If you've been online to purchase a lobster you may have noticed that you're spoiled for choice. They come in different ages, sizes, shapes and colors. How then do you go about selecting one?
You can choose from lobster tails, green lobsters, red lobsters, female lobsters, male lobsters, Maine lobsters and spiny lobsters. If you're looking for a live lobster online for the first time it's of no surprise that you're mystified. But all it takes is a little experience and research to select a lobster that suits your taste and preference.
The main criteria to differentiate lobsters from each other are based on gender, color, age and shell quality.
As far as gender is concerned, many claim that the female lobster is a better specimen. Firstly, the breadth of their tails is greater as compared to their male counterparts. Since the major portion of meat in a lobster in concentrated in its tail, this technically means that the female lobster is meatier. Secondly, many female lobsters have unfertilized eggs which are delicious and much sought after. But you can choose the female lobster only if you can tell the difference between the genders. One way to differentiate is to examine the swimmerets. These are found under the tail. The first pair will be hard in the male while in the female they are soft and furry.
In terms of color, lobsters come in different colors like red, green, blue, yellow and white. The color blue in lobsters is the result of a genetic defect. Color does not count when it comes to the taste of the lobster. All lobsters except the white lobster become red when cooked.
Researchers have not found an accurate way to determine the age of a lobster. Lobsters are known to live as long as 50 years. Generally, size is used to judge how old a lobster is but this may not be a precise method. This is because if you compare a lobster found in colder waters with one found in warm water, they may be the same size but of different ages. The size of a lobster increases each time it grows. The "younger" lobsters are considered to be tastier because their flesh is tender. When lobsters grow older their flesh becomes tougher.
When it comes to shell quality, you can choose between soft-shelled or hard-shelled lobsters. Lobsters go through a process of molting (shedding their shells). When their shells are soft, it means they've just molted. Soft shells are easier to break and more convenient to cook as compared to hard shells. But soft shells need to be handled delicately during shipping and delivery because they are susceptible to breakage. Even though soft-shelled lobsters are sweeter, many people go with the hard-shelled variety because their shells do not break when shipped.
What counts is not how heavy a lobster is but how tasty it will be when cooked. When you go online you come across various types of lobsters. Now, that you can differentiate between the different types of lobsters, you can order one that matches your personal preference.