The Debate about Cooking Live Lobsters
Advocates for animal rights will protest the practice of putting live lobsters into boiling water. Their concerns are based on whether or not the lobster is capable of feeling pain. They believe that there has to be a better way to cook live lobsters.
Scientists have searched for information regarding the amount of pain a lobster is capable of feeling. Lobster lovers everywhere may be surprised at what they found.
A lobster has a very simple brain that consists primarily of a group of nerve endings. The whole brain is about the same size as a grasshopper’s which gives you an idea of how small it is. Since the lobster’s brain is so lacking in complexity, it is obvious that he’s incapable of doing any deep thinking.
Because of this lack, it is also extremely doubtful that a lobster is able to feel pain the way people do. Based on these findings, the practice of cooking live lobsters continues. Three common methods of cooking a live lobster are by steaming, boiling, or grilling.
Steaming a lobster starts with a four to five gallon pot containing two inches of seawater or salted water and containing a steaming rack being brought to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the pot is up to temperature, add the lobsters one at a time. Put the lid on the pot and start your timer. It takes about 10 minutes to cook one pound of lobster and around an hour for six to eight pounds. Halfway through the cooking time, rearrange the lobsters in the pot.
If you want to boil your live lobsters, add 3 quarts of water to your large pot for every 1 to 2 pounds of lobster. For each gallon of water you end up using, you will need to add one quarter cup of salt. Bring the pot up to a rolling boil. Once again, add the lobsters to the boiling water one at a time. Start timing immediately. One pound of lobster will require 8 minutes of boiling time. Six to eight pounds will take 50 minutes to an hour. Stir the lobsters half way through the cooking time.
Before grilling lobsters, you have to parboil them. Use the same procedure you use when boiling lobsters, but only boil them for five minutes. Remove the lobsters immediately and plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process, and then drain them thoroughly. On a cutting board, lay a lobster on its back. Split it down the center with a sharp knife and remove both the black vein in the tail and the sand sac near the head. Use butter or oil to baste the lobsters before placing them flesh-side down on the grill for five to six minutes. Turn them over, re-baste, and finish cooking another four or five minutes.
There are still people who shy away from lobsters that are cooked live, but most have come to accept the fact that the lobsters do not suffer. Cooking a live lobster is the way to experience the freshest lobster meat available. Not only can you purchase live lobsters at restaurants and supermarkets, there are also many wonderful online seafood shops that promise the very freshest lobster delivered to your door overnight.
