About Your Lobsters

Cap Morrill’s wants you to know…

As your order is received, the lobsters are packed in special air freight containers, and shipped direct to your door the very next day.

From the cold pristine waters off Maine’s rocky coast comes a taste sensation like no other. Our lobsters can reach even the most distance parts of the United States within 24 hours of harvest. The only way you could enjoy fresher lobster would be to catch them yourself. Cap Morrill’s Seafood wants to insure that your lobster celebration is a complete success.

Now what do I do?

Live lobsters are very perishable, and require a controlled salt water environment to remain alive. All seafood is guaranteed fresh, inspected and packed for overnight shipping in a specially insulated container. This container contains a frozen reusable ice pack(s), to maintain proper temperature as well as packing material saturated with salt water to keep the lobster’s gills moist.

The cool temperature within the container is meant to slow down the lobster’s metabolism. Lobsters do not necessarily like the shipping process. They sometimes arrive in a state of shock which can cause the lobsters to appear sluggish or limp. THIS IS NORMAL. Lobsters should continue to be kept cool upon arrival. Refrigerate immediately!!! Just place in the bottom draw of your refrigerator.

Handling Live Lobsters

First, do not take the lobsters out of the carton to play with them. You may open the carton to inspect them, but Cap Morrill’s recommends you do not remove them from the carton, if you have room to refrigerator. If you do not have room then take the lobsters & place them in the bottom draw of your refrigerator. The lobsters must be kept cool. If their body temperature rises significantly, the lobsters will perish. If upon inspection one of the lobsters seems limp or sluggish, in general the lobster is still healthy and it is all right to prepare. When a healthy lobster is cooked the tail will curl under the body. If the tail curls on the cooked lobster, the lobster is good to eat.

If for some reason you find that you can not prepare the lobsters for several days, you may partially cook them and then keep them in the refrigerator. Simply place the lobsters in boiling water for six minutes, and then remove them. Refrigerate the lobsters right away. Finish cooking at a later date.

How can I tell if my lobsters arrived alive?

If you ordered live lobsters, they will have been out of water for almost 24 hours when you receive them. Occasionally, one may appear weak or lifeless. This is a normal occurrence. In most cases, as long as the packaging material is in good condition, and the refrigerant is still cold, your lobsters will be fine. The best way to check is to boil the lobster. As long as the lobster's tail curls when cooked, and the meat in the tail is firm, and in one piece, then the lobster was alive when it was cooked. In the unlikely event that your packaging arrives damaged, please note it with the delivery driver and contact us immediately so we can arrange for credit or replacement. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed at Cap Morrill’s Seafood.

What is the difference between Hard-shell and Soft-shell lobsters

Lobsters grow by molting, or shedding their shells each year. Just after they molt, they are soft and fragile until their new shell has hardened. This usually takes a few months. Then they are once again known as "Hard-shell" lobsters. Soft-shell (also called "New shell") lobsters are not as full of meat because their new shell is larger than the muscle. This allows for another year's growth.

New shell lobsters represent 90% of the catch during the summer months. They are always less expensive and generally contain sweeter and juicier meat than the Hard-shells.

How does a lobster grow?

An adult female lobster will produce approximately 10,000 eggs when she is fertile. Each egg is the size of the head of a pin. As they grow, the eggs are held under the mother’s tail with a special glue-like substance. The female will carry her eggs for almost a year. Then the eggs are released as larvae. It has been estimated that less than 1% of the eggs will survive to grow into an adult.

Lobsters grow by molting, or shedding their shells. Just after they molt, they are soft and fragile until their new shell has hardened. During this time, the lobster buries itself in the mud to hide from its natural enemies. When they are young, an immature lobster will molt several times each year. It takes approximately seven years for a lobster to grow to legal harvesting size (1-1 1/4 lb.). At this age, they molt just once a year, usually during the summer months. Each molt will increase their size by 1/4 lb. on average. When lobsters get older, they will often skip years, and molt less frequently.

What is a legal size lobster?

The State of Maine has special laws that are designed to protect our lobster fishery for years to come. We use a special gauge to measure the lobster’s carapace (body). There are both minimum and maximum size measurements. The minimum size is designed to make sure that all lobsters are mature enough to breed at least once before they are harvested. The maximum size limit is designed to protect the breeding stock. A minimum size lobster will weigh around 1 lb., while a maximum size Maine lobster will weigh between 3-4 lbs. The most plentiful and most popular size of Maine Lobsters is 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lb. each. Maine is the only state to protect the resource like this. If you are buying a smaller or larger lobster than this, you can guarantee it is not a genuine Maine Lobster.

Are lobsters good for me - Nutritional Information…

Yes! Lobsters are great & They're good for you. Maine Lobster has less cholesterol, calories, and saturated fats than both chicken and turkey.

Source: The National Institute of Health based on a 3.5 oz. Serving

How do I hold my lobster so I won't get bit?

