Fresh lobster, frozen, now what?

January 26, 2013 7:38 AM

I was just gifted a fresh Caribbean lobster caught by my friend. It was put into the freezer. Now what do I do? It's whole and rather large. I've never prepared anything like this, and googling recipes isn't helping - half say I should thaw it first, half say I should stick the whole thing in boiling water.

Do any of you have lobstah-cookin' experience? Please explain what I should do in detail - how to cook it, how to take it apart. Any help is greatly appreciated!

posted by Alpenglow to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

Best answer: Caribbean lobster are not usually cooked the same way as a New England lobster. Instead of steaming they're usually grilled.

http://fishcooking.about.com/od/shrimpcrablobster/p/spiny_lobster.htm

http://www.grillingcompanion.com/grilling-lobster-tails/
posted by dknott123 at 7:50 AM on January 26, 2013

dknott123 is right. Also, no need to buy lobster crackers to get through the shell. You can use kitchen shears, start from the bottom, cut and pull the shells away.
posted by Lucubrator at 7:57 AM on January 26, 2013

My lobster cooking experience is all with the live New England version, but I would not try to cook it without thawing it first. Seafood overcooks very easily, and starting it from frozen would make it harder to judge cooking times, and thick parts might overcook on the outside before they're done on the inside.
posted by jon1270 at 8:50 AM on January 26, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks, I'm going to thaw it, and grill it!
posted by Alpenglow at 5:38 PM on January 26, 2013