Cooking Creel Caught Shellfish
Lobster
If you have bought a live lobster, you should kill it just before cooking it.
The most humane way to do this is to put it in the freezer for two hours, or put
in a container and cover it with crushed ice for the same amount of time - this
will render it unconscious. Then, having made sure that the lobster is no longer
moving, push the tip of a large, sharp, heavy knife or a skewer through the
centre of the cross on its head, and it's believed that this will kill it
instantly.
Alternatively, put the chilled lobster in a large pan of cold, salted water and
slowly bring it to the boil. It will die before the water boils. When the water
has reached boiling point, lower the heat and simmer the lobster for around 15
minutes for the first 450g. Simmer for a further 10 minutes for each extra 450g,
up to a maximum of 40 minutes. When the lobster is cooked, its shell will turn a
deep brick red. Drain off the water and leave to cool.
To serve cooked lobster, first twist off the claws, then break into sections,
crack the claw shell with a hammer or a pair of lobster crackers, then remove
the flesh. Twist off the legs from the body, flatten with the back of a knife
and then use a pick or a teaspoon handle to remove the flesh.
Next, split the lobster in half along its length by inserting a large, sharp
knife at right angles to the edge of the head and press down firmly. The body
and tail should split lengthways. Then cut through the head in the same way. You
should now be able to separate the two halves. Remove and throw away the pale
stomach sac, the gills and the dark intestinal thread that runs the length of
the tail. The green liver (known as tomalley) is considered a delicacy. Remove
the meat from the tail, and scrape out the soft flesh from the shell.
If any coral-coloured roe is present, it can be mixed with butter and the ground
shells to make lobster butter, useful as a spread or to add to sauces. The
shells can also be used to make stock.
Brown Crab
Crabs can react violently to being placed directly into boiling water by
shooting their claws. As a result it is considered most humane to place them in
a freezer before cooking for at least 2 hours so they become comatose and die.
However, the method is only humane if done quickly in a large freezer at a
temperature of -18 C.
The most common method used in restaurants is the mechanical destruction method,
and this involves using a knife to pierce underneath the crab's abdominal flap.
This should only be practiced by trained professionals; the procedure should not
take more than 10 seconds and must be carried out once the crab has been
desensitised by chilling.
Remove the crab from the freezer and plunge into a pan of salted boiling water,
bring it back to the boil and cook it for 30 minutes per kilo, cool rapidly,
then dress.
It is vital you remove the grey gills from the body, called 'dead man's fingers'
as these are very tough and indigestible.
Velvet Crab
Using a large saucepan, half fill with water and add salt, and bring to the
boil.Drop the Crab in and bring back to the boil.
When the water comes back to the boil start timing. 20 mins for crabs up to
2lb and add 5 mins per pound over that.
When the time is up, carefully pour the whole lot into your sink and wash off
the crab with fresh water to remove any surplus protein.
Prawn
Cooked in the same way as lobster. Because of their smaller size, they need less
cooking. Usually only the tail is sold.In their shells 900g (2lb) should be
enough for four people - out of their shells, half this will be enough.
Available frozen all year. If raw then boil in well-salted water for a maximum
of ten minutes. Then eat with melted butter. However, fresh langoustines may be
pre-boiled. Reheat gently, don't re-cook or they'll toughen. Also, overcooking
ruins their texture and flavour. Alternatively eat them cold in a salad with
mayonnaise or vinegar dressing. They're good grilled with oil and garlic, and
deep fried in batter.
|
