Buying Lobster Tails Online
Are you craving lobster tail and considering buying some frozen lobster tail from a mail order seafood website? Before you buy lobsters online you should first read this article to ensure the highest possible quality and taste.
There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when buying live lobsters or in this case frozen lobster tails over the internet. A simple search on any given search engine for lobster tail or mail order lobsters will yield results for spiny, rock, soft, hard, warm water, cold water, etc, etc, etc.
While all of these results can be a bit confusing here are some simple guidelines to ensure success when choosing your lobster tail online.
- Rock or Spiny lobsters as they are also called, originate for the most part in warm water environments, such as Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. They don't have the large front claws we so often associate with lobster, instead their identifiable features include hard shells and long antennae. There are more than 40 claw-less, warm and cold water species in the world, some of which can grow as large as 15 pounds with most weighing in at 1 to 5 pounds. These lobsters are the source of most frozen lobster tail available on the wholesale seafood websites.
- New England or Maine lobsters originate from cold water environments. These are the ones with the large front claws. Maine lobsters outgrow their tails before they hit 2 pounds. The larger they grow, the more disproportionate their tail becomes when compared to the rest of their body. For example a 1 pound Maine species will yield only 5-6 ounces of tail meat, while a 1 pound New Zealand claw-less yields 7 - 8 ounces of tail meat. Because of this New England lobster tails are more expensive.
In my opinion, when it comes to lobster tail the price is of little concern. The reason for this is out of every 5 warm water, or rock species I have bought, 1 was bad. Now by bad I mean that after cooking, they stayed mushy and emanated an odor quite similar to ammonia. I don't know about you, but when I'm looking forward to a succulent, gourmet seafood meal and instead I get a pile of stinky mush, I'm quite disappointed.
To avoid that disappointment altogether go with the Maine lobster tails. Out of the many hundreds of Maine tails I have prepared over the years, I can't recall one bad experience. The price difference is around a mere $5 per pound and an insurance policy well worth taking over the risky warm water rock varieties.
I know your next question is how to tell the difference between the 2 varieties. Any self-respecting gourmet seafood supplier will note clearly in their product description the type and origin of their lobsters. If they neglect to mention this very important fact, contact them to find out and of course if they claim not to know forget about it and find another more reputable supplier. Visually you can identify a rock tail by their distinct yellow band and spots on the tail. Maine varieties do not have these marks.
Beyond the visual differences there are dramatic taste differences as well. Because cold water varieties grow more slowly their tail meat is much more tender and has a much cleaner taste than warm water varieties.
Other warning signs to look out for when purchasing frozen lobster tail:
- Unbelievable prices are usually reserved for the warm water varieties.
- Unmarked lobster tails are surely of the warm water variety.
- Discoloration is a sign of mishandling, black spots in particular.
- Gift baskets - double check the varieties included!
- Grayish tail is a good hint that the lobsters were not alive at the processing plant.
- Yellow or Dull meat may have come from a sick catch and is best avoided.
- Sodium soaked choices should be avoided.
- Glazing is when the supplier tries to pull the proverbial wool over your eyes and injects water between the shell and the meat before freezing, resulting in up to a 20% higher price for less lobster meat.
The best advice I can give you when buying frozen lobster tail goes along with the old adage, "buyer beware". Take the facts I have pointed out to heart and carefully research before making your purchase.
If you don't have time to do your own research I will leave you with this. When buying frozen lobster tail I have had nothing but positive experience with Lobster Gram. Their quality, freshness, customer support & selection is second to none. They also offer live lobsters, lobster dinners, seafood gift baskets and gift certificates. Along with every order they include lobster recipes to ensure cooking lobster will be a pleasure in itself. This company is the epitome of gourmet seafood.
When it comes to lobsters delivery Lobster Gram dominates the industry, along with their other gourmet seafood delivery choices, they are by far your best bet.
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