BajaNomad - Cooking Lobster Tails

Cooking Lobster Tails

Bob H - 2-19-2008 at 07:58 PM

OK - we are the proud owners of four lobster tails, each one is about 4 to 5 ounces. What is your favorite way to cook them up? We are thinking of cutting them in half and cooking them in a pan with melted butter, a little oil (?) and some minced garlic - 0h and a dash of salt and pepper (and other spices??). We don't want to boil them.... Any favorite methods that Nomads use - please just let us know.... then I will tell you how they came out.
Gracias,
Bob H
PS: Then I will enjoy a fine cigar for desert

UnoMas - 2-19-2008 at 08:24 PM

Bob, I like to split them in half, ease the tail out of the shell as it will be more difficult to do once cooked and place on top. Put a pat of butter on top and broil 3-5 minutes don't over cook but make sure that it is opaque all the way through. Serve with drawn butter, garlic bread and salad. Don't kill it with a bunch of spices.......
Unomas

tp - 2-19-2008 at 08:27 PM

@ 8:28 p.m. asking for recepies? Cook your lobster tails the way you like it. Tomorrow they are old!

longlegsinlapaz - 2-19-2008 at 08:56 PM

Split shell, pull all but very tip of tail out of shell & slather with butter & toss on the BBQ, shell down, meat up! When the meat is white, it's time to enjoy!!! Spices would be sacrilege! :no:

NO oil, no garlic, just butter! :bounce:

UnoMas - 2-19-2008 at 09:19 PM

Longlegs,
You got it got it! Good lobster only needs butter, I cook from the top down, you cook from the top up. We should have had him bring them over and we could show him :lol:

Bob H - 2-19-2008 at 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tp
@ 8:28 p.m. asking for recepies? Cook your lobster tails the way you like it. Tomorrow they are old!

Well, first of all... welcome to the Baja Nomad Board. You will quickly learn how gracious our fellow Nomads are here with short notice! It appears that was your only opinion.
Thanks anyway,
Bob H

Bob H - 2-19-2008 at 09:31 PM

Hey, we cooked it up... here's the way it went. We melted 1/2 cup of real butter in an electric skillet, plopped some slices of garlic in there. On the tails, we butterflied them a bit, added a pinch of ground pepper (from India) and sea salt, along with a sprinkle of paprika. Put them in the pan, meat side down, covered, and simmered for 8 minutes. Plucked them out of the pan, poured the remaining butter sauce for dipping. WOW - were they good! This recipe was sooooo good, it would jump up and slap yo mamma!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh
Bob H

UnoMas - 2-19-2008 at 10:10 PM

Bob;
Mama is laying on the floor, dead from a heart attach after hearing what you did to those poor LOSTERS.......Next time bring them to Mi Casa, I will fix them up for you. :tumble:

tp - 2-19-2008 at 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob H

Quote:

Originally posted by tp
@ 8:28 p.m. asking for recepies? Cook your lobster tails the way you like it. Tomorrow they are old!

Well, first of all... welcome to the Baja Nomad Board. You will quickly learn how gracious our fellow Nomads are here with short notice! It appears that was your only opinion.
Thanks anyway,
Bob H

B.H., not quite sure what you mean with your post.
.... gracious ... w/ short notice.... ???

and no, not my only opinion, but a very important one.
Lobster tails from yesterday are old for sure.
There is a restaurant in La Paz called Bismarck... it is said that they pie on the ones from yesterday to make'em tasty again...
true or false? I don't know.
By the way, catching Lobster in Baja is illegal . So cook'em and forget posting about it.

Bob H - 2-19-2008 at 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by UnoMas
Bob;
Mama is laying on the floor, dead from a heart attach after hearing what you did to those poor LOSTERS.......Next time bring them to Mi Casa, I will fix them up for you. :tumble:

You know what.... they melted in our mouths.... absolutely wonderful.
Bob H

Bob H - 2-19-2008 at 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tp

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob H

Quote:

Originally posted by tp

By the way, catching Lobster in Baja is illegal . So cook'em and forget posting about it.

I've been around here long enough to know this - thanks for the tidpit of info anyway. I bought these lobsters here locally in San Diego - was just sharing info about how we made them - and they were outstanding. Try it sometime.
Welcome, and thanks again.
Bob H

UnoMas - 2-19-2008 at 10:21 PM

tp;
You mean to tell that lobster tails from Maine are too old to be good when flown to the west coast and served the next day :light:

No one said that they caught the lobsters illegally either.

tp - 2-19-2008 at 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by UnoMas
tp;
You mean to tell that lobster tails from Maine are too old to be good when flown to the west coast and served the next day :light:

No one said that they caught the lobsters illegally either.

Well, well, well, don't you know that cold water lobsters are VERY different from warm water lobsters?
Did anybody talk about Maine lobsters here?
Did anybody talk about catching lobsters in Maine?
I did say that catching lobsters in Baja is illegal.
Reading is one thing, understanding what's written, something else.
Try again Buddy.

