LOBSTER MAC & CHEESE

Lobster might not be a food associated with a traditional Thanksgiving menu, but it should be! Did you know that the pilgrims feasted on lobster on the very first Thanksgiving?  Yup, back in those days, lobsters were so plentiful that you could grab them by hand straight out of the ocean at low tide.

Lobster’s a great addition to any meal, so why not start a new Thanksgiving tradition by adding some lobster to the Turkey Day spread.

Here are some easy and delicious ways from East Coast Gourmet to incorporate some lobster into your Thanksgiving dinner:

Maine Event Lobster Pie – Overstuffed with fresh Maine Lobster meat and finished with a touch of wine, garlic and lots butter!

Lobster Mac & Cheese – A decadent twist on a comfort-food favorite.

And don’t forget that our chowders and bisques make stunning starters for your meal!

And if you order by 11/19, you can take $12 your order of $50 or more and get your East Coast Goodies in time for Turkey Day! Just enter the coupon code TURKEY in at checkout.

The Classic Maine Lobster Roll:
A classic, mouth-watering Lobster Roll is simply lobster meat gently tossed in mayo and piled high in a New England style split-top hot dog roll that’s been buttered and toasted on both sides.  Here’s a time-tested recipe that’ll serve 2-3:

Lobster Roll Ingredients:
1/2 pound fully cooked lobster meat or 1 (2 1/2 pound) live lobster
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 piece of celery, chopped
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 to 3 New England-style hot dog buns
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened Pickles and potato chips as accompaniment

Boil your live lobsters and let them cool for a few minutes at room temperature.  Then, shuck the lobster meat out of the shell. Claw and knuckle meat is perfect for a lobster roll. Now mix your lobster meat with a 1/4 cup of mayonnaise–just make sure not do go overboard with the mayo. Add the salt, pepper and chopped celery. Then chill your lobster salad mixture in a covered bowl for at least 30 minutes. The right roll is absolutely essential to making an authentic Lobster Roll. We’re talking about New England-style hot dog rolls, which can be near impossible to find outside of the East Coast.  It’s basically a hot dog bun with white sides that’s split at the top, instead of the side.  This way you can toast both sides and have it stand perfectly upright when stuffed with lobster.  You’ll want to butter both sides of each bun and grill for 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Open the top split and pile in your lobster meat until your lobster roll is overstuffed. Serve with potato chips and enjoy!

Lobster Rolls Shipped to You! Yup. Enjoy an overstuffed lobster roll at your home without traveling to Maine.  Our authentic lobster roll kit includes 2 lbs. lobster meat, real New England hot dog rolls, and salt water taffy from Maine! Makes up to 8 overstuffed lobster rolls. Enter LROLLS online and get $12 off your first order!

We’re very proud to announce that our Lobster Bisque won the Best Bisque or Stew award at the recent Hampton Beach Seafood Festival in lovely Hampton Beach, New Hampshire…one of the biggest annual events in the country!

Thousands of seafood lovers flock this resort town each September for the festival, now in its third decade, to sample the best coastal cuisine from over 60 regional seafood restaurants and vendors. 

In celebration of our big victory, we’re offering a FREE 20 oz pouch of our award-winning lobster bisque with any order of $50 or more from East Coast Gourmet!  That’s a $15 value!  Hurry, this offer ends on Sunday, September 26.  Just enter “GIVE ME BISQUE” in the Special Order Instructions box at checkout and your free lobster bisque will be added to your order.

How to boil lobsters
Fill a pot (large enough to hold the lobsters) anywhere from one-half to two-thirds full with water. Add 2 tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. (If sea water is available, even better. Skip the salt.) Bring the water to a strong boil over high heat.

Place the live lobsters in one at a time, headfirst, completely submerging them. Pick up the lobster by holding the upper side of the thorax between your thumb and middle finger. Hold the underside of the body away from you, because the lobster have a tendency to flip the jointed tail, splattering water. You can cook more than one lobster in a pot as long as there is enough room and water to cover the lobsters. (If you do not have a big enough pot use two smaller pots or cook your lobsters in batches.) Cover the pot tightly and return to a boil as quickly as possible.

After the water boils start timing, and regulate the heat to prevent water from boiling over (but be sure the water continues to boil). Melt some butter while you wait.

Cooking Times for Lobsters
1 lb. Lobster… 4-5 minutes
1 1/4 lb. lobster… 6-7 minutes
1 1/2 lb. lobster… 7-9 minutes
2 lb. lobster… 10-12 minutes
3 lb. lobster… 12-13 minutes
5-6 lb. lobster… 18-20 minutes

How to Tell if My Lobsters are Cooked?
Lobster is cooked when the shell is entirely red. When properly cooked, lobster meat is a creamy white color all the way through–no translucent areas. Some chefs say when the antennae pull out easily, lobsters are done, but this is not always the case. It is important to note when you take your lobsters out of the pot they will continue to cook. To stop the cooking process, put your lobsters in a bowl of ice.

