Recipes
Recipes
Nova Scotia Chowder
Traditional Steamed Maritime Mussels
Cedar Planked Atlantic Salmon
How to Crack a Lobster
How to Cook a Lobster
Steaming Lobster
Reheating Cold Lobsters
Freezing Lobster
Cook Shrimp
Boil Shrimp
Cooking Fresh Fish
Cooking Fresh Mussels
2 cups of Lobster Meat (500mL)
3 lb Lobster Fresh Direct Chowder Mix (fish fillets cut into 1 inch cubes) (1500g)
½ cup onions diced (125 mL)
¼ cup butter (50 mL)
2 tbsp all purpose Flour (25 mL)
4 cups Potatoes (peeled, and diced) (1 L)
1 cup water (1 L)
4 cups 10% cream (1 L)
3 cups Milk (750 g)
1 tsp salt (5mL)
Pinch of White Cayenne Pepper
- In a heavy sauce pan, sauté onions until tender
- Stir in flour and cook for 1 min
- Add potatoes and enough water to cover
- Bring to a boil and cook till tender
- Add fish, and simmer 5 minutes stirring once or twice
- Add cream, milk, lobster meat, and seasoning
- Heat gently
- Just before serving, add lobster paste if you wish, just a spoonful to taste should be good.
- Serve and enjoy!
This makes 12 bowls of chowder, and it is packed full of fish! If you want you can substitute some of the fish for other veggies, but this is the way we at Lobster Fresh Direct like it!
Tricks of the Trade: usually add a spoon full of Lobster Paste, or Lobster Pate (you should be able to find it at your local grocery store) and if not, we can send you some. It turns the chowder a nice pink colour, and adds a nice lobster flavour that you really notice!
Traditional Steamed Maritime Mussels
2 lbs (1kg) Mussels
¼ cup (50 ml) Chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp (25ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 cup (250 ml) white wine
2 tbsp (25 ml) chopped parsley
Sauté onion and garlic in oil, in a large saucepan. Add mussels and wine and cover and cook for five to seven minutes or until the shells open. Serve garnished with the parsley. (Serves 2)
12x8x1 inch untreated cedar plank
6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 lemon, sliced
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
1. Submerge untreated cedar plank in water. Soak approximately 2 hours.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Place prepared plank on the grill, and sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover grill and heat plank 2 to 3 minutes, until dry. Adjust grill temperature for medium heat.
3. Rub salmon filets with olive oil. Arrange on the plank. Top salmon with red onion, lemon slices and black peppercorns.
4. Cook salmon, covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until opaque and easily flaked with a fork.
- Twist off the claws
- Crack each claw with a cracker
- Twist the tail and separate it from the body
- Bend back the flippers on the end of the tail
- Insert a fork where the flippers have been broken off and push out the meat
- Separate the back from the body of the lobster. The body contains the “tomally” or liver of the lobster which turns green when it’s cooked. Many people consider this the best part of the entire lobster
- Split the body in half as there is some good meat in the body / knuckles where the legs join the body
- The small claws or legs are great eating as well. These legs can be placed in the mouth and the meat can be sucked out like sipping through a straw
Add ½ cup of salt per gallon of fresh water to get that authentic maritime lobster taste!
Fill a large stockpot with enough water to cover the lobsters, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Remove the elastic bands, and put the live lobsters headfirst into the boiling water. (place the largest lobsters in first, as they require a bit more cooking time)
Allow the water to boil again, and then turn the heat down to medium.
Cover the pot and let the lobsters cook
• 1 lb for 11-12 min,
• 1.25 lb for 15-16 min,
• 1.5 lb for 18-20 min,
• 2 lb for 22-24 min,
• 4 lb for 24-28 min,
• 8 lb for 28-32 min
Remove the lobsters from the water
If you are NOT eating the lobsters right away, place the hot, cooked lobsters in a sink with cold, salted water so they will stop cooking process (if this is not done, the lobsters will continue to cook in their shell, and become over cooked).