UnoMas - 2-19-2008 at 10:50 PM

Tp,
Forget about Maine lobsters, used that as only an example. So you say spiney lobsters are no good after the 2nd. day, You think that they hit the streets commercially that quick in Mexico? I will take all you can round up if that is the case. I do agree that as with any fish the fresher the better, but one day, come on!

tp - 2-19-2008 at 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by UnoMas
Tp,
Forget about Maine lobsters, used that as only an example. So you say spiney lobsters are no good after the 2nd. day, You think that they hit the streets commercially that quick in Mexico? I will take all you can round up if that is the case. I do agree that as with any fish the fresher the better, but one day, come on!

again, understanding.........
a warm water lobster is different, very different from a cold water lobster.
And NO they do not hit the road quickly in Mexico ... and you can easily taste that. After one day the Baja Lobsters are OLD ! Old enough to taste diff than fresh, that's my point.
A Maine lobster is still good even three days after catch.
They are warm water lobsters and that's the problem.
I bought lobsters from the boat here in Baja. Somehow good. But by far not as good as Maine lobsters.

capt. mike - 2-20-2008 at 08:03 AM

hummm...
that explains the flavor when last time we ate at Bismark. Sent 4 tails back - all smelled like amonia. The waitron actually insisted they were fine, i said ok - have the cook come out and eat mine! :smug:

TP - we sure enjoy your positive participation here........ I find your input positively "saubering".

:yawn:

DENNIS - 2-20-2008 at 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tp
I bought lobsters from the boat here in Baja. Somehow good. But by far not as good as Maine lobsters.

It's a different animal, expert.

Skipjack Joe - 2-20-2008 at 09:32 AM

IMO Maine lobsters always taste better than our Pacific spiny lobsters, no matter when they're eaten.

vandenberg - 2-20-2008 at 09:36 AM

Hey Charmin,
Like your way of " How to make friends and influence people".

elgatoloco - 2-20-2008 at 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob H
OK - we are the proud owners of four lobster tails, each one is about 4 to 5 ounces. What is your favorite way to cook them up? We are thinking of cutting them in half and cooking them in a pan with melted butter, a little oil (?) and some minced garlic - 0h and a dash of salt and pepper (and other spices??). We don't want to boil them.... Any favorite methods that Nomads use - please just let us know.... then I will tell you how they came out.
Gracias,
Bob H
PS: Then I will enjoy a fine cigar for desert

If you can get the whole lobster live next time you should try the tail meat sashimi style with a bit of fresh ground wasabi and soy. Sweet and succulent, you will wonder why anyone would want to cook it. Then steam the legs and dip meat in ponzu then use the carapice for miso lobster soup. Yummy! :biggrin:

tp - 2-20-2008 at 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
Hey Charmin,
Like your way of " How to make friends and influence people".

Hi Vandenberg,
straight up: I do not have any intention to influence people.
I say what I think is right, no matterr what! if it makes friends or foes, I don't care. I'm staying my opinion as long as there's nobody convincing me that I'm wrong.
If there is somebody knowing things better, I'm willing to learn.
THX for your input

tp - 2-20-2008 at 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
Hey Charmin,
Like your way of " How to make friends and influence people".

Hi Vandenberg,
It is NOT my intention to influence people.
Straight up: I'm saying what I think is right.
As long as there is nobody convincing me that I'm wrong, it stays that way. Am I wrong, I'm willing to learn.

Osprey - 2-20-2008 at 03:46 PM

I just bought some lobsters here from a shrimper. They are in my freezer. I intend to cut the tails into smaller bite size pieces, use them with shrimp to make some mouthwatering Fra Diavalo sauce, pour them steamy but not overcooked over my linquini. It must be that all you purists who demand that they be eaten almost alive with just a dab of butter perhaps have never had the opportunity to partake of such a simple, yet satisfying gastonomical wonder.

DanO - 2-20-2008 at 03:56 PM

Simple is good, but so is complicated. Here's Thomas Keller's recipe for lobster with "macaroni and cheese."

Butter-Poached Lobster with Creamy Lobster Broth and Mascarpone-Enriched Orzo
(adapted from The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller)

To summarize what needs to be done:
1. Bake Parmesan crisps
2. Steep lobsters in hot water-vinegar solution
3. Remove partially cooked meat from lobsters
4. Use shells to make lobster bisque
5. Cook orzo (pasta) in boiling water, drain, mix with lobster bisque, and add mascarpone cheese
6. Poach lobster meat in Beurre Monté
7. Assemble and serve.

Special utensils: a silicon mat and an instant-read thermometer.

Parmesan Crisps

- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Place a 2-inch cookie-cutter or ring mold on a silicon mat/Silpat-lined pan and evenly sprinkle 2 tsps of cheese into the mold. Remove mold and repeat with remaining cheese.

Bake at 325F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Use an offset spatula to transfer crisps to paper towels, and store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Makes about 12 crisps.

Lobster Meat

- 3 live lobsters, 1.5 to 2 lbs each

This method of preparation will cook the lobster just enough to allow the meat to be removed from its shell. Once the meat has been removed, you’ll have more control over its taste and texture.

