to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) per person.

Many people consider lobster the king of all shellfish, and some think that it should be

listed on the menu in Heaven. The fact is that not everyone is willing to die and go to Heaven for

it. In fact, not many are willing to pay the high price for it. A good lobster is indeed a treat, but

not all lobster is good, and many discriminating seafood eaters feel it is overrated. Both scarcity

and its image as a luxury seafood help keep lobster prices high.

Most think of lobster not only of a luxury food, but also as a very rich food, yet it only

has a moderate amount of fat. Having such high esteem, chefs often prepare lobster to sparkle in

appearance and flavor, which means loading it up with butter and sauces in the traditional French

manner. Those additions are what make lobster rich, not the meat itself.

You can eat every part of a lobster but the shell. You can serve its tail, the white body

meat and the claw meat in the shell right from the steamer. Chefs customarily use the tomalley,

which is the unique-flavored green liver, and the roe (also called coral) in sauces. Actually,

ambitious chefs even take advantage of the beautiful shell coloring by extracting its carotene

pigment and using it as natural food coloring.

Like crab meat, fresh lobster does not freeze well (its texture suffers), but after blanching,

the frozen and thawed meat retains its quality and texture well.

We have two important lobster species in the kitchen, one is named European and the

second, much larger, American (or Maine) lobster. We also have the small spiny lobster, which

is not a true lobster but a relative of the crayfish.

A live lobster in the shell yields 25 percent edible meat, same as a dead one. Serving

sizes are same as crab: 1 to 1¼ pound (450 to 570 g) in the shell generously serves one person or

to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) of raw lobster meat.

TASTINGS The lobster grades

There are four grades of lobster in markets graded by their sizes:

Chicken—less than a pound (450 g)

Quarters—1 to 1½ pounds (450 to 570 g)

Large—1½ to 2½ pounds (680 to 1140 g)

Jumbo—greater than 2½ pounds (1140 g)

Mussel is a bivalve with meat that varies from pale tan to a deep orange in color. It has a

tangy or smoky flavor. Like eel, mussels are much neglected in the U.S. but highly valued in

Europe where they are actually farmed. In the right season mussel meat is excellent. During

spawning, the flavor is less desirable, the amount of edible meat is less and it could be bitter.

One species, the blue or edible mussel, is by far the most commonly available, but some markets

may also offer the greenshell musselfrom New Zealand.

Like clams, your best bet is to buy mussel live in tightly closed shells. If you can slide the

two shells past one another, the muscle of the mussel has relaxed, signifying that the animal is

dead. Skip these and those with shells gaping open. Once the shell opens, clams and mussels

dehydrate rapidly. Can’t find mussels for a recipe? You can substitute clams or oysters—

different flavor but they behave the same in the sauce pan..

Mussels are now farmed. The cultivated ones have a milder flavor, but tight control over

harvesting and distribution attests to their freshness.

About 40 to 50 percent of in-the-shell mussels' total weight is edible meat. Six to 8 shells

serve a person or 4 to 5 ounces (110 to 140 g) of shucked mussel meat.

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