If you end up having a chance to pick your own lobsters whether for a special occasion, dinner date or just wanting to try out new things , be sure to check out these few tips that will make your lobster meal more enjoyable.
Note that it is not common to find lobsters in your everyday supermarket in Malaysia and they are only to be found in higher-end supermarket , shops, or restaurants.
1. Male or Female ?
Male and female taste almost the same. However, If you absolutely love seafood roes , or you are looking to cook it in a thick soup, pick the female one as they will contain roe in in their meat. Allowing it to add color and flavor on your meal!
Difference of male and female (refer to image above)
Tail : Male have a very straight and almost perfectly aligned tail. Female’s tail have a slight curve on them
First set of back legs : Male’s leg are covered in hard shell, females one are soft shelled.
2. Good Lobster should not have smell.
A good rule of thumb for all seafood are if they are alive, then they are at the best condition. They should not smell anything at all if they are alive. Lobster that went bad would smells like ammonia , something like your urine. You could buy pre-cooked lobster too!
3. Size matters, including the antennae
The better the lobster, the longer their antennae. It also means they are active and their meat will be more tender.
4. Hard or Soft Shell?
There are Hard-Shelled and Soft-Shelled Lobster. Hard shelled yields lesser meat but sweeter. Hard Shelled one are chewier but have more meat! It is easily seen by the color of shell, the darker it is the likely it is harder. The color is lighter on soft shelled one because they are recently shedded.
5. Steaming is better than boiling
If you boil your lobster, their juices will leave their shell. They taste better when steamed as their flavor stays inside , resulting a sweeter taste.