Place one lobster in a tight-fitting pot or heat-proof container. Pour water into the pot until it fully covers the lobster. Transfer water from the pot into a measuring cup to measure the amount of water used. This is the amount of water you’ll need to cook the lobster. From my experience, 4 litre/4 quarts water is usually sufficient.

In a separate large pot, boil the water needed, and add ¼ cup white vinegar for every 4 litres/4 quarts of water. Pour water-vinegar solution over the lobster until it covers the lobster completely, and let the lobster steep for 2 minutes for a 1.5 lb lobster, or 3 minutes for a 2 lb lobster.

Remove lobster and using gloves or a towel, twist the tail in one direction to remove it from the body. To remove the tail meat, hold the tail flat and twist the tail fan in one direction to remove. Using your fingers, gently push the meat from the back of the tail and out the front. Cut the tail in half lengthwise, and remove the large vein.

Place meat on a paper towel-lined plate, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. Rinse shells and reserve for lobster bisque. Repeat with the remaining lobsters.

Lobster Bisque and Orzo

- ¼ cup canola oil
- 3 lobster shells cut into quarters (about 12 oz)
- 1 ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- -½ oz tarragon
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup orzo
- 2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
- salt to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and sear lobster shells (in several batches if necessary) for 1 or 2 minutes, or until they turn red. Add tomatoes, tarragon and carrots, cover the shells and vegetables with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 1 hour. Skim off any impurities that float to the surface.

Strain stock through a large sieve or chinois, making sure to remove all the liquid. Discard the shells and vegetables. In a pot, simmer the stock until reduced to 1 cup. Add the heavy cream and simmer until it thickens to sauce consistency and is reduced to 1 - 1 ¼ cups. Strain the broth into a container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 days.

Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add orzo. Cook until just tender and drain under cold water into a strainer. Shake strainer to remove excess water and add orzo to lobster broth. In a small pot, heat orzo and broth to a simmer and whisk in mascarpone cheese. Season with salt to taste, and simmer for one minute. Reduce heat to low and keep warm, stirring occasionally.

Butter-Poached Lobster

- 1 tbsp water
- ½ to ¾ lb unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- lobster pieces

Remove lobster from refrigerator and leave for several minutes to bring to room temperature.

In a saucepan, heat water until boiling and whisk in one or two chunks of butter to form an emulsion (called Beurre Monté). Reduce heat to low and continue to whisk in butter, one chunk at a time, until the Beurre Monté is about 1-inch high.

Use an instant-read thermometer to maintain the temperature of the Beurre Monté between 160F and 190F during cooking.

Add lobster pieces to Beurre Monté (in several batches if necessary), and cook for 5 or 6 minutes. If lobster pieces are not fully covered, use a spoon to gently turn over after 3 minutes.

Assembly

- 1 tbsp finely minced chives
- Fried lobster roe (optional)

In a shallow bowl or plate, place 1/3 cup of the orzo and lobster broth (the macaroni and cheese) in the centre of the dish. Use a spoon to transfer one lobster tail onto the orzo. Balance one Parmesan crisp on the meat, and garnish with chives and lobster roe. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

tp - 2-20-2008 at 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Osprey
I just bought some lobsters here from a shrimper. They are in my freezer. I intend to cut the tails into smaller bite size pieces, use them with shrimp to make some mouthwatering Fra Diavalo sauce, pour them steamy but not overcooked over my linquini. It must be that all you purists who demand that they be eaten almost alive with just a dab of butter perhaps have never had the opportunity to partake of such a simple, yet satisfying gastonomical wonder.

Putting lobster in a freezer is like putting you into jail w/ no clou when to get out.
Why don't you eat'em fresh instead of making them old?
And making a diabolo sauce out of'em is certainly the dummiest way of preparing a lobster.
(Don;t post that, people get to know you this way)

I have a better idea for you:
Why don't you make a hotdog out of'em?
Just cut them into stripes deepfry em until red or purple and put catchup , mayo and msutard on

You'll never be a gourmet acting this way.
Listen to the pro's and cook'em fresh, Buddy.

DENNIS - 2-20-2008 at 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DanO
6. Poach lobster meat in Beurre Monté

And that would be What.

vandenberg - 2-20-2008 at 05:02 PM

Quote:

Just telling you that you come across like a confrontational, opinionated, insulting wise ass in the threads you thusfar participated in.
But, it could just be my sheltered upbringing. :saint:

tp - 2-20-2008 at 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg

Just telling you that you come across like a confrontational, opinionated, insulting wise burro in the threads you thusfar participated in.
But, it could just be my sheltered upbringing. :saint:

I'm, just not a slime ball. More like a wise Burro, you got that right.

DanO - 2-20-2008 at 05:10 PM

Beurre Monte' is french for "mounted butter" -- butter whisked with a little water over heat. What you do with it outside the kitchen is nobody else's business, but in the kitchen, it is a way to put butter into a liquid but still emulsified form, for use as a poaching or marinating liquid or a sauce base. Poaching lobster in it allows you to cook the meat at a relatively low temperature, so that the muscle doesn't seize up and get tough, and instead stays soft and gets infused with the butter flavor. Your average cardiologist might not approve, but what the hell does he know from good food?

