Lobster is one of the most prized foods in America, a wonderful, flavorful way to celebrate a big occasion — or simply to enjoy on a summer evening with family and friends.
Enjoying lobster at home is a great way to make this delicacy more affordable, but if you’re going shopping for lobster, it is important to know what to look for.
These four shopping tips can help you get the most lobster for your money, and ensure you pick out the perfect specimens.
1. Know Your Lobsters
There are two types of lobsters: hard-shell and soft-shell. These terms do not refer to different species, but to the stage in the growth cycle at which they have been harvested.
Lobsters grow by moulting, but after emerging from their old shell, it takes a while for the new one to harden up. Soft-shell lobster tends to be sweeter, but they don’t travel as well and the meat isn’t as dense and hearty. They also tend to shrink more during cooking.
2. Make Sure it’s Fresh
After a lobster is taken out of the ocean, it will start consuming its own nutrients to stay alive. This means that the longer a lobster stays in the tank, the more weight it sheds. The meat will become less flavorful as a consequence.
Unfortunately, many supermarkets keep lobsters for days or even weeks before selling, so be sure to check how fresh the shipment is before you consider buying. You can learn more at Get Maine Lobster on how to get fresh lobsters and delivered at the comfort of your home.
3. Buy Online
Given how important it is to make sure your lobster is fresh, if you don’t live near the ocean, it can be a good idea to order your lobster direct from a supplier online rather than taking your chances at a local supermarket.
Buying online from a company that provides live Maine lobster delivery anywhere in the country gives you the fullest range of options when it comes to size and shell type, and it will also allow you to select a range of other lobster-related products like lobster rolls and frozen lobster meat.
4.Size Doesn’t Correspond to Quality
There is a common myth that larger lobsters are tougher. The truth is that tough lobster is almost always due to overcooking. If you want a larger lobster, there’s really no reason not to consider buying the largest one available. However, lobsters are generally sold by the pound, so a larger lobster will also be more expensive.
If you want to get the most lobster for your buck, it is much more important to consider shell hardness than overall size.
Like any other premium meat, getting the best product means knowing what to look for. Freshness, shell-hardness, and size are the best determiners of overall tastiness, so if you don’t live near Maine or another lobster-producing region, the safest way to ensure that you really are getting top quality, ordering live lobster is almost always the most reliable way to do so.
