7/22/1998

STEAMING TIME Time from the moment you add lobsters to the pot; cover immediately
Weight	Time
1 pound	10 minutes
1¼ pounds	12 minutes
1½ pounds	14 minutes
1¾ pounds	16 minutes
2 pounds	18 minutes
2½ pounds	22 minutes
3 pounds	25 to 30 minutes

BOILED LOBSTER - Steamed

Lobster should be boiled in fresh ocean or tidal water. It is the briny-sweet taste of the sea that is so intensely satisfying and sensually
stimulating. Boiling a lobster in the clean ocean water it came from produces this flavor experience better than any other cooking method.

When ocean water is not available, heavily salted fresh tap water is fine, but it never fully captures the flavor of the sea. When no ocean
water is available, I usually recommend steaming, which produces a pure lobster flavor.

Choose a pot large enough to stir the lobsters. Do not overcrowd the pot. Allow 3 quarts of water per 1 ½ to 2 pounds of lobster. The pot
should be filled no more then three-quarters full. This equates to roughly 1 gallon of space for each select-size lobster. A 4-gallon pot
containing 3 gallons of water is ideal for cooking six 1-pound lobsters, four 1 ½ to 2-pound (select) lobsters or two 2 ½ to 3-pound lobsters.

Use more than one pot if needed.

If using ocean water, no added salt is necessary. If using fresh water, add ¼ cup of salt for each gallon of water. If any rockweed is
available, throw it in.

Bring water to a rolling boil. Pick up lobster, holding it with your hand wrapped around its carapace (body), and drop it into the pot. Time
lobsters from the moment they are put in the water, not from the moment the water reaches a boil again. Leave the pot uncovered while the
lobsters cook; stir once, halfway through cooking. Follow the cooking chart. If you crowd the pot, add at least one minute to cooking time.

Remove with long tongs. Before removing all the lobsters, break one in half where the carapace meets the tail. The tail meat should be
creamy white with no translucency. The roe, if any, should be bright red. If not, let the lobsters cook a little longer.

The times are for the potful; allow 8 minutes, for instance, for six 1-pounders.

STEAMED LOBSTER

Steaming produces tenderer meat, especially with larger lobsters.

Any pot can be transformed into a steamer, although the ideal pot for steaming is the same as for boiling; tall and somewhat narrow but large
enough to allow the steam to circulate around the lobsters. The lobsters must be suspended far enough above the water so that when they
release lqiuid during steaming, they should not end up sitting in it.

If you do not own the venerable black steamer, you can improvise a rack. A colander placed upside down works well. Rockweed makes a
great "rack" and adds the smell of the ocean.

Place 8 to 10 inches of rockweed on the bottom of the pot with just enough water to get things started ( ½ inch). A 4 to 5-gallon pot is ideal
for a total of 6 to 8 pounds of lobster. If you cannot see the bottom of the pot, it is overcrowded.

Fill steamer with 1 inch of salt water (ocean water or fresh water with salt added). Set steaming rack inside the pot. Turn heat to high and
cover steamer. When water boils, place lobsters in the pot and cover tightly.

Rearrange lobsters with long tongs halfway through steaming. Be careful when removing the lid; the steam is very hot.

Break one lobster apart to check for doneness. Tail meat should be creamy white with no translucency. If not, steam for a few minutes