By the way, you thread hijackers should take your beef outside to the restaurant parking lot -- this is a lobster thread.

:lol:

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by DanO]

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by DanO]

Sharksbaja - 2-20-2008 at 05:43 PM

:yes:

I like that "mounted butter" translation! :lol:

Yes butter is necessary when consuming cholesterol. :lol:

GUILTY HERE :lol:

Osprey - 2-20-2008 at 06:16 PM

Dano, I get it. It's better to shoot an antelope while it's asleep -- killed while running it is full of strong adrenaline kind of fluid (those are technical terms) that could/do make the meat tough. Who really knows what trauma their particular lobster underwent during the capture and transportation to your kitchen. Now that I think about that I'm kinda sorry I let my dogs play with some of the small ones on the kitchen floor.

Osprey - 2-20-2008 at 06:20 PM

tp, if you will stop hanging around the Lord Black, causing all kinds of problems with the police, the vigilantes and gringo do-gooders you could do some soul searching, come out of your shell, (so to speak) and stop sugercoating things.

tp - 2-20-2008 at 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DanO
Beurre Monte' is french for "mounted butter" -- butter whisked with a little water over heat. What you do with it outside the kitchen is nobody else's business, but in the kitchen, it is a way to put butter into a liquid but still emulsified form, for use as a poaching or marinating liquid or a sauce base. Poaching lobster in it allows you to cook the meat at a relatively low temperature, so that the muscle doesn't seize up and get tough, and instead stays soft and gets infused with the butter flavor. Your average cardiologist might not approve, but what the hell does he know from good food?

By the way, you thread hijackers should take your beef outside to the restaurant parking lot -- this is a lobster thread.

:lol:

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by DanO]

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by DanO]

very well explained. I couldn;t do better. Congrats.
By the way: using butter instead of oil is alwys "lower heat Cooking"
But the part w/ the muscles is 100% correct.

Forgive me, I didn't start highjacking. Just defending.

tp - 2-20-2008 at 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Osprey
tp, if you will stop hanging around the Lord Black, causing all kinds of problems with the police, the vigilantes and gringo do-gooders you could do some soul searching, come out of your shell, (so to speak) and stop sugercoating things.

I have to admit that I'm in Mulege @ this time. That's why Lord Black has no customers at all as I'm not stripping anymore.
You are telling me I'm sugarcoating while other kiddin me to cause confrontations.
I'm damn split!

tp - 2-20-2008 at 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
:yes:

I like that "mounted butter" translation! :lol:

Yes butter is necessary when consuming cholesterol. :lol:

GUILTY HERE :lol:

well, beurre montee (double 'e' please) is defenately French. But not in the meaning of "mounted butter" , Sharky.
It is not like "Mountain Oesters" for your Pinchy Gringo understanding.
This is Haute Couisine coming France.
My guess: DanO knows something more about it.
His post kicks the point.

DanO - 2-20-2008 at 06:56 PM

The correct (french) spelling is, in fact, beurre monté, as I am sure any Frenchman (or woman) would quickly inform you. Me, I just read cookbooks and food blogs and spend way too much time thinking about my next meal. Here's a little wikipedia elaboration:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beurre_monte

By the way, the words "butter" and "stripper" should not, for the sake of the children, be used in the same thread.

Osprey - 2-20-2008 at 06:58 PM

Dano, you and Tp should not be used in the same thread.

bancoduo - 2-20-2008 at 07:07 PM

Something smells here.

tp=gnuKid=UnoMas

DanO - 2-20-2008 at 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tp

Quote:

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by DanO]

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by DanO]

very well explained. I couldn;t do better. Congrats.
By the way: using butter instead of oil is alwys "lower heat Cooking"

Yep, butter must be cooked at lower temps because it has a lower smoking point, and its solids will burn at temps that oils will not. After miserably failing a cholesterol test awhile back, I pretty much stopped using butter to fry or saute (except for pancakes -- I believe there is a fundamental rule of nature against cooking pancakes with oil). Good oils like EV olive, grapeseed, almond and hazelnut oil taste good (depending on the recipe) and don't have the saturated fat that my doctor says I may as well load into a gun and shoot myself with if I'm going to eat it. (He also made me promise to knock off foie gras and what used to be my favorite meal -- a big ribeye steak topped with crab bernaise sauce. Bastard. What harm could three fourths of a pound of red meat, eggs and cream possibly do?) The oils also store and travel better. (Of course, nothing finishes a sauce or gravy like a nice knob of butter. Mmmmmm.)

DanO - 2-20-2008 at 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Osprey
Dano, you and Tp should not be used in the same thread.

Doh! Or perhaps I should not use thread as Tp (floss?).

:wow:

Seriously, thanks George, you just reminded me what I'm supposed to pick up at the store on the way home.

tp - 2-20-2008 at 07:43 PM

Quote:

Well, now I'm very disappointed b/c of what you'r saying.
It clearly shows that you know something about cooking, but U R not a chef. (I am!)

