Martha Stewart: Boil up a lobster like a true Mainer
Published 5:06 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2009
When I bought my house in Seal Harbor, Maine, 12 years ago, I was fortunate enough to spend three weeks vacationing in that summer paradise.
I was bewitched by Mount Desert Island and its extraordinarily delicious seafood — especially the lobsters, which are plentiful, affordable and nutritious.
That summer I ate lobster almost every day: steamed, boiled, grilled or chopped in lobster rolls. I didn’t experiment too much with elaborate recipes that year, preferring to learn the secrets to perfectly cooked lobster from Mainers and from the cooks who man the giant lobster cookers along the roadsides of the seaside towns.
Boiling seemed to be the preferred method, and timing depended on size, how many lobsters went into the pot and the type of heat. I experimented with all kinds of methods at home and tried every lobster pound and shack that was recommended to me.
Since then I have tried lobster many ways — in delectable salads, simmered in a spicy red sauce for fra diavolo, split and grilled and bathed with a glistening coating of beurre blanc, combined with fresh corn in a savory chowder, added at the last minute to a paella that I cook over an open charcoal fire, and roasted with potatoes and onions.
I always crave it in its simplest form: boiled, which is quintessential Maine. And if the lobster is a shredder — one that has recently outgrown its tight, hard shell — even better.
A lobster molts four to five times a year as it matures, shedding its shell about 20 times before it reaches 1 pound, the legal size for harvesting. Keep in mind that the shell doesn’t turn red until the lobster is cooked.
The preparation technique for boiling varies slightly depending on whom you ask, but there are little things I’ve picked up along the way, such as adding a bit of vodka to the boiling water to relax the lobster; and after cooking, snipping the tips of the lobster’s claws to let the excess water drain out and using the tines of a fork to loosen the tail meat from the shell so that it pops out in one delicious piece.
The succulent, sweet meat is low in saturated fat and calories, and lower in cholesterol than turkey or chicken — but that does not include drawn butter.
Here’s the recipe for boiled lobster, cooked in the same pot as the potatoes and fresh corn. In late summer, a fine side is a simple salad with heirloom tomatoes and a few slices of red onion.
Boiled lobsters with corn and potatoes
1 1/2 pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes
1 large onion, quartered
2 heads garlic, halved crosswise (do not peel)
1/2 cup coarse salt
4 live lobsters (1 1/4 pounds each)
4ears of corn, shucked and halved
Drawn butter (recipe follows)
Fill a lobster pot or other large pot two-thirds full with water. Add potatoes, onion, garlic and salt. Cover and bring to a boil.
Uncover, reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes begin to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add lobsters headfirst. Cover and cook until shells are bright red, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add corn and cook for 3 minutes more.
Remove potatoes, lobsters and corn from water; discard onion and garlic. Using kitchen shears, clip tips of lobster claws and let drain. Serve potatoes, lobsters and corn with butter. Makes four servings.
Drawn butter
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat until butter foams and solids sink to bottom, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool.
Carefully skim foam from top and discard. Pour clear butter into a bowl, leaving any solids in pan; discard solids. Serve warm. Makes 3/4 cup
Drawn butter can be refrigerated for up to one month.
Sliced tomatoes and red onion
1 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes (any combination), sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 small red onion, sliced 1/8-inch thick
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Arrange tomatoes and onion on a platter. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036. E-mail: mslletters@marthastewart.com.
&Copy; 2009 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.
