Once you have received your live lobster for delivery be sure and leave the bands on the claws as long as it is alive. These claws are very strong and with one quick snip can give you a broken finger if your not careful. The bands are to be removed as soon as the lobster is dead.
If you have fully cooked and frozen your lobster or lobster meats make sure you never defrost them. This will take away from the flavorings being held within the lobsters. Only heat until warm no hotter as it will make the meat tough instead of tender.
For fresh live lobsters it only takes 10 to 14 minutes to boil per pound. Water needs to be boiling for the best flavor and tender meat when dropping in the lobster to the pot. Lobsters should be covered with water completely, therefore you will need a deep extra large pot.
A helpful tip to remember is to always pierce a hole in the lobsters head as soon as they are removed from the pot. This lets the water that it was boiled in drain and makes the meat even more delicious to the taste buds.
Casseroles and stews are even better when you add in the water the lobster was cooked within. All the flavors mingle together to provide your dishes with a surprising but tasty delight.
Be sure your live lobsters are healthy. When you touch or handle a lobster its tail should curl downward and then go back to normal when let go of. You should always take a sniff of your lobsters before cooking to make sure they all smell of freshness. If there is a strange unrecognizable scent to them then never cook them as they could make you and your family sick. They are best cooked as soon as you receive them.
When preparing to cook your live lobster know that the hard shell takes longer to cook and the softer shelled ones take less time.
You can also grill whole lobsters on a hot to medium hot setting. Whole lobsters are placed onto a pre-heated grill and then left on one side til it turns bright red then turned and left on opposite side until that is the same in color. Serve with delicious garlic butter and gumbo if you have it on hand.
You can split live lobsters for delivery and cook on the grill too if a whole one is too much for just one person to eat. Place split sides down first and cook three minutes then turn to shell side and cook about 6 minutes longer. The shell will be the shade of bright red as it is when boiling when done. Add some lemon juice squeezed on it and of course butter and your ready to eat.