Bottom line: Butter is an animal product , oils are not.
So?? R U starting to get the point?
Canola oil or others are burning hotter b/c of that.
You call it 'smoking point'. That is somehow correct. But not correct per se in re of what causes the "smoking point".

Olive oil for cooking is .... you can use it for low heat cooking but not i.e. for steaks or red meat at all.
(need more info about oils? tell me. You'll get it)

A sauce or gravy adding butter to it is a No-No.
A natural sauce from any roast, and then putting butter in???
Come on, that's a crime.

All over the world anybody is trying to cook low fat meals and you wanna put fat into your gravy?
Don't you know better?

Osprey - 2-20-2008 at 08:06 PM

How you gonna make an etuffé without butter tp?

vandenberg - 2-20-2008 at 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bancoduo
Something smells here.

tp=gnuKid=UnoMas

Gnukid is literate. :biggrin:

tp - 2-20-2008 at 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Osprey
How you gonna make an etuffé without butter tp?

Answer: I'm not doing an etuffe. That's the worst thing to cook shrimps. Period.
Reason: garlic and onions an selerie cooked for the same time period ?????
Only beginners - like those who let the water burn in the pot - are doing something lake that, no Pro.
Etuffe - Shrimps made w/ sugar? Come on. Your taste must be on vacation.
Shrimps - Etuffe made w/ water??? instaead of wine??
You wanna kidden me, right?
Try again.

tp - 2-20-2008 at 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bancoduo
Something smells here.

tp=gnuKid=UnoMas

If it smells where you are, maybe you *****?

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by Hose A]

DENNIS - 2-20-2008 at 09:00 PM

I think TP should leave the building and re-enter with a bit of humility and be thankful that there are a lot of people here who would benefit from his/her knowledge. But, TP, chef or not, nobody want's to eat a plate of crap dished up by a nasty, know-it-all fry cook.
Try again. Your first time may be your last.

tp - 2-20-2008 at 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
I think TP should leave the building and re-enter with a bit of humility and be thankful that there are a lot of people here who would benefit from his/her knowledge. But, TP, chef or not, nobody want's to eat a plate of crap dished up by a nasty, know-it-all fry cook.
Try again. Your first time may be your last.

Confusing your post, very confusing.
Starting w/ the last:

Quote:

Try again; Your fisrt time may be the last [end quote]
well if I can try again it is not my first one.
Q.: can you count?

Next Q.: Why should I be thankful that there are people here who will benefit from my knowledge.
My guess: Those poeple should be thankfull if they learn something. (Like avoiding to make an Etuffee)

By the way: im a 'his', no a 'her'

And why R U comparing yourself with me? R U a fry cook?
Well then I will forgive you for your post.
If U R a chef, try me.
Kind regards
tp

DENNIS - 2-20-2008 at 09:34 PM

TP....
Scum like you and the cartels give Baja a bad name. Will you tell us where you work, if in fact you do? The public should be aware of roaches in the kitchen.

tp - 2-20-2008 at 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
TP....
Scum like you and the cartels give Baja a bad name. Will you tell us where you work, if in fact you do? The public should be aware of roaches in the kitchen.

Those who come to Baja once in a while and think they own a part of it are givin' Baja the poop.
Suggestion: If you got roaches in your kitchen, don't let the public know.

DENNIS - 2-20-2008 at 10:00 PM

OK...You win. You're too good at this. Good night.

tp - 2-20-2008 at 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS
OK...You win. You're too good at this. Good night.

Don't wanna win. This thread is about cooking lobster tails.
I was just defending your hijacking me out of the thread.

Sharksbaja - 2-20-2008 at 10:07 PM

I agree with Dennis. Keep yer nasty baited comments behind the swinging door. If you really are in the hospitality biz, do you talk with such pompus circumstance there as you do here. As far as your culinary skills go. Who cares really. I will agree on two things you said tho. Wine and butter, but what do I know about preparing seafood.

howat - 2-21-2008 at 12:06 PM

I like to just boil the tails in Old Bay Seasoning and serve with hot butter and other condiments. The leftover tails I make a Lobster Pasta Salad the next day and share with the non-hoopnetters. See my link in Bloodydecks.

http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/food-beverage/95390-lobste...

DanO - 2-21-2008 at 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tp

Quote:

Ah, an expert. Well, I'm just a dabbler, chef Tp, but I'm guessing millions of Italians will be surprised to find out you can't cook red meat with olive oil, and that they'll have to find something else to brown their manzo for a stew or braise.

Butter is indeed an animal product, and oils indeed are not. So what? All are fats, and all have different and measurable smoke points and combustion points. In fact, removing the solids from butter results in clarified butter (or ghee), which has a much higher smoke point than most common cooking oils, including canola oil(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point), and is used primarily, and to the exclusion of cooking oils, in certain cuisines, like Indian food. (BTW, maybe it's just me, but I hate the taste of canola oil; I prefer olive and almond.) Fats come in varying combinations of saturated and unsaturated (with hydrogen atoms, as you surely know, being an expert), and unsaturated fats come in varying combinations of poly-unsaturated or mono-unsaturated. Experts (such as yourself) differ on whether heating poly-unsaturated fats causes an undesirable chemical reaction, but most agree that cooking with mono-unsaturated fats (olive oil, for example) is a good idea. They also agree that saturated fats (which experts like you know are generally a solid at room temperature, like butter and lard) should be minimized because they can contribute to disproportionate levels of bad (LDL) and good (HDL) cholesterol, which can in turn lead to all sorts of health problems. Let me know what else I need to know about oil, as I am always willing to learn from the experts.

