A recent Harris Poll of 1,000 adults asked the question, “Is lobster the food of Romantics on Valentine’s Day?” More than 42 percent answered with a resounding “Yes.”
For a long as people can remember, it has always been a tradition that many people consider lobster the most romantic of all meals. Lobster is often the dish of choice for celebrations and holidays and now we know it extends to romance.
Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2022
A spokesman was quoted by the study explaining that “Lobster is the perfect dish for a Romantic, or Special Occasion dinner out. It is an exotic delicacy that results in an intimate moment between loved ones because Lobster is hand-held and shareable. Shellfish, especially lobster, is a catalyst for connection like no other food.”
Valentines Day Lobster Dinner
Oysters are traditional delicacies that are also served as part of a romantic Valentine’s Day meal. Oysters are known to be aphrodisiacs in many cultures. A good reason why these delicate shellfish are the perfect choice for Valentines Day dinners. Raw oysters on the half shell with makes the perfect appetizer.
Serve Lobster for Valentines Day
Lobsters this year can be ordered online and are available for delivery anywhere in the united states on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2022.
There is nothing that says sunshine and sea as the taste of a specially prepared, fresh lobster roll on a toasted New England bun. Waterfront clam and lobster shacks have been serving up lobster rolls all summer. Now, you can make your own authentic Maine lobster roll right at home anytime of year.
Cape Cod, Ipswich, Massachusetts and the Maine seacoast are world famous for the lobster roll made with freshly caught lobster. The lobster meat, cooked to sweet perfection, is served overflowing a top loading bun. Add a side of chips, a cold beer and a sunny table, and you’re there. The recipe may vary a bit from town to town but it always begins with freshly caught lobster.
A lobster roll from the Clam Box, Ipswich, MA
This longing for the opening of lobster-shack season was made all the more interesting when recently it was learned that Chuck Hughes, owner of the Garde-Manger Restaurant in Montreal, was named Food TV Iron Chef of America, in part because of his preparation of a good old Maine lobster roll. That’s right. The judges went crazy for his lobster roll!
For those of you who share our passion for the lobster roll but can’t go to Maine or Cape Cod, we decided to share Chef Hughes winning lobster roll recipe. We have only few hints to add.
The lobster must be fresh and healthy, so only order from a reputable lobster online dealer. Ask for a couple of females so that you can collect the lobster roe to make lobster butter. Steam or boil the lobster in a large pot of salted water and take care not to over cook. Overcooking will make the meat tough. When opening the cooked lobster, cut the meat into large chunks. And finally, make sure to pick a quality, top-loading bun.
Here is Chef Hughes recipe, adapted from his cookbook Garde-Manger:
Maine Lobster Roll Recipe
Serves 4 For an added Iron Chef twist, feel free to add a smidgen of chopped dill.4 lobsters, weighing about 1 1/2 pounds (675 grams) each
2 tablespoons (30 mL) best-quality mayonnaise
2 scallions, cleaned and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 hotdog buns
Lobster butter (recipe follows)
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lobsters for 6 minutes, and then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Shell the lobsters and cut the flesh into large pieces. Combine the lobster with the mayonnaise and green onions. Season the mix to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve. When serving: Butter the buns with the lobster butter, and toast them in a fry pan until golden. Divide the lobster mix among the four buns and serve immediately.
Lobster Butter Recipe
Makes 1 pound (450 grams) Lobster butter keeps refrigerated for one month, or can be frozen for up to three. 1 pound (450 grams) unsalted butter, softened Roe from one female lobster
In a large fry pan, melt the butter and whisk in the (roe) eggs. The butter will be red. Pour into a container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Every New Year holiday there is heard the same debate about what size lobster to order for the New Year’s Eve dinner celebration. Do bigger lobster have more meat? Are bigger lobster tough when cooked? Are jumbo lobster priced better?
Jumbo Maine Lobster
There are differing opinions on the quality of taste between a smaller lobster and a jumbo lobster, but these opinions are based on legend and not fact. Cooked properly, a six-pound lobster will be just as delicious as a 1-1/2 pound lobster. However, care must be taken not to overcook a large lobster. Overcooked lobster meat will toughen quickly. Steaming is the most forgiving way to cook a jumbo lobster. So follow cooking instructions and tips carefully and your jumbo lobster will be just as succulent as a smaller lobster.
Fresh is Best
Among the most important factors affecting taste is freshness. Ocean fresh is best. For example, supermarket lobster that sit in tanks for weeks at a time will begin to lose weight as the claw meat shrinks. When cooked, the supermarket lobster won’t taste as succulent as an ocean fresh lobster.
The next important factor is to make sure the lobster is flavorful is to order what is called the “hard shell lobster.” Lobsters “molt,” which means they shed their shell as they grow. After molting, the lobster’s new shell is soft. During this growth period, lobsters are in a weakened condition and do not travel well. Soft-shell lobster also have less meat for their size and some people are of the opinion soft shells are not necessarily as flavorful as the hard shells. The connoisseur won’t take a chance and will usually avoid soft-shell lobster.
So the keys to succulent jumbo lobster is careful cooking, freshness and selecting hard shells, but are jumbo lobster also a good value?
Larger lobster have a higher volume-to-surface ratio, yielding a little more meat per pound. Not a big difference, but there is a difference. On a practical level, jumbo lobster have larger legs, swimmerets, body and shoulders. The meat in these parts of the lobster is considered a delicacy. The truth is, on a large lobster the meat in those places is much easier to get at then on a smaller lobster. The legs especially will have a higher volume of meat. The larger claws on jumbos will also offer up to 20% more of the very desirable sweet claw meat.
Wild Caught Lobster
The Maine lobster lives in the ocean and is still harvested much as they were in the 19th century. Lobster fishermen go out in season to collect lobster from their traps and the lobster is delivered to market daily. Since the harvest varies from month to month, lobster prices go up and down with supply and demand. Waterfront Maine lobster pounds such as the ones operated all throughout New England allow the storage of ocean fresh lobster, helping to stabilize prices in the off season.
Jumbo Lobster Delivery Service
Jumbos begin at 2 ½ to three pounds with the weight measured wet, or right out of the tank. Some years the price-per-pound for jumbos is higher than quarters, halves and selects. Some years the price per pound is less. It just depends on the supply and the demand.
Many lobster services ship only hand selected, fresh lobster. The hard-shell lobster are lively, healthy, and ocean fresh. By operating water-front lobster pounds in Maine, Lobsters-Online.Com is able to offer customers ocean-fresh jumbo lobster year round.
So go ahead an order some jumbo lobster for your New Year’s Eve dinner celebration. And have a Happy New Year!
