Boiled Lobster

One of the most common ways to cook lobster is to boil it. Boiled lobster is also one of the simplest, not much different then boiling potatoes or anything else, and easy for those who are unsure about how to dispatch the animal.

Get a really large pot, tall and wide, like a stockpot. Fill your pot with water. Maritimers and New Englanders will swear by using seawater, but frankly that's pretty inconvenient, unless you're cooking on the beach. Instead, you can add 1 Tbsp of sea salt to each litre (quart) of water. If you're in doubt about how much salt to use, use more salt rather than less. Of course, if you don't have sea salt, regular table salt is a good-enough substitute. You will need enough water in the pot so that when the lobster is added, it is completely covered and more. If you have access to seaweed, you can add some of it to the water to really get the taste of the ocean. If you don't have access to fresh seaweed or don't feel like dragging it around, dried dulse is great for this as well.

OK, so that's a pretty complicated explanation for what pretty much just sums up to fill your pot with water and add lots of salt to it.

Bring the water to a rolling boil. Gently slip the lobsters into the water, head first. The tail will flip around and splash you if it goes in first, and you certainly don't want to just drop it in fast if you don't want boiling water all over you. Bring the water back to a low boil. How long to boil the lobster depends on how big it is. Cook for 8 minutes for the first pound, and 3 extra minutes for each additional pound.

Be very careful not to overcook, as boiled lobster only takes an extra minute or so to become overdone. The lobster is done when it is bright red and the antannae pull off easily.

And THAT is how to boil lobster.

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