OK, back to butter. Adding it to finish a sauce is a no-no? Well, I'm just a rank amateur, but surely you as an expert chef are familiar with the term "mounter au beurre"? It is a French culinary term meaning to finish a sauce with butter, specifically by whisking a small amount (a little dab ain't gonna kill you) of cold, unsalted butter into a hot sauce at the last moment, to emulsify and thicken it slightly and give it a gloss. Last time I checked, the French knew their way around a kitchen pretty well --hey, if you're a trained chef, you may even have trained in French technique, no? Maybe you just forgot. I'm glad to be able to help.

So, where is your restaurant? I'm sure there's a Nomad nearby who'd be happy to do a review.

Osprey - 2-21-2008 at 12:23 PM

Dano, can't decide wether you just sauteed tp or frapeed or just glazed and grilled. He might be back but you stuck a fork in him, he's done.

DENNIS - 2-21-2008 at 12:39 PM

Descansa En [La] Paz......

vandenberg - 2-21-2008 at 12:45 PM

Knew we would soften him up.
That's why I doped him Charmin ahead of time. :biggrin:

tp - 2-21-2008 at 01:32 PM

Quote:

Well, that you are only an amatheur, it is clear to me reading your post. You got your knowledge out of Wikipedia, right?

Italians like all otehr folks in this world know that cooking a steak is something diefferent from prepearing a stwe. (You din't know that and that's why you are mixing up the pouints.
Of course all over the world good cooks are using olive oil for low heat and moderate cooking > Important::: low heat cooking.
But if it comes to high temperatures (steaks) olive oil is a no-no.
Glad to help you on this issue > now you know and can use your new knowledge to post something in Wikipedia.

Butter is an animal product and oils are not ! WOW. I'm happy for you that you at least agree in that.
"All are fats" Wow again! What a statement of yours.
But damn wrong if it comes to using those different fats.
Everything else you are pointing out is basic knowledge for every cook who claims to be a cook. I'm not talking about chefs here.
(you got it from Wikipedia, right?)

And that we got somethinmg straight: My chefschool was based in Montpellier.
Does that tell you something?

What's printed in books (or Wikipedia) must not be the last knowledge of cooking, consider that and get the last updates. Wikipedia is not a cientific thing. Just made by readers like you and their flat knowledge.
Of course a little bit of butter in a gravy does not hurt. But good cooks avoid that and use fresh cream / saur cream or similar, insted. Low fat, selfunderstanding.

If you follow the threads carefully, I pointed out that I am developuing land in Mulege @ this time.
Which does not mean that I am not a chef anymore.

tp - 2-21-2008 at 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Osprey
Dano, can't decide wether you just sauteed tp or frapeed or just glazed and grilled. He might be back but you stuck a fork in him, he's done.

BS ! Slimeball statemants. A fork in me does not hurt at all. I know my field. You don't.

tp - 2-21-2008 at 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
Knew we would soften him up.
That's why I doped him Charmin ahead of time. :biggrin:

How did you soften me up?
Again, I know my field (although I'm not working as a chef @ this time) and you guys wanna tell me about french cooking - the best cuisine in the world??
The Americans learned cooking from the French and others. But mostly stuck all 10 fingers in the meal.
Those who getting their knowledge out of Wikipedia want to tell me about cooking?
I l m A o.

Tomas Tierra - 2-21-2008 at 02:33 PM

There are a zillion ways to cook a good lobster meal..

My fav.s include..
Chile relleno's,
ceviche,
steamed over old bay/vinegar/dark beer/water.dipped in bubba
"nuggeted" and cooked in olive oil and garlic
par boiled then bbq'ed for tacos

How many times can you eat it with butter before you try something else

One thing for sure, it MUST be eaten live or within a couple of hours of death (tail should be removed immedieately if the animal dies) or it is compromised greatly.. freezing should be avoided at all costs!
Better to cook it fresh and preserve it cooked for later use.

TP is giving good advice, a bit brash maybe, but solid..I like Him, a feather ruffler, panty wadder, mud stirrer whatever..makes ya think..

You can be the best cook in the world, but your meal will only be as good as your starting product

Osprey - 2-21-2008 at 02:46 PM

tp, you are self distructive. What good is your knowledge if you don't know how to impart it to others? They won't listen to anyone so imperious and argumentive. They won't bother slashing a way through your non words to learn your non-sense. Why not start over. Get a grip, get a spell checker and come on back with a better plan, a better attitude and you'll find lots of friendly folks here that would love to know more about cooking from anyone with years of experience. We have all learned a ton from Sharks and others on the board who are in the food preparation business -- we are (pun intended) hungry for good solid information from somebody who cares what we think.

vandenberg - 2-21-2008 at 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Osprey
tp, you are self distructive. What good is your knowledge if you don't know how to impart it to others? They won't listen to anyone so imperious and argumentive. They won't bother slashing a way through your non words to learn your non-sense. Why not start over. Get a grip, get a spell checker and come on back with a better plan, a better attitude and you'll find lots of friendly folks here that would love to know more about cooking from anyone with years of experience. We have all learned a ton from Sharks and others on the board who are in the food preparation business -- we are (pun intended) hungry for good solid information from somebody who cares what we think.