If you overcook them, your going to be eating tough lobster. If you under-cook your lobster you can always heat them up. The reason many people believe larger lobsters are tough is simply because they overcook them. Many people will mistakenly boil a two and half pound lobster twice as long as a quarter pound lobster. Another common mistake is adding to the cooking time just because you are cooking more than 1-2 lobsters in the pot. Just remember to bring your pot back to a rolling boil and regulate the heat. Happy cracking!

Be Sure to visit East Coast Gourmet for some real feisty live lobsters! Test the waters and get $10 off your first order! Enter code STLB at online checkout.

Lobster Salad Ingredients
2 1 3/4 – 2lb. lobsters
12 large shrimp
4-6 tbs. mayonnaise
2 stalks of celery, chooped
4 tbsp. parsley, chopped (optional)
2 jars marinated artichock hearts*
1 lemon

Cook lobster adding shrimp to the pot for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking (be careful not to overcook)!Cool, and remove tail, body, and leg meat. Keep the claws. Clean out the shell, discarding everthing else inside the shell, including the black line that runs along the lobster. Cut the tail meat into pieces and refrigerate, along with the claws, lobster meat, and empty shells. Peel and devein shrimp and refrigerate.

When ready, mix the lobster meat, mayonnaise, celery and parsley together. Divide equally between 4 shells, add 3 shrimp to each shell and fill remaining space with artichokes. Serve on lettuce leaves, a cracked claw on each plate and wedges of lemon.
*Substutute muchrooms marinated in Italian dresing..or..potato salad.

Make sure you pick out a mad lobster. It’s easy to find one; it’s the lobster who will raise its claws and flap its tail. The mad, feisty lobster will be the freshest lobster! It’s best to cook lobsters the day your receive them. You can keep a good hard-shell lobster alive for a day or two in the coldest part of your refrigerator, usually the bottom shell.

Why steam lobsters, rather than boil them? Charlie prefers steaming lobster because he says it makes less of a mess and cooks up a more tender lobster than boiling. Steaming lobster preserves the ocean fresh taste of lobster. Since steaming cooks lobster a little slower, there is less of a chance of overcooking. It’s a good choice if your cooking lobster for the first time. Cooking for a big group? You can find out how to boil lobsters here.

If you are just cooking a couple of lobsters, a 3-4 gallon soup or pasta pot will do the job. If you are cooking a bunch of lobsters you can get a larger pot or steam your lobsters in batches. Just make sure the lid goes on tight to keep in the steam. A steamer rack is not a necessity. It just keeps the lobsters from getting charred on the bottom of the pot. You can use an vegetable steamer rack inside the pot or an upside colander.

Now for the all-important cooking times. The first rule of cooking lobsters-do not overcook. Second rule-do not overcook your lobsters. For soft-shell lobsters you might want to subtract a minute or two from the cooking times.

Directions for Steamed Lobsters

To steam live lobster: Fill pot so that water comes up sides about two inches. Add 2 tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. If you have sea salt-even better. Bring the water to a rolling boil, and put in lobsters, one at a time. ( Feel free to use a steaming rack to place the lobsters on or just add directly to the pot.) Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Place lobsters in the pot (head first), cover tightly, return to a boil as quickly as possible and start counting the time.

Steam a lobster for 8 minutes per pound, for the first pound. Add 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound thereafter. See chart below for approximate cooking times. Regulate the heat if the froth starts to bubble over.

Steaming Lobster-Cooking Times

Lobster Weight: Cooking Time
1-1/4 lbs. 7-8 minutes
1-1/2 lb. 8-10 minutes
2 lbs. 11-12 minutes
2-1/2-3 lb. 12-14 minutes
5 lb. 20-22 minutes

Lobsters are done when the outer shell is bright red and when the meat is white, not opaque. Again, DO NOT overcook your lobsters. Carefully remove lobsters from the pot with tongs. Be careful, they are very hot. Note: Your lobsters will continue to cook a little after you take them out of the pot. To stop the cooking process, place your steamed lobsters in a bowl of ice before cracking. Now just melt the butter. You can get fancy and whisk in a little lemon juice in your butter. Now dig in!

Be Sure to visit East Coast Gourmet for some real feisty live lobsters! Test the waters and get $10 off your first order! Enter code STLB at online checkout.

Ingredients
2 live Maine lobsters (1.5 lbs. each)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 clove garlic minced
2 ears of fresh corn

Plung lobster into rapidly boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes until lobsters turn bright red. Refresh under very cold running water. Use ice if lobster is still hot. Slice lobster in half lengthwise so that one claw and half of the tail are one piece, then clean out the body cavity.

Grill over charcoal wood fire for 6-10 minitues with corn, basting the corn and lobsters with garlic butter.