Your lobsters will come to you with heavy rubber bands on their claws. The fisherman put those on as soon as the lobsters are removed from their traps. These bands are to protect the lobsters from damaging each other. To pick up a lobster, grab it by the back, just above where the tail connects to the carapace (body). The lobster won't be able to bend his claws back enough to get you. Be careful not to let your fingers get below the tail. The shell on the underside of the tail has some sharp edges, and may cut you if the lobster flips its tail as if it was swimming. That's right, lobsters swim backwards by flipping that powerful tail. You've probably heard the old adage "crabs crawl sideways and lobsters swim back."

Boiling, Steaming and Grilling Lobster

Boiling Lobsters

Fill your blue enamel pot with enough water to cover the lobsters (about 4"-5"), but don't put them in yet! Bring water to a strong boil. TIP: Don't add salt to accelerate the boiling — it will only because an over boil all over your stove.

As soon as the water boils to a full boil, firmly grasp the lobsters behind their arms and quickly plunge them head-first into the boiling water. Cover the pot with a lid.

When the water returns to a soft boil, start timing your lobsters. If an over boil occurs, take off the lid.

1 lb. lobster 9 - 10 minutes
1 1/4 lb. lobster 10 - 11 minutes
1 1/2 lb. lobster 11 - 12 minutes
2 lb. lobster 12 - 13 minutes

Steaming Lobsters

Put 2 inches of seawater or salted water in the bottom of a large kettle. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat. Put in the live lobsters, one at a time, grasping just behind the claws. Cover the pot, return to a boil as quickly as possible, and start timing. Allow 16 minutes for a hard-shell lobster. If the lobster has a soft shell, reduce the cooking time by 3 minutes.

Grilling

First, Par-boil your lobsters in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the lobsters and plunge into a large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the lobsters and store in a refrigerator if you do not plan to grill them right away.

Place a lobster on its back on a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife split the lobster down the middle. Remove the black vein from the tail, the tomalley from the body and the sand sac located near the head. Repeat with the remaining lobsters. Baste the lobster meat with some oil or butter.

Grill the lobsters flesh side down for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the flesh is just beginning to look solid. Turn the lobsters over, baste with more oil and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes longer, or until the lobsters are cooked through.

Now, your lobsters are done cooking!

Why do lobsters turn red when they are cooked?

Live lobsters are usually bluish green in color. On rare occasions, one is landed that is orange, yellow, or blue. The lobster's color is caused by pigments in the shell. When the lobster is cooked, all of the color pigments are masked except the red background color.

How to Shuck a Maine Lobster

	1. Twist off the large claws. Crack each claw and knuckle with a lobster or nut cracker. Remove the meat.
	2. Separate the tail from the body and break off the tail flippers. Extract the meat from each flipper.
	3. Push the tail meat out in one piece. Remove and discard the black vein which runs the entire length of the tail meat.
	4. Separate the shell of the body from the underside by pulling apart and discard the green substance called the tomalley.
	5. Open the body by cracking it apart in the middle, with the small walking legs on either side. Extract the meat from the leg joints and the legs themselves by biting down on the leg and squeezing the meat out with your teeth.
	6. Use wet napkins to clean up.

That green stuff inside a lobster is the lobster's liver and is called the tomalley. The tomalley is considered a delicacy to some people and disgusting to others. It should be noted that since the liver concentrates all the toxins taken into an organism, if the lobster came from polluted waters, the tomalley should not be eaten.

In some lobsters there will also be pink stuff. This is the mature ovaries of the lobster. Again, some people relish this part of the shellfish, while others discard it.

This is it!

You are ready to enjoy! Take a mouth full of lobster and plunge it into the warm butter. Yummmm!! You may be surprised by the difference in texture the Cap Morrill’s Maine lobster. Maine lobster is slightly chewier, but more than makes up for it in the sweet flavor! We think you'll agree!

As with all great things, your Cap Morrill’s meal will eventually come to an end. If you're looking for one last morsel, break off the legs and suck out the meat. After this, sadly, there is no more lobster. Remember, someone thought enough of you to send you a Cap Morrill’s Seafood gift. What a unique gift! We hope you agree!

Email us & let us know your experience!

What is this clump of little red balls in my lobster’s tail?

You are the proud owner of a female lobster that has immature eggs that she hadn't released to her tail yet. It is called coral, and many people feel Lobster caviar is a delicacy. If you are splitting a live lobster for stuffing, or if your lobster is undercooked, the coral will appear black.

What is the white substance covering my lobsters meat

Lobsters have a primitive circulatory system and blood. When they are alive, their blood appears clear, but once they have been cooked, the blood congeals and turns white. You will often see it on the claws in particular. The cooked blood has no taste and is harmless. You can easily scrape it off if you wish. Sometimes you will see some blood in your pot as you boil your lobsters. Once again it is perfectly harmless and quite normal.