ODE TO A LOBSTER

Have you ever taken a closer look at a lobster? Oh, what a beautiful, fascinating and photogenic creature it is...

This crustacean is so complex and majestic looking, cute and fierce at the same time with their threateningly powerful claws, graceful ballerina legs, elegant fan-like tails, tiny naive black eyes, harmoniously aerodynamic bodies and their bionic/Gigeresque (see H.R. Giger) exoskeleton. A real piece of art!

Apart from being considered a delicacy, this sea-dwelling animal also commands respect and admiration. They can live as long as 100 years and are similar to knights in armor. Their exterior skeleton is made of 21 different pieces and is a real shield that protects them from agressions.

Did you know that this decapod sheds it's shell frequently while young and less frequently as it grows? Once it has molted, the lobster is helpless and cannot defend itself against predators. The only way to not get attacked by it's enemies is to hide under rocks, reefs, caves, and any other structure that will shield him, and wait until the new shell hardens. If a lobster loses a leg or a claw, it is capable of growing a new one. Intriguing! No?

Molting is very important for lobsters as it is the only way they can grow since they are somehow trapped in their exoskeletons considering the fact that their shell cannot get any bigger than it is. In order for it's body to grow larger, it must shed it's shell and replace it with a bigger one.

To get out of it's exoskeleton, a lobster has to shrink it's muscles in its limbs by releasing fluid out of the tissues. This helps it release it's appendages from the surrounding shell which cracks open to release the entire body. Very disturbing, but so praiseworthy at the same time.

Therefore it is such a pity to see how they are treated once they have been captured. Since our modern world (globalisation) demands drastic actions and measures to fulfill our exagerated needs, lobsters (amongst other animals) are victims of our propensity for constently wanting what cannot be found where we live.

Most of lobsters are shipped living (apart from those which have been cooked and frozen beforehand) to far away countries, travel in terrible conditions and are sold piled up, with broken antennas and trapped by restraints. Apart from those offered on seaside markets (or in stores situated close to the seaside), most of them suffer hell for many hours or days before meeting their death, sometimes in a dreadful manner (especially when the person in charge doesn't know how to do it correctly - boiling & cutting open).

It seems that certain people see them as critters with less value than other animals that we feed on. They are treated like mere objects without souls or feelings. Just because they are crawlers with whom we cannot socialize or interact we tend to handle them little dignity and fairness compared to mammals. All feelings are denied to them and nobody seems to care about the revoltingly abominable and cruel fashion in which they are dealt with...

Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against eating lobsters and I absolutely don't condemn the consumption of that delightfully tasting shellfish. I only believe that there should be some ethic rules regarding their manipulation (transportation, storing and cooking).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With your cooked lobster, I recommend you to make the following salad (ideal if you love smörgåsbord/Koltbord) - Copyright Rosa's Yummy Yums 2011 :

1. Cut the lobster meat into 1cm (1/2 inch) pieces. Set aside.
2. Make a mayonnaise with mustard and garlic.
3. In a salad bowl, toss together the lobster meat, cubed avocado (not too ripe), a few tablespoons mayonnaise (to taste), chopped fresh tarragon (to taste), a few tablespoons (to taste) lemon or lime juice (to taste), sea salt (to taste).
4. Serve as apperitive with some crackers (Cream Crackers, Krisprolls, Carr's Water Crackers, Wasabröd, Knackerbrod, lavash bread/crackers, toasted pita bread, tortilla chips, Norwegian Mountain Bread, pumpernickel, etc...).

You can also make that salad with shrimps, crab or krayfish.
I used a frozen lobster (I'm too chicken to kill my own and and cannot accept the way they are being treated - all the travelling & hours of suffering in order to be sold living here -, so that's the best solution for me).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Une petite salade à faire avec du homard cuit (parfaite si vous adorez les smörgåsbord/Koltbord) - Copyright par Rosa's Yummy Yums 2011:

1. Couper la chair du homard en petit cubes de 1cm.
2. Faire sa propre mayonnaise avec de la moutarde et de l'ail.
3. Dans un bol à salade, mélanger ensemble le homard, de l'avocat en cubes (pas trop mûr), quelques cuillères à soupe de mayonnaise (selon goût), de l'estragon frais haché (selon goût). quelques cuillères à café de jus de citron ou de lime (selon goût) et du sel de mer (selon goût).
4. Servir en appéritif avec des crackers (Cream Crackers, Carr's Water Crackers, Krisprolls, Wasabröd, knackerbrod, pain lavash (ou lavash crackers), du pain pita toasté, des tortilla chips, du pain de seigle ou du pain norvégien, etc...).

Vous pouvez aussi remplacer le homard par des crevettes, du crabe ou des écrevisses.
J'ai utilisé du homard congelé (je suis pas confortable à l'idée de tuer mon propre homard - je ne serais pas sûre de le faire de la bonne manière - et la façon dont ils sont traités -entre le moment où ils sont capturés et vendus en magasin/toutes ces heures à soufrir et à voyager afin d'attérir vivants sur nos étals - ne me plaît pas).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you want to know how to kill a lobster the most humanely possible, you might want to read the following articles:

The Independent
Time Magazine
About.com
Daily Mail UK

Now you know what to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pour cuire son homard de manière plus responsable et humaine, le mettre dans de l'eau froide salée, puis mettre la casserole sur le feu et chauffer doucement jusqu'à ébullition. De cette façon l'animal est anesthésié progressivement et ne souffre pas. Il est aussi recommandé de mettre l'animal 30 minutes au congélateur avant de le cuire...

Apparemment si on utilise un couteau pour fendre la tête en deux cela les fait souffrir et ils ne meurent pas sur le coup. L'électrocution est meilleure (pratiquée dans l'industrie), mais où trouver l'instrument pour faire cela (voir article sur 750g)?

A vous de choisir.