| http://tomsaaristo.com |
| Copyright Thomas Saaristo All Rights Reserved |
| On killing a lobster |
| The thought of killing a lobster can cause an uneasiness in the minds and stomachs of many people. The reason to cook the lobster alive is to avoid food poisoning. All shellfish
have a tendency to spoil quickly unless immediately frozen while freshly dead. If you do decide to use a dead lobster, do not eat it if it smells like ammonia.
Here are some thoughts on killing a lobster that might ease your mind: > The lobster is a relative of the exo-skeletal fly. How many flies have you swatted? > The lobster's pea-sized brain is not capable of experiencing the degree of pain that mammals do. > Have you ever watched a lion eat a zebra alive on TV, while the narrator vows never to interfere? Killing a lobster is nothing compared to that carnage! > The lobster is already at market. If you don't kill it, someone else will. At least you know how to do it the right way. > Chill the lobster first. This will anesthetize it to some degree. Turn it on its back, holding it down with an oven mitt on your hand, and with the other hand plunge a knife between its eyes and deep into its head. Although the lobster dies immediately, its nervous system may continue to flex the claws for a few more seconds. A less traumatic method – for you, not the lobster – is to drop it into salted, boiling water for 2 minutes. If you don’t feel prepared to deal with a live lobster yourself, you can have the fishmonger kill it, but get it back to your kitchen and cook the dead lobster as soon as possible |
 |