Lobsters await their fate

I must say: these past few years I have been heavily biased against lobster. It’s not that I think it’s terrible, but I had difficulty accepting that lobster, which is more expensive, was in any way superior to our local Dungeness crab. Was I unnecessarily taking sides on a non-controversial topic? Probably. However, after a string of good meals I have a newfound respect for your classic Maine lobster (but not enough to let them live!).

It all started with a coupon. Having one of those daily deals with New England Lobster Company, a wholesaler in South San Francisco, we planned a lobster party. I found this no-nonsense guide to grilling lobster tails from FoodieLawyer which revealed the key step: brining.

With a simple kosher salt/sugar brine, the tails went onto the grill. After eating them, I experienced something amazing: succulent, flavorful, almost creamy meat without that chewy texture of my previous experiences; a foodgasm if such a thing existed. The guests agreed.

Since then I’ve again purchased lobsters/tails again, and on a recent trip to Boston, ate yet more lobster. While none of these experiences compared to the brined/grilled lobster tails, they were pretty darn good. So congratulations, lobster: you’re again on my whitelist.