Before the Europeans arrived in North America, lobster was much more plentiful. They could be found all along the beach at low tide, which made harvesting them easy. They were so plentiful that Native Americans used them to fertilize their fields.
When the Europeans arrived on the scene, lobster was so abundant that they were considered a cheap and inexpensive food for the poor. In fact, the only people who ate the lobster were poor families and indentured servants.
By the 1840s, the lobster industry was thriving. Production reached 130 million pounds per year. Fishermen were rejoicing as shipments were being made around the world. With the increase in speed of land transportation, lobster shipments were sent inland.
The first lobster reached Chicago in 1842. After that, upper crust diners could often sit down to a lobster dinner, as more restaurants started popping up in most major cities. Rich diners could show off their wealth by eating several lobsters at one sitting.
Fresh lobster has quickly become a luxury food for the Maritime Provinces and Maine, and a highly prized export to Europe and Japan. Although abundant, Maine lobster harvesters know that by protecting resources today, they are protecting their livelihood and this valued ecosystem for tomorrow.
Nowadays, lobster fishing is a regulated industry. State and the federal governments have agreed to a minimum length the crustaceans must be in order to assure that the lobster population has a chance to lay eggs and reproduce before being caught.
To read more The Lobster Along The Maine Coast
Fresh seafood and fish are the basis of a healthy diet. Fresh fish, cooked to perfection, can be a taste-sensory explosion. Not only that, but seafood contains heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce high blood pressure and alleviate circulatory problems. Choosing fish over red or white meats is a wise choice.
Those meats contain large amounts of fat and cholesterol. There are many online cooking sites dedicated to healthy and delicious seafood recipes to get you started. Another great way to integrate fish into your diet is to choose a seafood restaurant the next time you dine out.
To cook seafood and fish, try to do it when it is in a frozen state. If it is thawed before it is cooked, then cook it immediately upon thawing and never ever refreeze it. There are many ways to cook fish. It just depends on your tastes.
You can cook it in a frying pan with butter or oil to prevent sticking. Cooking it in the oven or under the broiler is also a healthy method. Many people enjoy fish seafood cooked on the grill. Wrap it in foil to help retain moistness and flavor.
Seafood and fish are great food choices to help improve your diet and health. Fresh fish and seafood are high in protein and low in fat. A diet rich in fish helps prevent heart disease, high blood pressure and circulatory problems.
Fish is also a good source of iron, iodine and zinc. If you are allergic to fish or just don’t like the taste of it, then there are fish oil supplements you can take. Though the benefits aren’t as great as eating fish fresh, they can help you implement a healthier lifestyle.
To read more A Healthy Seafood And Fish Diet
Live Maine lobster is available all year, with the largest portion of the catch harvested in the summer and fall. Many lobster fishermen remove their traps to avoid the damage large storms can cause in the winter months. Generally, lobster prices increase around Memorial Day and drop when the season ends on Labor Day weekend. The best time to buy hard-shells is in May and September. The majority of soft-shelled lobsters are sold locally in June and July, when lobster molting is at its peak.
Shell-shedding or molting is the process by which lobsters shed their shells, in order to grow bigger. They are extremely fragile at this stage and until their shells harden. The price and quality of soft-shell lobster is much less than when they are hard-shelled. This is due to the texture of the meat taking on a softer feel. Hard-shell meat is much firmer and richer.
You can find the meat of the Maine lobster in the claws, knuckles, tail and various other parts of the legs and body. The greenish goo located at the junction of the body and tail of lobsters is called the tomalley and is the liver. Cooking a lobster too long makes the meat tough and stringy. Lobster meat is a creamy white, shells are bright red and the two front antennae pull out easily when properly cooked. A 1-2 pound whole crustacean serves one person a lobster dinner.
To read more Delicious Maine Lobsters
Related to the crab, the crayfish and the shrimp, lobsters inhabit the world’s major oceans. The most popular way to buy them is alive, although their meat is also available frozen and canned.
The more commercially in demand the lobsters are, the higher the price they will be. It is widely known that the most popular choice for consumers is the American lobster and several species of spiny lobster, also referred to as marine crayfish or the rock lobster.
The lobsters ‘abdomen is covered by six overlapping shell rings that are joined together. Their shell is the only structural support a lobster has. Unlike humans, whose muscles are attached to our internal skeleton, a lobsters muscles are attached to its outer shell. They would not be able to move if they did not have their outer shell. They also have a pair of compound eyes at the ends of jointed and movable stalks.
Most of American lobster, like the Maine lobster, live in coastal waters off Virginia, New England and Nova Scotia and live in muddy, rocky and sandy areas of the ocean floor. Spiny lobsters live in warm waters of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in coral reefs, crevices and rock ledges. The lobsters choose to live in areas that give them the most protection from enemies.
To read more The Lobsters For Your Dinner Party
Maybe you have always wanted to try your hand at cooking a lobster dinner at home, but considered the selection and cooking process a bit overwhelming. It is true that they should be prepared and eaten with a few hours of purchase and they must be alive immediately prior to cooking.
However, those two hardships are easily remedied when you arm yourself with the information you need to prepare them. For a guide on how to choose, handle and eat lobster, read on.
A fish market will usually have a salt water tank filled with live lobsters. Looking into the tank, it may seem impossible to choose one or two to take home. Just remember, choose the specimens that are moving the most vigorously around the tank, as those that are sluggish are poor choices.
To enjoy your lobster at its optimum freshness, cook it the same day you purchase it. Don’t forget that size counts as well. As a rule, choose one that is between 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, as they will be the most tender.
Once you’ve chosen fresh, healthy specimens from your local fish and seafood market, live lobsters are very simple to cook, whether you grill them, broil them, steam them or easiest yet, boil them. Drop them in a pot of boiling salt water and a few minutes later, you are ready to enjoy! Take a fork full of the lobster and plunge it into warm melted butter. Delightful!
To read more Cooking Lobster Tonight
