Be there no question..... I adore lobsters almost as much as I do oysters. Following are some of my favorite anecdotes about those spiny denizens of the sea. Also a few recipes.

Alice B. Toklas liked to keep several live lobsters in the bathtub of the Paris home she shared with Gertrude Stein. Her logic was simple enough: "In addition to having a supply of lobsters on hand, it prevented Hemingway from jumping into the bathtub when he was drunk". Not everyone has always felt quite at home with lobsters. When he was quite young, playwright Arthur Miller decided one evening to treat himself to dinner at New York's famed "Sardi's Restaurant". Wanting to appear sophisticated, Miller ordered the most expensive item on the menu, boiled lobster. It was the first time he had ever even seen a lobster and, when the waiter brought his order to the table Miller experienced a moment of panic. "There, staring up at me from a large silver platter, was a creature so large, so bright red, so well armored and so intimidating that I was not quite sure which of us would eat the other".

Miller was not the only person momentarily panicked by his first encounter with a lobster. Albert Einstein declared that eating his first lobster was "the greatest physical and intellectual challenge I ever faced" and Philip Roth admitted that he did not know "whether to eat it or declare war against it". Even though eating one's first lobster seems somewhat of an awesome task, very few of those who overcame their hesitations had reason to complain. Lobsters, the armored monarchs of the ocean, have long been considered one of the most succulent, luxuriant and delicious foods in the world.

There are, in fact, several major kinds of lobsters and the most highly prized of these are those known in French as "homard". Large, with smooth shells and claws that are armed with pincers, these come in American and European varieties. American lobsters, the variety of which are now being imported here, are found only from Labrador to North Carolina on the eastern coast of North America. The very best of these come from Novia Scotia and the State of Maine. Dark, spotted green when they are caught, and bright red when cooked, these lobsters are at their tastiest when they weigh between 500 - 900 grams.

The shell of the European homard, on the other hand, has a rich dark blue color when caught. The joints are orange and the feelers, which are as long as the body, are bright red. Like its American cousin, these lobsters also turn bright red when cooked, but even though they attain their peak flavor at about 1 kilo, they remain delicate even when they weigh 5 kilos.

Although all of the meat of both varieties is delicious, firm and sweet, the meat of the claws is especially succulent. Many connoisseurs also agree that female lobsters, which carry their eggs in their tails are a special treat, especially if caught when the eggs are formed but not yet laid. Many also agree that American lobsters are best when served hot and European lobsters are finest when served in cold preparations.

The other major type of lobster is the "langouste", which has a shell that is covered with small spines. Smaller than their smooth-shelled cousins, these lobsters are greenish-brown in color, have yellow markings on their tails and antennae, are more barrel shaped than those of other lobsters and the body is divided into 6 distinct segments. Whether they come from the ocean waters of Florida, California, Australia, South Africa or the Mediterranean, these are best eaten when they are between 30 and 50 centimeters long. The very best of these, known as "Langouste Royale", come from waters off the coast of Morocco. Lobsters of this type are also found in the waters of the Red Sea.

One of the reasons that many are afraid to order a lobster is because they appear impossible to eat. The shells have to be cracked with special tools, the meat has to be removed with special forks and, in order to get all of the meat out of a lobster one has to rely heavily on fingers and the tongue. Writers as diverse in character as Virgil and Jean Genet have pointed out that the language of eating lobsters is not dissimilar to the language of human sexuality. As Henry Miller wrote, "without sucking, probing and licking, one can not gain the maximum pleasure from either a woman or a lobster".

Although few people remain squeamish about dining on lobsters in restaurants, many are hesitant to prepare them at home. This hesitancy probably comes from the fact that lobsters should be killed at the moment they are to be cooked and many, like Alice B. Toklas, feel somewhat repulsed about "committing murder in the kitchen". Those who feel squeamish about killing their own dinner may take some comfort in knowing that a lobster has no central nervous system and thus does not, at least by the usual definition, feel pain. To boil a lobster, place a towel on the bottom of a very large pot and then fill the pot with enough water to cover the lobsters to be cooked. To the water add 1 Tablespoon of salt for each liter of water. Add one whole onion, a carrot or two and a bay leaf and then bring to a rapid boil. One at a time take the live lobsters, hold them behind the heads (behind the pincers, taking care not to be pinched) and plunge them head first into the boiling water. When all of the lobsters have been put in, cover the pot. Let the water return to a boil and then reduce the flame and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes for a 500 gram lobster.

Once cooked, remove the lobsters from the water and place them on a board on their backs. With a sharp heavy knife and a hammer or wood mallet split the lobsters in half lengthwise from head to tail. Remove and discard the stomach and intestinal tracts but do not discard the liver which is green or the coral which is red. Crack the claws with a nutcracker so that the meat may be easily removed. Although the lobster meat is now ready to use in other recipes, many feel that one of the best ways to serve boiled lobsters is plain, with lots of melted clarified butter into which to dip the meat and lemon quarters. To my own taste, the best wines with most lobster dishes are those based on Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

Baked Stuffed Lobster

4 live lobsters, about 3/4 - 1 kilo each, boiled as described above
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp. powdered mustard
1Ttbsp. onion, chopped finely salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sweet cream
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup dry sherry

After the lobster has been boiled slice the lobster open from the head down, through the base of the abdomen, but not slicing the tail, so that the lobster lies flat with the meat exposed. Discard the stomach and intestinal tract and then remove and chop the meat.

In a saucepan melt 3 Tablespoons of the butter and to this add the stock, stirring constantly. Season this sauce with the powdered mustard, onion and salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate skillet melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter and in this saute the lobster meat until it is heated through. Bring the sauce to a boil and pour it over the lobster. Simmer gently for 2 - 3 minutes and then remove from the flame.

Beat together the sweet cream and egg yolks and add this to the mixture with the lobster meat. Mix well and with this mixture fill the lobster shells. Sprinkle the lobsters with the bread crumbs and dot with the remaining butter. Place the lobsters on a lightly greased baking pan and grill under a hot broiler until the crumbs are nicely browned. As soon as the lobsters are removed from the broiler sprinkle over the sherry and serve immediately. (Serves 4).

For a List of My Favorite Restaurants for Dining on Lobsters in the USA and Europe Click Here

For a Description and Recipe for Lobster Thermidor, Click Here

© Daniel Rogov