Title: How To Buy A Lobster | The Food Lab
Headings: How To Buy A Lobster | The Food Lab
How To Buy A Lobster | The Food Lab
Criterion #1: Species
Criterion #2: Liveliness
Criterion #3: Hard Vs. Soft
Criterion #4: Size
Where to Buy Lobster
Connecticut-Style Warm Buttered Lobster Rolls »
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Content: See, lobsters and shrimp digest their prey via enzymes in their upper digestive tract located in their heads. Once killed, the lobsters turn into crustacean zombies, their digestive enzymes eating at their own bodies. This can result in off-puttingly mushy meat in the upper areas of the tail within as little as an hour or two after death. Removing the tail and claws immediately and shipping them frozen can solve part of this problem (that's why you'll rarely if ever see frozen whole lobsters for sale), but better is to keep them alive until cooking. When a healthy lobster is picked up, it should lift its claws, move its legs energetically, and raise its tail, perhaps flapping it a few times. Lobster with limp claws or little movement should be avoided. Criterion #3: Hard Vs. Soft
Lobsters grow by shedding their old shells, revealing a softer shell underneath. They then puff themselves up with water, stretching out the new shell, which eventually hardens.