Which lobsters are best?

[Fat Guy]

Brooke, where do you stand on the various core issues of lobster quality:

- Do you think the waters of a given U.S. state or Canadian province produce the best lobsters, or do you think they're all the same from Nova Scotia to North Carolina?

- What time(s) of year do you think is/are best for lobsters? Do you prefer hard, soft, or in-between shells?

- Do you think bigger or smaller lobsters taste better or different?

[Varmint]

And a follow-up question: What effect do you think "pounding" lobsters has on their flavor?

[Brooke Dojny]

Hi Fat Guy--

I have no scientific data to back up my opinions, but here they are, for what they're worth:

I have had great lobsters from waters off all of New England - never eaten Canadian or North Carolinian creatures. It could be my imagination but I do believe that lobsters who have spent their lives in colder waters taste better - and that, of course, means Maine waters. Maybe it's not the cold - maybe the rocky, less muddy bottom?

This goes againt most common wisdom, but I happen to prefer soft-shell lobsters, which are mostly caught in the summer months. To my palate, they taste sweeter, and I'll sacrifice that for the more-meat-per-pound in hard-shells. Also hard-shells can really give you a nasty cut when you're trying to pry the meat out!

Size-wise, I've never noted any taste differences.

"Pounding" (empoundment in salt water storage) is fine if the pound is of sufficient size. However, lobsters that spend more than a couple of weeks in a tank in a fish market lose that ocean tang and sometimes develop off flavors.