Lobster Sushi Roll
Lobster is one seafood I prefer cooked. I’ve tried it raw as sashimi several times and just never enjoyed it because the meat was too mushy and had no texture. Cooking it, on the other hand, is the way to go for making lobster sushi. The sweetness of the cooked meat has more depth in flavor and will balance better with other ingredients in a sushi roll.
How to Buy Good Lobsters
Most of us in the states have access to Maine lobster year round. Unlike Florida Spiny lobsters, which are sold frozen with just the tail, Maine lobsters are most often sold live in tanks. Personally, I like to cook my own lobster instead of buying precooked frozen ones. In my opinion, Maine lobsters taste far more superior than Florida Spiny Lobster, because of its sweeter meat, not to mention they also have claw meat.
Many times, buying lobsters is like the lottery. You never know if the fish monger will choose a good or bad one. Why? Because some lobsters are “heavy” and some are “skinny”. “Skinny” Lobsters are the ones that just molted will be slightly soft and will consist of much less meat compared to a “heavy” lobster that has molted its shell for awhile and is wearing an older suit. These lobsters tend to be fuller with meat.
Skinny lobsters are filled with brine throughout the body and will be extremely watery when you crack into them. Ever crack a big lobster claw and only see a small piece of meat? That’s it. The worst part is that you paid for all that water.
Sweet Shrimps are served in many sushi bars. These are bright red shrimps from the Pacific and are excellent raw. Any many chefs will deep fry the head and serve it separately. It’s delicious. Think of it as shrimp chips. The same can be done to all varieties of shrimps.
One method that I’ve learned to help me pick a heavy lobster is to make sure the lobster is able to lift up its claws. If the lobster has enough meat in its knuckles and joints, it will be able to support its claws upright like in the photo below. Also, the tail will be slightly curved up, indicating it’s full of meat.
In the video above, you’ll notice I was able to crack one of the claws with my hands. This is not a good sign as it meant the lobster was in the softer stage of its life. And because of that, you’ll see that the meat to shell ratio is disproportion. Unfortunately, I was buying several lobsters that day and did not have the option of selecting which ones I wanted.
Another important element I noticed over the years was that heavy lobsters tend to be more active in the tank and will often move around much more. This makes sense, as they have more calories to burn compared to a skinny specimen that has to concern energy. This is purely just from my observation, don’t know if it’s true. But I’ve had luck by using this as one of my filters when selecting.
How to Cook Lobster
I always try to cook lobsters with as little water as I can in the pot (the idea is to steam it). Steaming is a great technique in preserving and locking in the flavor as opposed to diluting it with water when its being boiled. Below is a general guideline for how long to cook lobsters. Make sure your water is boiling before you start the timing.
Cooking Time for Lobsters:
1-1/4 LB: 8 minutes
1-1/2 LB: 10 minutes
2 LB: 12 minutes
2.5 -3 LB: 14 minutes
3.5 – 4 LB: 16 minutes
The timing is for each lobster according to its weight, NOT the combined weight of all lobsters in a pot. (I.e. if you’re cooking 2 lobsters and each one weighs 2 lbs, then the total cooking time is 12 minutes). Bring an inch of water in a pot to boil then start the time after the lobster is placed in and covered. Keeping the lid closed the whole time is key to maintaining temperature. After several minutes later, reducing the heat to medium or lower, as long as the water is simmering.
Watch the Video!
Lobster Sushi Handroll
In all honesty, lobster roll is not my favorite way of enjoying lobster sushi. My favorite is to cut the meat into bite size pieces and making it into a handroll (Temaki). It’s not as fancy looking, but you can taste the lobster more in a handroll. Trust me on this. Watch the video below and try it out yourself.