WARNING: The Female lobster roe (eggs) will look like a black jelly-like substance if the lobster is not cooked enough. The roe will turn red when cooked. If this occurs, place the lobsters back in the boiling water for a few more minutes until the roe turns red.
Notes: Live lobsters will have a dark green colour to them, but will turn bright red while cooking.
Lobsters make a high-pitched sound when they are boiled. Although it sounds like they are crying, it is actually the result of gases being released under their shells.
Steamed lobsters generally require more cooking time, Add 5 minutes to the usual cooking time.
Steamed lobsters on the top of the pot may take more time to cook than those at the bottom of the pot and will be less salty as well.
Put the larger lobsters and females at the bottom of the pot as they require more cooking time than the smaller lobsters at the top of the pot.
Wrap lobster tightly in tin foil and place in a preheated oven or barbecue (350°F - 175°C) on their backs for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the lobster.
Notes: Pre-cracking the lobster and adding a few pads of butter before wrapping in tinfoil will allow for extra moistness and a great butter flavour all through the lobster meat.
The best way to freeze lobster, or any seafood for that matter, is to remove the meat from the shell. Place the meat in a plastic container, or freezer bag and cover the meat completely with salt brine (1/8 cup of salt per litre of tap water). By covering the meat in brine, you are essentially freezing the meat in an ice cube. This allows for the meat to be completely covered and free from freezer burn which shortens the freezer life of your seafood!. This method will allow you to store your lobster for up to 3 months.
Shrimp can be cooked virtually any way: in a skillet with butter or oil (2-3 min), in a fryer (1-2 min), on a barbecue grill (3-5 min), in a steamer (3-5 min), or in a hot oven (5-7 min).
Once shrimp is cooked, a little splash of lemon juice adds a nice flavour before serving.
Bring water to a boil (enough water to cover the shrimp).
Salt the water lightly. You can also add some lemon juice, if desired.
Shut off the heat and pour the shrimp in the water all at once (Shrimp are best when cooked gently)
Let them cook about 2 to 3 minutes, or until done. (larger shrimp may take 3-5 minutes to cook)
Check by cutting one in half. If the meat is opaque throughout, it's done.
Remove them from the cooking water immediately.
Be careful to avoid overcooking the shrimp or they will toughen and lose flavor.
Fresh fish should be cooked approximately 10 minutes per inch (2.5cm) of thickness at a temperature of 375°F (190°C). Bake / fry your fish with your favourite stuffing’s, spices, or sauces. Feel free to ask which spices and batters we have available to send with your shipment.
Remove and discard any shells that are open or broken and that do not close when tapped.
Mussels only need to be steamed in a tiny amount of liquid, due to the fact that when they open up during cooking, they release their own liquid, which makes a tasty broth or sauce. If there is too much liquid, the flavour of the mussels' own liquid will be diluted and completely lost. Take care when seasoning the broth, as the liquid from the mussels is quite salty and does not need too much more salt.
Mussels can be steamed in any liquid but most cooks use white wine, water or both. Once the mussels are cooked, they can be served immediately or the meat can be removed and then added to another dish when needed.
A pound (lb) of mussels is usually enough for one person.
- Pour 1 or 2 cups of white wine or water into a large saucepan, add the mussels and cover the pan. Remember that not a lot of liquid is needed.
- Cook on a high heat and bring the liquid to the boil.
- When steam is released from the sides of the pan, reduce the heat and simmer the mussels until they begin to open. This should take about 5 minutes. During cooking, shake the bottom of the pan, so that the mussels are redistributed and cook evenly.
- After several minutes, keep an eye on the mussels and try to remove each mussel as it opens. This can be a tedious task but will be well worth it, as each mussel will be cooked just right.
When all the mussels have opened, they can be served in their shell, in a bowl, with the broth strained and then poured over them. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
