Cleaning Florida Spiny Lobsters can be simple and easy with a little practice.
Most people choose to clean their lobsters right after returning from the catch
However, if you want to delay cleaning, be sure to keep the lobsters cold by covering
them with ice or putting them in the freezer. This will keep the lobsters fresh and
also put them into a sleeping state for easier handling later.
Florida Spiny Lobsters do not have claws and therefore the majority of their meat is in their smooth tails.
Steps to removing the tail and cleaning the lobster
Hold the tail in one hand and the body in the other. With a small twist and pull the
tail will easily separate from the body. Get rid of any slick membrane or liquid that
may be seen.
Break of one of the antennae to use in removing the "waste track". Using the wide end
of the antennae, stick it in through the anal cavity at the bottom of the tail. Since
the antennae have smallone directional spikes, when you removed the antennae, the waste
track will be pulled out clean. Removing the waste track on a lobster is similar to
de-veining a shrimp.
Rinse the tail thoroughly.
The tail is clean and ready for storage or cooking.
For Storage:
A lobster tail will stay fresh in a cold refridgerator for about 72 hours. It begins to
lose freshness after that.
If you want to keep the tails longer, wrap them tightly and immediately freeze. The
less air and the quicker the lobster tails are frozen, the fresher they will be when
you are ready to cook them.
For cooking:
There are many different recipes for cooking lobster from steaming and broiling for
lobster stews and lobster lasagne. The simplist method of cooking is to steam or
boil the tail until the meat is light pink and the shell is deep red. The estimated
cooking time is 1 minute per ounze if boiling and 5-7 minutes if steaming.
Other methods of cooking lobster tails including broiling, barbequing, and baking.
The lobster tails can be cooked using these methods by easily splitting the tail in
half lengthwise and basting the lobster meat with butter and herbs. Cooking times
will vary with the cooking method.
How to Cook a Florida Lobster
Now that you caught and cleaned your lobster, it is time for the next step....COOKING...
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