Lobster and Pork Noodle

Which way would you consider the most humane and best method?

A lot of people consider boiling a lobster alive to be inhumane and cruel. Other people believe that the nervous system of a lobster is too simple for it to feel any pain at all, similar to insects. This subject remains a topic of controversy, still to this day.

Studies have been carried out by a number of researchers and universities to determine the most humane method of boiling lobster. Various methods of relaxation techniques were carried out prior to boiling and the lowest number of tail flicks upon insertion into the boiling water was thought to mean that the lobster felt less pain.

It was found that the best way to minimize the tail movements of the lobster upon boiling is by placing the lobster in the freezer for a period of 5 - 10 minutes in order to numb the lobster before cooking.

I like steaming the lobster, although it require a longer cooking time to steam the lobster, however, the result is better than boiling, giving you a succulent and tasty lobster meat.

Ingredients:

Kon Loh Mein

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Steamed Lobster
Blanched Green Leafy Vegetables of choice


Method:

Steaming the lobster

Place a steaming rack to hold the lobster in the bottom of a wok/large pan
Pour 2 inches of water into the pot and add 1 tablespoon of sea salt.

Cover the pot with the lid and bring the water to the boil.

Once the water is boiling fiercely, place the lobster onto a rack, cover the pot and bring back to the boil.

Begin timing once the water is boiling again., steam the lobster for 14 minutes for the first lb of weight and then an extra 3 minutes for each extra lb. A 2 lb lobster will cook in 17 minutes, a 3 lb in 20 minutes.
Once the lobster is done, drain immediately and let it sit until it is cool enough to remove the flesh from the shell.

Serve it with

Kon Loh Mein
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and blanched green leafy vegetables and drizzle with the sauce from the pork tenderloin.

Enjoy with pickled green jalepeno or chilly sauce.

How to tell when your lobster is cooked

Care must be taken not to overcook the lobster, as this will result in tougher and less succulent meat.

Overcooking also means that some of the delicious flavour will be lost and the meat may shrink, become stringy or even mushy

Do not remove the lobster from the pot before the shell has turned bright red

The lobster is properly done when an antennae comes off easily when pulled gently.

The cooked lobster meat will be firm and white in colour

The internal temperature of the lobster meat will have reached 180°F (80°C).

The green tomalley or liver, which is situated inside the body cavity, will have turned a greenish yellow colour.

Which parts of a lobster can you eat?

The majority of the lobsters meat is found in the tail and in the two front claws. Smaller amounts of meat can also be found in the legs and in some parts of the body. Parts which should not be eaten, are the shell, the sac behind the eyes, the black vein running through the tail and the green tomalley, although this is debatable, as some lobster eaters claim this to be the best part.



Serves