We love soft shells in Maine---even though they have less meat than a hard shell. The meat is never ever mushy. I have even eaten what the lobstermen call "rags" (lobsters whose shell has not even fully formed---you'd never find them for sale, too weird). No mushy meat there, either. SKK is right---go back to the fish seller. The lobster you buy should be lively, moving its claws and looking annoyed. Ask to see, if you have any doubts. Do not cook dead lobsters.
No, do not cook dead lobster. Crustaceans like lobsters and langoustines begin to degrade as soon as they die. There is some chemical that gets released from their nervous system and causes this. Fin fish on the other hand need a little rigor mortis to set in before they are ready for cooking.
There are people who prefer newly molted lobsters, finding that the meat is sweeter. I'm a hard-shell gal myself, but SKK has it right--there's no need for either type to have mushy meat.
Years ago I was a diver for a marine lab on the east coast and we were doing a study on lobsters. Lobsters molt, or shed, 4 to 5 times a year. Each time they molt, the increase their body size by 20%. Just because they have molted and their shell is still soft doesn't mean the lobster meat will be mushy. It is very good. My recommendation is to return the lobster for a better one.
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