How to keep/freeze lobster?

[easyday]

Is there any tips or tricks to storing/freezing lobster after its been caught and its not going to be eaten right away?

Originally Posted by easyday

Is there any tips or tricks to storing/freezing lobster after its been caught and its not going to be eaten right away?

Vacuum sealer ideally, but you need to either curl it,or put a bed of paper towels under it so it doesn't pierce the bag. Also, zip locks work well because the shell prevents freezer burn to the meat. Lobster freezes well

[easyday]

Everything online says to cook then store, is this necessary?

[got2fishsd]

I just put the whole live bug in the freezer. Pull it out and let it come to room temp then detail and cook.


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[Linglifter]

I cook and then freeze my crabs in whole milk. The fat in the milk helps to preserve the meat. It works excellent. I usually put it in the vacc bag freeze it then seal it,this way u vaccumw out all the air pockets. I don't see why this won't work with lobster.

[SoCalCJ]

Originally Posted by got2fishsd

I just put the whole live bug in the freezer. Pull it out and let it come to room temp then detail and cook.


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X2, just freeze whole, thaw and cook! So easy a caveman could do it!

[tacmik]

I've always just dbl. wrapped in heavy duty foil and then put them in a freezer bag. Have eaten them months later with no loss of flavor.

[Aaron&Julie]

Here's what we do...

We bring along a large cooler left in our truck for when we get back to the launch. We transfer all bugs/crabs to the cooler along with all the seaweed we brought back to help keep them alive, enough to fill a regular plastic grocery bag will do. If you bring seawater to put in the cooler make sure it's not more than a 1/4" deep, just enough to keep the seaweed moist.

The crabs we'll cook alive in a big pot of boiling water. They don't seem to stay alive well in the cooler. After cooking we put the whole crabs in 2.5 gallon zip storage bags, collecting a bunch, for a "crab meat pulling day".

The bugs can stay alive for as many as 3 days, but we tend to them ASAP. Whenever that is, we get another huge pot boiling on the stove, then start the somewhat cruel process. While alive curl their tail under their body, gripping the body in one hand, the wrapped tail with the other, then twist in opposite directions. Usually at about 180 degrees the two will separate with a slight pull. If gripped firmly you won't get much resistance from the bug, but it's basically alive, hence we drop the body into the boiling water ASAP to end it's misery.

We clip all sharp points on the raw tail and bag what we want for the vacuum sealer. Small ones, usually 2 in a bag with the softer underside facing each other. Large tails we can split for a meal, usually one per bag. We're not gluttons and savor our lobster eating experiences. Plus, we don't routinely score the huge amounts some people do.

Down the road, we usually combine ""crab meat pulling day" with "lobster body meat pulling day". Some of this bug meat may be slightly stronger in flavor than the sweet, sweet tail. We use this meat for lobster enchiladas or a lobster pasta. The crab we just devour with butter. When you've got a mess of crabs and you're willing to wait until all the meat is removed before eating, you get quite a worthwhile and tasty reward

[easyday]

So really I don't need the boiling water. Lobsters have no sense of feeling so we can just toss the front half of the body in the trash and freezer bag the tails which is what I did last year. Thanks for the advice everyone im hoping I can bring a nice haul tonight.

[alanw]

Sure lobster feel pain. Sounds like you need the lobster stunner to humanely prepare them for the freezer or the boiling pot.

[Dail14]

Im pretty sure they do not feel much after 1-2 seconds in the boiling pot.

[easyday]

The least of my concern is the pain they feel if any.

[Dannowar]

Don't forget the legs in the microwave!!!

[roby]

[lowprofile]

yes, lobster, like crabs and insects feel little to no pain at all.

i used to freeze them whole then Drake showed me how to tail and clean them. so then i started just freezing the tails. wrap in a wet paper towel then vacuum seal it.

[T-Rex]

I've had the best success with brining and blanching lobsters before freezing.

• Add 1 cup non-iodized sea salt to one gallon of water and bring to a boil. (The salt is very important and noticeably improves the flavor of the lobster.)
• Cook about 3 minutes to just firm up the meat, then put into an ice bath to stop the cooking.
• Split the lobster of tail in half and remove the guts & vein in the tail.
• Wrap in a brine soaked paper towel or freezer paper and vacuum then seal.

More often than not, I'll just remove the blanched meat from the shell, rinse in brine and vacuum seal. Less mess to deal with later on and stays good for at least 6 months. Bagged meat is more convenient and easy to use for tacos, omelets, rolls etc.