Boiled Soft Shell Lobster

BABES! I am typing this from a coffee shop. With a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Alone. Solo. By myself. Jaryd had off for this final day of Popedelphia aaand he so kindly offered to take the kids so I can have some “alone time” and be “productive.” Um, a million times yes…

I didn’t have high hopes for myself and thought I’d spend the majority of this time aimlessly online, but I am pretty psyched about my productivity level.

So how long do you think until I get some mommy guilt and go home to hug some little people? Ugh, an ambulance just went by my coffee shop window. Call to make sure it’s not for my family? No, no. I’m sure they’re fine… Let’s talk about lobster!

Side note: next time I will remove the rubber bands before taking pictures. 

So a few weeks ago our grocery store had lobsters on sale. $6.99/lb!! I mean, I don’t know much about lobster (besides the obvious amazingness), but that seems pretty cheap. I’ve never cooked lobster before, but whenever I go grocery shopping I park my kids in front of the tank for a good 5 minutes so they can get some zoological education. Kinda kidding, but they do love watching the lobster.

Well, when we went to get the lobster for my first ever lobster cooking endeavor, they were all gone. It was a huge disappointment because we told Caleb he could pick them out and decide which ones we could take home. Cue tears when we roll up to an empty tank.

So, I’ve had a small section of my brain with a constant lobster just dancing around. Reminding me to cook lobster. Visiting me in my dreams with a zombie like voice, “looobbbsttterrr.” And so, we made it happen.

We went to visit my parents down the shore and we thought it would be fun to have my maiden voyage in lobster cooking. I’ve done a little bit of research and there are a few different ways to prepare it. You can boil them, steam, them, broil them, and grill them. Yes I plan to try each method. But for now, we went with boiling. It’s super straightforward and very very easy!

Hard shell v. soft shell: Apparently hard shell lobsters have more meat per lobster. However, soft shells have been found to be more tender, sweeter, and overall tastier than hard shell. Additionally, soft shells are easier to break apart and eat. Here’s how you make Boiled Soft Shell Lobster:

Buy your lobster day of, preferably only a couple hours before cooking. Store them in the refrigerator. This will “stun” them, making what comes next to be a wee bit easier.

For every quart of water, add 1 T. sea salt. We used 8 quarts of water. For people like me who use google to do any type of mathematics, that is 32 CUPS of water! Yikes.

So, 8 quarts water and 8 T. sea salt were added to the pot. Bring it to a boil.

Once the water is boiling, add the lobsters to the pot and cover. Bring the water back up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. For a soft-shell lobster that’s around 1-1.25 pounds, cook for about 12 minutes. If your lobster is closer to 1.5 pounds, cook for 15 minutes.

Then, remove from the pot and plate.

Melt some unsalted butter in little dishes to serve with the lobster. I like unsalted butter because it lets the lobster taste stand for itself.

We had ours with a simple salad and lemon butter almond string beans.

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Boiled Soft Shell Lobsters

Recipe by:Lindsay Grimes

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Prep: 15Cook: 15Total: 30

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Ingredients

• 4 soft shell lobsters (1.25 lbs. each)
• 8 quarts water (1 quart = 4 cups. 8 quarts = 32 cups sounds kinda crazy)
• 8 T. sea salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter

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Instructions

1. Add 8 quarts water and 8 T. sea salt to a large pot. Bring it to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, add the lobsters to the pot and cover.
3. Bring the water back up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
4. For a soft-shell lobster that’s around 1-1.25 pounds, cook for about 12 minutes. If your lobster is closer to 1.5 pounds, cook for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the lobsters from the pot and plate. You can use tongs or a silicone cooking mit.
6. Melt the unsalted butter in individual dishes to serve with the lobster.

Tips

• Buy your lobster day of, preferably only a couple hours before cooking. Store them in the refrigerator. This will “stun” them before cooking.

Nutrition Info:

• Serving Size: 4

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So here I am, at the bottom of my post. Still in the coffee shop. My coffee is cold but I’m still drinking it because let’s face it. It’s still a luxury 🙂

Let me know if you make this delicious lobster!! Enjoy! xo