About the Oosterschelde lobster #3

The Oosterschelde lobster season runs this year from 30 March through 15 July. After that, Zeeland lobster will still be available while stocks caught during that period last. So it is a seasonal product. Which means: enjoy it now.

In a three-part series, we tell you everything about buying, preparing and eating it. With thanks to lobster whisperer Jakob Doorn, who has been buying and selling for fish wholesaler Jan van As for thirty years. His portfolio includes the higher-end restaurant segment (think: Waldorf Astoria, De Librije) and the Japanese market. Jakob is also the author of Vis & Seizoen.

Part 3. Buying & cooking tips & tricks

How long do you boil the lobster?
That depends on its size. Above 1.5 kilos, the tail is very thick, so it needs to cook a little longer than average to become tender. But then the meat in the claws becomes too tough. So preferably buy a smaller one. Around 500 grams is ideal.

Leave the lobster in the boiling water for 3 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it cool in its own liquid for another 2 minutes.

Or: remove the lobster from the cooking water after 3 minutes, place it on a dish and cover with foil. This way, it rests in its own body heat. This is the best method if you are not going to eat it immediately. Which, of course, would be better to do.

Spoon
When you put the lobster into the boiling water, it usually curls up. That is why Asians first tie lobsters straight onto a spoon with butcher’s twine. This keeps the lobster straight and makes it easy to process.

Grilling/roasting
If you grill the lobster, its weight does not matter. Grease the baking tray with oil. Place the two lobster halves on it. When the lobster starts to turn orange, it is cooked. This takes about 2–3 minutes.

Eating
You will need:
Lobster pick to pick meat even from the thinnest legs
Lobster scissors or knife
Small wooden rolling pin
Also: The brilliant video in which Gordon Ramsay explains exactly how to get everything out of a lobster.

The head
Gordon leaves no part of the lobster unused. Except for one thing: the head. But the green, creamy substance in the head is a delicacy for die hards. Jakob Doorn advises cutting the head in half with lobster scissors or a knife, so you can easily spoon out the “ointment”.

Bargain
Oosterschelde lobster is most expensive at the beginning of the season, and still not cheap at the end. If you do not want to serve it whole but, for example, in a salad, buy a so-called “one-clawed” specimen at the market. This is a lobster whose one claw has broken off along the way. That is why it is cheaper. But it is perfectly suitable for incorporating into a salad.

Read more about buying and preparing Oosterschelde lobster in parts 1 and 2.
After that, you are ready to get started with these recipes yourself.