Ahhh....Jorge,
There's the nice guy coming out in you. Always knew you had it in you.
Instead of throwing this jerk a lifeline, I'm more inclined to throw him my power sucking cloth dryer.

But that's just me Mr. Passion personified. :saint:

DENNIS - 2-21-2008 at 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
I'm more inclined to throw him my power sucking cloth dryer.

Great idea, Ed. I mentioned before you should turn that thing into a boat anchor. Now's your best chance.

DanO - 2-21-2008 at 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tp
Ah, an expert. Well, I'm just a dabbler, chef Tp, but I'm guessing millions of Italians will be surprised to find out you can't cook red meat with olive oil, and that they'll have to find something else to brown their manzo for a stew or braise.

Butter is indeed an animal product, and oils indeed are not. So what? All are fats, and all have different and measurable smoke points and combustion points. In fact, removing the solids from butter results in clarified butter (or ghee), which has a much higher smoke point than most common cooking oils, including canola oil(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point), and is used primarily, and to the exclusion of cooking oils, in certain cuisines, like Indian food. (BTW, maybe it's just me, but I hate the taste of canola oil; I prefer olive and almond.) Fats come in varying combinations of saturated and unsaturated (with hydrogen atoms, as you surely know, being an expert), and unsaturated fats come in varying combinations of poly-unsaturated or mono-unsaturated. Experts (such as yourself) differ on whether heating poly-unsaturated fats causes an undesirable chemical reaction, but most agree that cooking with mono-unsaturated fats (olive oil, for example) is a good idea. They also agree that saturated fats (which experts like you know are generally a solid at room temperature, like butter and lard) should be minimized because they can contribute to disproportionate levels of bad (LDL) and good (HDL) cholesterol, which can in turn lead to all sorts of health problems. Let me know what else I need to know about oil, as I am always willing to learn from the experts.

OK, back to butter. Adding it to finish a sauce is a no-no? Well, I'm just a rank amateur, but surely you as an expert chef are familiar with the term "mounter au beurre"? It is a French culinary term meaning to finish a sauce with butter, specifically by whisking a small amount (a little dab ain't gonna kill you) of cold, unsalted butter into a hot sauce at the last moment, to emulsify and thicken it slightly and give it a gloss. Last time I checked, the French knew their way around a kitchen pretty well --hey, if you're a trained chef, you may even have trained in French technique, no? Maybe you just forgot. I'm glad to be able to help.

So, where is your restaurant? I'm sure there's a Nomad nearby who'd be happy to do a review.

Let's recap -- you have failed to refute a single factual point I have made. Whether or not Wikipedia is an authoritative source in general (it often isn't), the smoke point information I cited from it is irrefutable. Thanks for conceding my amateurish assertions.

The only argument you continue to pursue is a straw man -- the assertion that you should never cook a steak with olive oil. I never said you should (searing or grilling a steak, as even a turnipseed like me knows, renders plenty of the steak's own fat). What I took issue with was your statement, as a trained cook (New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier VT, perhaps, alma mater of the Food Network's Alton Brown -- am I close?) that red meat is never cooked with olive oil: "Olive oil for cooking is .... you can use it for low heat cooking but not i.e. for . . . red meat at all." That, of course, is wrong. I also never said that olive oil should be used for high heat cooking. In fact, if you look at the smoke point chart I cited, you'll note that olive oil has a fairly low smoke point, which would be inconsistent with any (nonexistent) claim that olive oil is good for high heat cooking. Claro? Unfortunately for me, to get here I have to resort to reference materials and my own trial and error personal experience instead of whipping up snappy rejoinders based on years of rigorous culinary school training. But hey, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in awhile.

Finally, I feel compelled to respond to your assertion that "good cooks" finish sauces with cream or sour cream, not butter. Huh? Well, OK, I'll grant you that cream typically has about half the fat of butter (40% vs. 80%). But (as you know, being a trained expert) adding cream to a sauce does something entirely different to it than mounting it with butter -- it makes the sauce, uh, creamy. That isn't the point of mounting a sauce with a small amount of butter. But I guess the "good cooks" at the Culinary Institute of America (experts like you know all about it) show what hacks they really are by finishing their recipe for Chicken Provencal with butter instead of cream. http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2008/02/13/features...

Sorry, there I go again using the Internets tubes to find stuff to support my position.

:spingrin:

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by DanO]

Maybe there is hope.....

