Lobster Cookery

The American lobster (*Homarus americanus*) — from the cold waters of Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Canadian Maritimes — is the most celebrated shellfish in North American cooking and the subject of more bad cooking than almost any other premium ingredient. Lobster was originally so abundant in colonial New England that it was considered poverty food — fed to prisoners, indentured servants, and the destitute. Its transformation into a luxury ingredient occurred in the 19th century through the development of canning, railroad transport, and the resort culture of the Maine coast. The technique of cooking lobster — which seems simple (boil water, add lobster) — is in practice a discipline of temperature management, timing, and respect for an ingredient that overcooks in seconds and costs too much to ruin.

The lobster tradition encompasses multiple preparations: boiled/steamed whole (the foundation), the lobster roll (the Maine vs. Connecticut debate), lobster bisque (the shell-stock soup), baked stuffed lobster (the restaurant classic), and lobster thermidor (the French connection). Each preparation demands specific technique, and the foundation of all of them is the same: do not overcook the lobster.

Boiled/steamed whole: drawn butter, lemon, corn on the cob, steamed clams, coleslaw. This is the Maine shore dinner. The lobster bib is not optional. The cracking tools (nutcracker, pick) are necessary. Beer or a crisp, unoaked Chardonnay. The lobster roll: on a paper plate, with chips, on a picnic bench overlooking the water.