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Lobster
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Identity Card
Name: Lobster
Product category: Fish, shellfish
Where found: Mediterranean Sea
Reproduction period: From autumn to spring
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Lobster is one of the most highly sought-after shellfish. Its delicious meat is used to prepare sophisticated antipasti as well as excellent first and second-course dishes. Found throughout the Mediterranean (except for the southeastern area), lobsters generally prefer a rocky seabed, thriving at depths between 20 and 70 meters. They reproduce from autumn to spring. Ever since ancient times these shellfish have been caught in special lobster pots (funnel-shaped mesh traps). On the large Italian island of Sardinia to the west of Italy, lobster is featured in a variety of traditional dishes. Until very recently lobsters were kept in so-called "marruffi", large hampers woven from myrtle branches that were anchored to the bottom of shallow shoals. Here they were kept in order to keep the shellfish alive until they could be sold to the local fishmongers. Rich in protein, carbohydrates and mineral salts, lobster can be purchased either fresh or frozen. Lobster is best when purchased live.
The most highly valued lobsters are the big ones (they can weight up to 8 kg), which are, however, increasingly rare. Unmistakable thanks to its purplish shell, which turns a bright red when cooked, the freshest lobsters can be recognized by their antennae, which should not be broken. While still alive the lobster should be plunged into abundant boiling water that has been flavored with a bouquet garni, onions and carrots cut into round slices, white wine or vinegar, coarse salt and a few pepper corns. Chefs recommend tying a clean wooden board to the lobster with kitchen string in order to facilitate immersing it into the water and to keep it right-side-up while cooking. Cooking time varies, depending on size and weight, from approximately 15 to 30 minutes. Once boiled, the lobster should be left to cool and then drained. To open the shell, first you have to remove the head; using lobster shears, you can then proceed to cut open the shell from the tail up.
Haute cuisine features lobster in some very elaborate recipes that feature rich sauces; however, to bring out the best in this noble shellfish, all you have to do is cook it very simply, as they do for the traditional Sardinian dishes, which highlight the lobster's delicate, almost sweet flavor: roasted whole over coals as the local fishermen do; or "alla catalana", boiled and sprinkled with olive oil, tomato and onion, as they do in the province of Alghero on the northwest coast of the island; in a salad for lovers of antipasti; or, naturally, used as a topping for Spaghetti or other kinds of pasta as they do in the town of Carloforte, in the Sulcis archipelago southwest of Sardinia. Here lobster is a versatile ingredient of the local cuisine, in which features it in a myriad of delightful manifestations - each one even tastier than the other.
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