About Lobsters

Pilgrims found lobsters were so plentiful during low tides, they easily harvested them by hand and ground them into fertilizer for corn fields. But, with lobster's ever-increasing popularity, those days have vanished.

Lobsters catch mostly live food and are active nocturnal hunters, using their amazingly acute sense of smell to locate their favorite foods. Skate and herring are lobster favorites, and are often used as bait in lobster-pots.
It takes about 7 years for a lobster to grow to 1 pound ( the approximate legal size ).

The most popular variety in the United States is the Maine Lobster, also called American Lobster . It has 5 pairs of legs, the first of which is in the form of large, heavy claws ( which contain a good amount of meat ).
Maine Lobsters are found off the Atlantic coast of the northern United States and Canada. They have a closely related European cousin that lives in Mediterranean and South African waters and along Europe's Atlantic coast.

Spiny Lobsters ( commonly called rock lobsters ) are found in waters off Florida, Southern California, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. They're easily distinguished from the Maine lobster by the fact that all 10 of their legs are about the same size. Almost all of the meat is in the tail because the spiny lobster has no claws. That meat is firmer, stringier and not quite as sweet as that of the Maine lobster. Outside California and Florida, most of the spiny lobster meat sold in this country is in the form of frozen tails, usually labeled "rock lobster tails."

Live lobsters have a mottled shell splotched with various colors, generally greenish blue and reddish brown. The shell turns vivid red only after the lobster is cooked.
Fresh lobsters are available year-round and are most economical during spring and summer.

Lobsters come in several sizes, categorized as follows:
Jumbo, over 2 1/2 pounds;
Large (or Select ), from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds;
Quarters, from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds;
Eighths, from 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 pounds; and
Chicken Lobsters, which average about 1.15 pound.

We keep our freshly caught lobsters in special refrigerated tanks ( this allows the lobsters to remain in their natural cool habitat ). Every lobster you order from Lobsters4U.com is shipped "ice cold" in styrofoam shipping boxes with ice cold gel packs. If you decide not to cook your lobsters upon arrival, they will be fine stored in your refrigerator overnight...
( BE SURE TO KEEP THEM COLD AND DO NOT EXPOSE LOBSTERS TO FRESH WATER! )
Lobsters drink any freshwater they find which upsets their natural saline system and kills them.

Lobsters may be cleaned before or after cooking, depending on the cooking method and the way in which they are to be used. Though whole lobsters are best simply boiled or broiled, lobster meat may be prepared in a variety of ways. Consult a general cookbook or look thru our recipes at Lobsters4U.com for cleaning and cooking instructions.

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