Shore Dinner – How to Cook and Eat Lobster

When my wife asked me to write a guest entry for her blog, I couldn’t figure out why. I thought she was kidding. Then she explained the dish she wanted me to write about and I understood: lobster. It is probably the only thing in the world that I have more experience cooking or preparing.

For years, my family and I in Rhode Island have eaten a traditional “shore dinner” on the 4^th of July. There is really no official definition of a shore dinner, but it should have two key components: lobster and corn on the cob. During summer, nothing tastes better than a freshly cooked lobster and fresh corn on the cob. Neither need much more than butter to let the true flavors of nature shine.

Anyway, back to the task at hand: preparing a lobster. In Rhode Island, and much of New England for that matter, there are plenty of small mom-and-pop places selling lobsters and all kinds of seafood. They are very fresh and most are family owned. This year, we bought ours from a place in Charlestown called Happy Acres that sells lobster, clams, fresh vegetables, and homemade pies. It was a good choice.

There are two traditional ways to cook a lobster. Some say you can grill a lobster, but I can’t imagine how you cook through consistently enough to grill a good lobster. And believe me, there’s nothing worse than either an undercooked or an overcooked lobster. The traditional, tried-and-true methods are boiling or steaming. Steaming cuts down on the water that inevitably fills the shells during the boiling process and, depending on how many lobsters you are cooking, requires less water to bring to a boil since all your lobsters must be completely submerged if boiling.

I filled a large steaming basin about an inch or so below where the bottom of the steaming basket would sit. Then I added about three tablespoons of salt. If you are right on the water, salt water right from the sea, bay, or salt pond works best. After bringing to a boil, set the steaming basket on top of the basin and cover to let some steam build up for a few minutes. Then, in they go!

If you search the internet, you will find tons of different timing suggestions for lobsters depending on size and total number. None are consistent, and frankly, like anything in cooking, the timing is all dependent on temperature and characteristics of what you are cooking. So the best thing to do is just keep an eye on the lobsters. After about eight or ten minutes, check them and look at their color. You will also start smelling the lobster as it cooks. When all parts of the shells are a bright red (see photo), you will want to remove them from the heat and serve. Give them a few more minutes before eating to allow the water that will be left inside to cool down. 

Then it’s time to eat! There is no right way to eat a lobster. Everyone seems to have their own little tricks to get the meat out of the shells; however, you will need a pair of crackers. Also, the entire lobster is edible and some parts are, in fact, considered delicacies to some. I love lobster, but I have never been able to bring myself to eat anything other than the meat. My grandfather however, until shortly before he died at the ripe age of 89, would gladly take everyone’s shells and dig out the liver, called tomalley, and eggs, called roe or “coral”, that are found in some females. This was always a great show.

Dip your lobster in melted butter and enjoy. With a great piece corn, you’ve got yourself a true shore dinner. Happy 4^th of July or whatever occasion you’ve chosen.