Sharksbaja - 2-21-2008 at 07:50 PM

Ya know tp your arrogance really does distract folks from appreciating your knowledge of something. I do not follow the "culinary institoot" genre. I like to serve a premier seafood bounty that is attractive and delicious. What is wrong with that equation. I don't have to go overboard convincing people how good I am. Sample it yourself expert.
Believe me. strutting your stuff here will be tough. :lol:

Think how subjective food is.
Personally, I admire the French and their admiration for exotic different foods. I utilize various aspects and techniques, but I loathe the weenie drizzly eclectic presentations those French plates are so famous for.
Check us out, we're NOT shy or weenie! :lol:

I hope your meds kick in and you adjust tp! :smug:

Bob H - 2-21-2008 at 08:04 PM

Re: tp ...
I say to all... just IGNORE posts from this one - it will go away eventually.

tp - 2-21-2008 at 08:26 PM

Quote:

[Edited on 2-21-2008 by DanO]

.... and I will fail in the future to respond to your hypothetically/theoretically knowledge.
Even more as you are making statements.... well..... like (quote) oils and butter, both are fats(end quote)
Just reading that of course is correct. But we are talking cooking my friend. C O O K I N G. And therefore your statement was as dumn as....

Cooking a steak in Olive oil??? well do it. I'm not your teacher. You know everything from Wikipedia. That's good solid knowledge!!! Stay with it.

And more, you are picking recepies out of Wikipedia
which do not fit this thread at all.
Of corse you can add to Chicken Provencal a splash of butter.
I was talking >> like you, GRAVIES or call it Sauce.
What the heck, I'm tired to responde to folks who just don't understand.
BTW, Monpellier France, Buddy. You were NOT close. In nothing you know so well theoretically either.

docsmom - 2-21-2008 at 08:45 PM

I'm so disappointed that TP has wiped his ***all over this board. In this thread and so many others.
I have only one thing to say to you TP. Go away!
You obviously hate the world, and that means you hate yourself. And with my limited exposure to you I think you should hate yourself. You're very hatelful.
Via con diablo!

elgatoloco - 2-21-2008 at 10:27 PM

I still think live raw lobster tail is the best, no need to muck it with butter and seasoning, just a dab of wasabi and soy. Yummy.

FRESH! ...as in 'alive and clawing'

Pompano - 2-22-2008 at 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by elgatoloco
I still think live raw lobster tail is the best, no need to muck it with butter and seasoning, just a dab of wasabi and soy. Yummy.

Ya, sure, ya betcha! Couldn't agree more, elgatoloco. Of course, I have Norwegian ancestors and will eat most anything...except lutefisk or reindeer stomach...oof-da.

In Japan a few years ago, we ate at a great sushimi place where the lobsters were brought alive to our enclosed paper cubicle and set down on a beautiful low table. These are very lively lobsters and a perfect size. The tail meat was removed, sliced and iced immediately to cool down for sushimi. Meanwhile, the business ends had been trying to crawl off the table, but eventually croaked...much to my wife's relief.

Then...while we were devouring the last tasty morsels of the lobster sushimi, the heads and bodies had been stuffed, breaded, and deep-fried. Whatever the stuffing was, I never found out, but..oh..those heads were delicious! Our hosts called that part...fried armor. Kabuto.

We need a cafe in Baja that serves this!..but some of us may have to pass on the low tables...
-

capt. mike - 2-22-2008 at 07:35 AM

Pomp = that sounds really tasty, were they clawed lobsters or spiney type?? wonder what kind they have on the western pac rim...??

i'd like to try the cooking the heads part sometime. why not - just like a large monster craw dad from nawlins - suck the heads right?

tell you what - lets make a day run in my bird to Asuncion and or tortuga bahia when i get there 1st of march and buy us a mess of bugs then do some cooking at your place.

and Charmin - you ain't invited dude. :lol:

The plane...the plane!!

Pompano - 2-22-2008 at 08:26 AM

Mike..you got a date. I haven't been airsick in way too long, so bring the bird and we'll do it. Be fun to see that coast again.

The lobster we had back then were the typical Pacific spiny I am sure, but Japan does import a lot of the Atlantic big claw lobster also. Our nephew over there tells us that they now have a live lobster vending machine. It looks like our old crank carnival machines, remember those?...100 yen a try, less than a buck for a chance at a lobster meal...what a world.

Give a shout when you hit the Bay again...or just buzz the rooftop like Dusty. The neighbors are used to it.

-

- alivelobstervendor.jpg - 35kB

Kell-Baja - 2-22-2008 at 05:04 PM

I don't care how any of you cook em because right now all the ways to cook em seems yummy.. You guys made me hungry.

Tomas Tierra - 2-22-2008 at 05:12 PM

Just to stay on topic.

Steamed, with a hickory smoked(3 hours) Rib Eye on the side.....That's always tasty!

New Years '08.....15 adults got a plate like that..Tis how we do it in the 'Nard!

738903057111_0_BG.jpg - 33kB

capt. mike - 2-22-2008 at 06:59 PM

tomas!! those are the finest dinner platos i have ever seen!!

Pompano - i'll be there by the 4th, maybe the 3rd for a b day for MP, aka MM.

we'll have a day of it.
i have 3 weeks planned