Some fresh eating options as lobster season opens
With lobster season starting on Sunday, people might be surprised to find not one — but three — savoury reasons to venture to Bermuda Bistro at The Beach.The Front Street eatery has been serving up lobster dishes for the past seven years and offers it three ways: broiled, thermidor style and curried, according to head chef Antonio Belvedere.Although the restaurant wasn’t usually the first place people think of come September 1, Mr Belvedere promised seafood lovers wouldn’t be disappointed.“A lot of people don’t know we even sell lobster,” he said. “Some people just think we are a wing and burger joint, but we sell a lot of good things here, everything from tuna sashimi, a good surf and turf, Cajun grilled shrimp and an open faced prime rib sandwich.”The chef described their lobster as “the best on the Island” and said the price point was also one of the most affordable.Half lobsters sell for $39, while a whole lobster will set you back $60. The price also includes a side portion of either macaroni and cheese, rice, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, sweet potato fries or steak-cut fries, along with vegetables or a side salad.The restaurant’s lobster dishes have grown in popularity over the past two years, according to Mr Belvedere.“We sold more lobsters in the first month last year than we did the whole lobster season the year before that,” he said.“It’s all fresh local lobster and locals get excited because we can only have lobster for a certain amount of time out of the year. The interesting thing about lobster is it used to be considered ‘a poor man’s steak’.”The local eatery expects to sell about 50 lobsters on Sunday. For the rest of the season, which ends on March 31, they typically average about ten lobsters a night.The secret behind the rise in customers might be in the unique flavours, Mr Belvedere said.For the curried lobster, the lobster meat is cut up and sautéed with onions and olive oil, before it is seasoned with their sweet, in-house curry sauce.The lobster is then put back into the shell and baked for five minutes until the sauce gets that “golden touch”.“They were doing this style of lobster before I came,” he explained. “We have a really good curry, so I guess we figured why not put that with one of our lobster season dishes.”For the broiled option, the lobster meat is bathed in butter and baked for a few minutes. The result is “a melt in your mouth, juicy piece of lobster” that takes on the moisture and flavour from the butter, he said.The Lobster Thermidor is made with Dijon mustard and a white wine cream sauce. The meat is then put back into the shell, topped with cheese and grilled until it’s a golden brown colour.When it comes to cooking a lobster, whether in the restaurant or at home, Mr Belvedere said the biggest tip is to keep your eye on the meat at all times.“You don’t want it to get tough. A lot of people think they can keep it in the oven and then go off and watch two movies and it will still come out nice and juicy.“But lobster meat is almost like shrimp. It takes two minutes on each side to cook.“Lobster meat is something that gets done with speed and the thermidor, for instance, takes maybe five to ten minutes.”Lobster season at Bermuda Bistro starts on Sunday at 6pm. They also offer take out with their lobster dishes; orders can be made by phoning 292-0219.
After you buy your lobster, find out the weight so you can adjust cooking times appropriately.
When boiling it, the key is to fill a large pot three-quarters of the way full with water, then add one tablespoon of salt per quart of liquid. The pots should be big enough to cover the lobsters completely and the heat should be high until the water comes to a fierce boil.
For the first pound of lobster, cook for five minutes. For each additional 1/2 pound, boil an additional three minutes.
You can tell that the lobster is cooked once the shell has turned bright red. Another telling sign the lobster is done, is when an antennae comes off easily when pulled gently. The lobster meat should also be firm and white in colour.
For some people, boiling a lobster alive may seem like a cruel method of cooking. Some seafood lovers have found that placing the lobster in the freezer for five to ten minutes beforehand minimises the pain caused.
To add more flavour to the lobster meat, you can add white wine and a mixture of vegetables (like parsley, celery, onions and carrots) and herbs to the water before cooking.
Once the meat is cooked, serve it shortly after removing from the water or the lobster might become tough.
Another cooking option is steaming, which is said to result in a more succulent and tasty lobster meat. To do so place a steaming rack over the large pot of boiling water and cook the lobster for eight — 14 minutes for the first pound of weight and then an extra three minutes for each extra pound.
To grill the lobster, boil it for five minutes and take a sharp knife and cut the lobster down the middle.
Remove the black vein that runs down the tail, the green tomalley and the sand sac, which is located in the head area, behind the eyes. Baste the lobster meat with melted butter and lemon juice and place under the preheated grill, shell-side down for around eight to ten minutes or until the lobster meat is thoroughly cooked.
