUM SIZE
9cm carapace length (from back of eye socket to end of main body shell, not including tail)
MORE RECIPES
Grilled langoustine with lemon and parsley butter; Samphire, crab and new potato salad
SOURCING
goodfishguide.org; association-ifca.org.uk (for lobster potting regulations)
Lobster is a sweet, meaty, succulent crustacean – a real treat, though arguably no more delicious than less expensive crab. In the Southwest, the best time to eat it is from early summer into autumn, when it is landed sustainably by inshore potters, who catch it within 6 miles of the coast. Only mature lobsters may be landed; other fish or young lobsters in the pot are released alive. They cannot land ‘berried’ (egg-carrying) females.
Fishermen who catch lobsters in nets cannot be so selective. Nevertheless, even with potting, lobsters can be overfished. This is currently the case in many parts of the British Isles, and Mediterranean and Scandinavian stocks are depleted. Broadly speaking, pot-caught lobsters from the Southwest or the Channel Islands are the best choice.
Lobsters can grow up to a metre in total length, but a smaller specimen is always preferable on the plate. Lobsters weighing 800g–1.5kg are best: sweet and tender. There’s nothing sweet and tender about the lobster’s nature, however. They attack like prize fighters with their big claws, which is why lobster ranching is more difficult and less developed than other forms of shellfish farming – and why a lobster’s pincers are held closed with rubber bands when the creatures are put in a vivarium.
Avoiding those claws is one of the challenges you will face should you decide to fish for a few lobsters yourself, using a pot (or creel). If you have a boat it’s pretty straightforward. Lobster pots should be baited with fish scraps – the stinkier the better. Drop your pots (which must have floating markers, of course) over rocky ground, in water 10 metres deep or more. You could also walk and then wade out as far as you can at low tide to place and collect your pots – but most lobsters will be a bit further out than this. It’s essential to collect your catch at the next low tide, too, so they don’t die. You must observe the minimum landing size for lobster and return egg-carrying females, or lobsters with a v-notch cut in their tail (a conservation measure that identifies breeding females). You should also check local byelaws regarding permits and regulations for lobster potting.
Before cooking, you must first kill the lobster. Our recommended method is to first sedate the lobster by putting it in the freezer for about an hour (but no more than 2 hours, or the flesh may start to freeze solid). Then drop the insensate crustacean into a large pan of well-salted boiling water and cook for 10 minutes for a 500g lobster, 15 minutes for one weighing 750g, and allow an extra 5 minutes for each 500g after that. Lift the lobster out of the pan and leave to cool until warm or at room temperature.
To serve, split the lobster down the middle as described in the next recipe. Remove the gills, small stomach sac behind the mouth and the digestive tract that looks like a black vein running the length of the tail. But leave in the liver, known as tomalley, which may not look appetising but is one of the most delicious and rich parts. A halved lobster is great for grilling (see Grilled Langoustine with Lemon and Parsley Butter), or you can simply pick the meat out.
Most of a lobster’s meat is in the big front claws and tail. These are two quite different textured meats but with a similar flavour. The meat comes easily out of the tail, but to access the claw meat you need to crack open the shells. Put the claw on a board and tap hard with the heel of a sharp chef’s knife so the blade goes into the claw. Give it a twist and you can usually crack the claw straight in half with a nice clean break (though with large lobsters, you might need to use a hammer or give the claw a blow with the back of a heavy knife). You can then tease out the meat from the claws with a little fork.
Like other shellfish, lobster shells make great stock. To maximise the flavour, you can toast the crushed shells in butter and oil in a pan for 2–3 minutes before simmering, or, for a lighter stock, just put them straight in a pan with lots of tasty veg and herbs, including fennel, celery, onions, thyme and parsley. Like a fish stock, lobster stock should be simmered for only 30 minutes or so.
Lobster cooked on a barbecue is particularly special – the charring shell releases a rich, savoury flavour. Put the lobster in the freezer for an hour to sedate it, then split in half and remove the unwanted parts (see next recipe). Brush the lobster meat with oil and cook cut side down for 2–3 minutes, then turn over, dot with butter (flavoured with herbs, citrus zest and chilli, ideally) and cook for another 1–2 minutes, until the butter has melted into the flesh and the meat is cooked; take care to avoid overcooking.
Generally, lobster is best eaten very simply. A grilled one is perfect with a nice home-made mayonnaise, some dressed new potatoes and salad. But you can dress it up more – for example in the classic lobster thermidor, which is sumptuously rich with cream, brandy, egg yolks, mustard and grilled cheese. Lobster is quite a well-flavoured, robust meat and can take such a treatment. It also works well with other sweet or bitter ingredients. Lobster with apple and tarragon, or apple and cucumber, makes a lovely summer salad, with the sliced shellfish turned through a simple dressing of mayo, yoghurt, fresh mint and lemon juice.
For an autumnal dish, try a lobster and cep risotto. Boil the lobster and take the meat from the shell and claws. Use the shell to make a light stock (see above), then follow the classic risotto method, cooking sliced fresh ceps (or soaked, dried ones) with the onion and garlic. Finish with the lobster meat, parsley, butter and Parmesan.
LOBSTER WITH BÉARNAISE MAYONNAISE
The unique, delicately aniseedy flavour of tarragon is essential to a classic béarnaise sauce. Here it’s used similarly in mayonnaise to produce a lovely rich dressing for freshly cooked lobster. Langoustine are also delicious served in this way. Serves 4
2 live lobsters (800g–1kg each)
FOR THE MAYONNAISE
25g unsalted butter
1 shallot or small onion, finely diced
2 tbsp medium white wine
1 tbsp white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
2 medium egg yolks
1 heaped tsp English mustard
200ml light olive oil or 150ml sunflower oil plus 50ml extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp chopped tarragon
Sea salt and black pepper
Put your lobster in the freezer for about an hour before cooking to sedate them.
For the béarnaise, melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the shallot or onion and cook gently for 8–10 minutes to soften without colouring. Turn up the heat a little and add the wine and vinegar. Simmer until reduced to a scant 2 tsp liquid. Let cool.
Put the egg yolks, mustard, a pinch of salt, the shallot and its liquor into a blender and blitz for 25–30 seconds. Then, with the motor running on the lowest speed, slowly trickle in the oil, so that it forms an emulsion with the egg yolks, stopping frequently to scrape down the sides. Alternatively, you can whisk the oil into the egg yolks gradually by hand.
When you’ve added all the oil and have a thick, glossy mayonnaise, add the lemon juice and chopped tarragon. Blitz briefly to combine, then taste and adjust the seasoning as required. If the mayonnaise is a little thick, stir in 1–2 tsp warm water. Refrigerate while you boil the lobster.
Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the lobsters as described for Lobster. Remove them from the pan and leave to cool for 15–20 minutes.
Put one lobster on a board with the head towards you. With the tip of a sharp, heavy knife on the cross on the lobster’s head, press down firmly, cutting through the head towards you. Turn the lobster round so the tail is now facing you. Carefully cut from the split in the head down though to the tip of the tail in one firm motion. Keep the blade central so you end up with two even halves. Repeat with the second lobster. Remove the gills, sand sac from behind the lobster’s mouth and the intestinal tract that runs the length of the tail.
Serve the warm lobster with the mayo, bread and a salad dressed with lemon and olive oil.
