The Debate about Cooking Live Lobsters
Many people object to the common practice of cooking a live lobster by plunging it into boiling water. Those with tender hearts and animal rights philosophies are concerned about the pain the animal experiences and advocate more humane ways of creating lobster dinners.
Science has intervened in the debate by investigating the situation. After years of study and debate, researchers have reached some surprising conclusions.
A lobster cannot feel pain the way humans know it. Its nervous system is too undeveloped, and its tiny, simple brain is only a bunch of nerve endings. The brain of a lobster is about the size of a grasshopper’s brain and lacks complexity.
Because of this lack, it is also extremely doubtful that a lobster is able to feel pain the way people do. Based on these findings, the practice of cooking live lobsters continues. Three common methods of cooking a live lobster are by steaming, boiling, or grilling.
To steam a lobster you need to start with a four to five gallon pot which is the ideal size for steaming six to eight pounds of lobster. Put about two inches of seawater (if you have access to it) or other salted water in the bottom of the pot. Put your steaming rack inside the pot, and bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the live lobsters one at a time. Put the lid on the pot and start timing. One pound of lobster takes approximately 10 minutes to steam. With six to eight pounds, it will take closer to an hour. Make sure that you rearrange the lobsters in the pot half way through the cooking process.
For every 1 to 2 pounds of lobster you want to boil, add three quarts of water to your large pot. Calculate the total number of gallons of water in the pot, and add one quarter cup of salt for each gallon. Heat the water to a rolling boil and add the lobsters one at a time. It will take about 8 minutes to boil one pound of lobster. Six to eight pounds will take 50 minutes to an hour. Halfway through the cooking time, stir the lobsters.
Before grilling lobsters, you have to parboil them. Use the same procedure you use when boiling lobsters, but only boil them for five minutes. Remove the lobsters immediately and plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process, and then drain them thoroughly. On a cutting board, lay a lobster on its back. Split it down the center with a sharp knife and remove both the black vein in the tail and the sand sac near the head. Use butter or oil to baste the lobsters before placing them flesh-side down on the grill for five to six minutes. Turn them over, re-baste, and finish cooking another four or five minutes.
There’s no need to be afraid of cooking live lobsters any longer. Science has proved that it is not inhumane treatment. If you have a pot and want the very freshest, tastiest lobster, you can buy live lobsters at many supermarkets. You can also use the ultimate convenience of shopping for lobsters online from one of the seafood companies who promise you the freshest lobsters delivered overnight.
