Why You Can't Name a Lobster

Here in the British Virgin Islands we have plenty of opportunities to eat fresh lobster.  The island of Anegada is known for its spiny Caribbean lobsters as much as it is for their beautiful beaches. That means that every trip to Anegada includes dining on the freshest lobster in the islands.  They serve up the whole thing ~ split in half and grilled, with not nearly enough melted butter.

Grilled Anegada Lobster

Confession to make:  I have NEVER cooked a whole lobster and I have no intentions of doing so.  Why, you ask?  Because if I ever bought one I wouldn't be able to stick a knife in it's head nor drop it into a pot of boiling water. Mess with my dog and I will cut you, but I can't personally kill my dinner. I'm civilized that way.
     If I ever did buy live lobsters I wouldn't be able to kill them so then I'd have to keep them in my bathtub and then I'd probably want to name them and I don't think lobsters make very good pets. Plus, there is that rule, you know the one:  you can't eat something if you name it, so for me the whole idea of buying a live lobster is as about as appealing as chewing on tinfoil.

My lobster tails ~ Somebody else did the dirty work

For that reason I don't get up close and personal with my lobsters.  I stick to buying just the tails, that's where all the goodness is anyway.
     The recipe that I'm sharing here is for a lobster salad appetizer, served with grilled sourdough. You can definitely turn this into a sandwich by adding a slice or two of tomato and maybe some avocado. Leave the bacon in strips and then put it on a good brioche and you have yourself a BLT.  (Bacon, lobster and tomato roll.)

Steamed lobster, rather than grilled (or broiled) makes for a better lobster salad so do it up that way. If you are just going to eat the tails with tons of butter and lemon, steam them until they are almost done and then pop em under the broiler for the last few minutes to finish cooking. They won't dry out as much.  Whatever you do, just DON'T name them ~ it ruins the taste.

The lobsters in this dish shall remain nameless and were not personally killed by me.  I swear they were completely dead when I sent them to the hot tub.  Click on the "Seafood" tab at the top of this page to view the recipe.