Today for Local Restaurant Inspired Meal Week we will be visiting one of the most popular food trucks in Central Ohio, Cousins Maine Lobster. Cousins Maine Lobsters is the creation of two cousins, Jimmy and Sabin. After starting with their first truck in LA and then winning on Shark Tank they now have 20 trucks in 13 cities throughout the country and Columbus is lucky enough to have a food truck as well as a brick and mortar restaurant coming soon to the Italian Village area.
I had seen their truck and the Columbus Food Truck Festival for a couple of years but was never able to get near it since the line was 50+ people long. Then one day The Queen Mum and myself were at Costco on a cold winter Saturday and the truck was in the parking lot and there were only about 7 people in line. JACKPOT!!!! I got in line and promptly ordered a Connecticut Roll (served warm with butter and lemon on a New England style roll) combo with tots and a bowl of the Lobster Bisque. It was amazing.
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| Cousins Maine Lobster Connecticut Roll and Lobster Bisque |
So I wanted to have the experience of cooking a live lobster. I have never done it and I feel like it is a right of passage for a home chef. I found a local place, Frank's Fish and Seafood Market, and got 2 live lobsters.
I did some research and found the best way to go about preparing the lobsters. This is the way that felt the easiest and most humane.
How to Put a Lobster to Sleep
 
  Lobster cannot “scream” because lobsters have no throat, no vocal cords, no lungs, so how could they scream at all? The fact is that the noise is caused by air trapped in the shell. When heated the air expands and forces itself out through small gaps, causing the sound – sort of like when you force air out between your tightly clenched lips. You have nothing to worry about, this is a normal part of cooking lobsters. |
CONNECTICUT LOBSTER ROLL
From The Food Lab at Serious Eats
Serves 3
INGREDIENTS:
2 lobsters, about 1 1/2 pounds each
1 stick butter
1/4 cup finely sliced scallion greens or chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 top-split hoagie rolls
- DIRECTIONS
- 1. Fill your large lobster pot with water. Allow three quarts of water per 1.5 pounds of lobster, lobster should be totally submerged in water.
- 2. Add 1/4 cup of Maine Sea Salt for each gallon of water. (4 quarts = 1 gallon). This adds significant flavor to the lobsters.
- 3. Bring the saltwater to a rolling boil.
- 4. Put your live lobsters in one at a time using gloves or tongs. Do not cover.
- 5. Stir the lobsters halfway through boiling. Cook one 1.5lb lobster for 11-12 minutes.
- 6. Boiled lobsters will be bright red when done.
- 7. Place boiled lobsters in cool water or let stand for 3-5 minutes before serving.
8. As soon as lobster is cool enough to handle, remove meat from shell using kitchen shears, lobster crackers, and/or the back of a heavy cleaver to help crack the shells (It's OK if the meat gets a little mangled). Roughly chop into bite-sized pieces and set on double layer of paper towels to drain.
9. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Swirl to coat pan. Add four buns with one cut side down. Cook, pressing on buns gently and moving them around the pan until golden brown on first side. Remove from pan, add another tablespoon of butter, and toast second side. Repeat with second batch of buns.
10. Melt remaining butter in skillet over medium heat. As soon as butter is melted, add lobster meat. Cook, tossing constantly and using a spoon to gently fold meat and butter over itself int he skillet until lobster is mostly opaque (butter should not sizzle), about 3 minutes. Add scallion greens and continue to cook until lobster is cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Divide lobster filling evenly between rolls. Spoon excess juices over each roll. Serve immediately.
12. Serve with Tater Tots or kettle chips if desired.
LOBSTER BISQUE
From Fantabulosity
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 14.5-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes with juices
1 32-ounce carton low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning or your desired spice level. Old Bay can get spicy.
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 packages imitation lobster, chopped in to small pieces
1 pint heavy cream
Roux (optional - if you like a thicker bisque)
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
DIRECTIONS
1. Sauté garlic in a large soup pot.
2. When garlic is sautéed, remove from heat. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, Old Bay seasoning, parsley and pepper to the pot. Stir to combine
3. Take soup mixture, and pour into a blender, and puree until desired chunkiness. Using an immersion blender is easier if you have one.
4. Add soup back to pot, and cook over medium heat.
5. Add your chopped imitation lobster.
6. Simmer on medium-low heat for about 45 minutes to really let the ingredients cook through one another.
7. Just before serving, add the heavy cream and cook until heated through. {** If you prefer a thinner bisque, you can stop at step 7. If you prefer a thicker bisque, continue with step 8.}
8. In a small saucepan, melt your butter over medium heat, and add the flour.
Whisk the roux mixture until a thick paste forms, about 3-5 minutes, or until the flour loses it's raw smell.
9. Add the roux to the bisque, and continue stirring and simmer bisque over medium-low heat until bisque thickens to desired consistency.
(If soup does not reach desired consistency, after about 10 minutes, repeat steps 8-10 until bisque is to your desired thickness.)
This was really good but extremely labor intensive and expensive. I don't know if I will be doing this again any time soon.
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