After you catch the lobster...

If I am so lucky to find and catch a lobster or 2 while diving this weekend on the Florida East coast (yes I have a bug tag), then what?

Do you keep them alive until you get home?
If so, HOW to keep them for a day or 2 until reaching home?

Kill them and ice them?

It's all hopeful thinking, but I'd rather be prepared.

A lot of people just wring the tails and freeze them.

If I'm going to be eating them right away, I split them lengthwise, broil them shell up until red, then turn them over and finish them off. I usually clean out the head and put in a crabmeat stuffing.

DON"T OVERCOOK, they get tough.

Likes2Cruise:

....If so, HOW to keep them for a day or 2 until reaching home?............

Click to expand...

Yes they will last.

1. Lobster must be landed in whole condition till you reach the docks.
2. Once at the docks, grab the tail and twist it off from the carapiece(body)
3. Break off one of the antenna's then snap off the thinner end of the antenna at a point where it is about 1/4" thick.
4. Jam this end into the butt hole of the tail and push it in about an 1 inch or 2 in order to break the poop tube away from the bung hole internally.
5. On the meat end of the tail, gently locate and pull the dark poop tube out of the meat and discard. Now you have a clean tail without a poop tube in it.

Put the tail on Ice immediately, as it will start to go bad in 30 minutes if you don't depending how hot it is outside.

In my experience you can leave tails on ice for 2-3 days, but don't let the ice melt. You can then freeze them afterwards without any spoilage. Don't leave the lobsters whole as they will die and then the tail will also go bad. De-tail them at the dock and toss the carapiece's into the water for the crabs to chew.

Frozen lobster is good. Fresh lobster is like nothing you have ever tasted.

Best of luck to you, look out for eels!

im coming over too your house for dinner ........looks gooooood

As previously mentioned, separated the tail from the carapice. I prefer freezing the tails. Then it is easier to remove the meat. Take a pair of scissors and cut the membrane from the underside of the tail section (after thawed). Remove it and discard, keeping the shells. Remove the meat.

The following recipe is called "Lobster Diablo"

2-4 tails Florida/ Caribbean lobster meat (shells reserved)
1 med onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 large red bell pepper seeded and coarsly chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper seeded and coarsly chopped
Cayenne Pepper
Colemans dry mustard
White Wine (1/4 cup)
1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
butter
Parmesan cheese, grated.
Old Bay Seasoning

Heat 2-3 tbs butter in med skillet until bubbling. Add onion, peppers and garlic. Saute
until softened and onions are translucent. Add 1-2 tbs butter, mustard to taste, wine, Old Bay and cayenne to taste. Add lobster meat, saute a couple minutes, until translucent, adding more wine as needed to keep moist. Add bread crumbs and turn off heat, stirring constantly until a stuffing like mixture. Add wine to keep moist if needed.

Stuff mixture into reserved shells, dot with butter, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and broil until lightly browned on top.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Craig