It may sound simple, and in reality it is, but depending on what type of dish you want to cook and which type of prawns you want to use the technique can differ considerably. Take for example the delicious dish of Golden fried prawns.
If your starting with fresh prawns then you would need to shell the prawns, leaving only the tail. Then remove the black stripe (spine) along the back of the prawn. In this particular case the prawn is not fried directly but is salted and then dipped in batter. The prawns are then deep fried for two or three minutes until golden brown.
Shallow fried prawns can be used for the base of a myriad of dishes. Usually you would clean the prawn completely, removing the shell, head and tail, finally rinsing the prawns under a cold tap and lightly dry on a paper towel.
Once clean the prawns can either be marinated by placing in olive oil for 20 or 30 minutes or cooked directly in a wok or a frying pan.
So numerous are the fried prawn dishes from all across the globe it would be impossible to list even a mere fraction of them. With dishes such as Indian Prawn Biryani the prawns are fried slowly for 15 minutes or so with chili and turmeric powder, masala, and potato.
Chinese prawn stir-fry on the other hand is much quicker with the prawns cooked only for two or three minutes with peppers chillies and onions.
In the case of frozen prawns care needs to be taken that they are properly defrosted before cooked. Of course the great advantage of frozen prawns is that even though they are not as tasty, they are available all year round.
Other tasty ways of preparing prawns is either on a barbeque or grilled with some salt and rfresh peppe. Barbequed prawns can usually be prepared and ready to eat in less than ten minutes or so. To give the prawns an even greater flavor, first mix together with garlic soy and oil before frying or grilling and thus allowing the flavors to infuse into the prawn.
No matter which preparation you use, you can be guaranteed that any dish with prawn, fried, marinated or grilled is always delicious.
Lobsters are invertebrates, which belong to the Crustacean class of the Phylum Arthropoda. There are two different families of lobsters existing in the United States. They are the American lobster and the spiny lobster. American lobsters are clawed lobsters which are classified under the taxonomic family Nephropidae, or large marine crustaceans. Spiny lobsters are without claws, but with a pair of horns that can be seen above the eyes. You can find five pairs of jointed legs in a lobster. They come in a variety of colors, sizes, and forms. Their sizes range from 1-12 inches.
The basic parts of a lobster include abdomen, antennules, antennae, crusher claw, pincher claw, carapace, cephalothorax, pereiopods, eye, maxillipeds, telson, uropods, and mandible.
Abdomen is the tail section of the lobster which is composed of seven segments. Antennae are sensory organs, which functions as a chemoreceptor. Antennules help to perceive distant odors. The external shell of the cephalothorax is called carapace. Cephalothorax, one of the main parts of a lobster, is covered by the carapace. It is made up of the head and the thorax. The larger claws are called as the crusher claws. These are very useful for crushing prey. Ripper or pincher claws are the smaller claws. A lobster has a pair of compound eyes providing sense of sight. The functions of the mandibles and maxillipeds are to grip and shred its food. Pereiopods are two sets of walking legs suitable for burrowing. Central tail fin is called telson and outer pairs of tail fins are known as uropods.
Lobsters live in burrows in the muddy areas at the bottom of the ocean. Smaller ones are called as lobsterettes. Similar to all arthropods, lobsters must molt in order to grow, leaving them vulnerable during this time. Most lobsters are carnivores and feed on clams, carrion, mussels, snails, worms, sea urchin, and other lobsters.
Like the grasshopper, the nervous system of a lobster is very primitive. Approximately 100,000 neurons are present in a lobster. Usually, the color of its blood is grayish. The large blood vessels circulate its blood from the heart which is located behind the stomach. Lobsters take in oxygen from the water through the gills, found in the lobsters' thorax section.
There is no doubt you're going to love this Red Lobster clam chowder recipe. It's got a classic New England flare. No frills, no shenanigans. Just simple, delicious clam chowder!
This great chowder recipe is just a small part of an entire "copycat" Red Lobster recipes series, which in turn is merely a small part of an entire "copycat" restaurant recipes library which has been tested and proven to produce spot-on restaurant classics from the everyday person's kitchen!
Here's the recipe...
Red Lobster Clam Chowder Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/4 tsp. chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 quart milk
- 1 cup clams (in juice)
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup diced potatoes
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Red Lobster Clam Chowder Directions:
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large soup pot.
- Add onion, celery, leeks, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Mix well.
- Add milk. Whisk it like you really mean it!
- Set a colander over soup pot. Pour clams into the colander, allowing the juice to drain into the pot. When completely strained, set clams aside.
- Return pot to heat (med-high heat) and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Add potatoes and seasonings. Reduce heat to low.
- Let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add clams and let simmer an additional 6-9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in heavy cream. Let simmer another minute or two.
- Serve in hot sourdough bread bowls or in your favorite cup or bowl.
- Enjoy!
how to cook lobster with the most humane manner has been a concern of the chef guilt ridden for many generations. In order to put to rest the issue scientifically, one researcher instructed the students to boil lobsters after they were subjected to various relaxation techniques.
1. students set their delivery method is best to calculate the amount of the film tail to hear the kettle before each lobster succumbed to the boiling water.
2. They try to hypnotize subjects by rubbing their backs until they stood on their heads, soak in fresh water, heating them slowly from room temperature to boiling acceptable strategy, and others.
3. They found that placing them in the refrigerator before cooking to kill them, as happens naturally in winter, resulting in the lowest number of tail twitches. So, according to modern science, a few minutes in the freezer means less agony in the kettle.
Lobster, once the food of poor farmers, is now considered a special treat for many. Although some people prefer the meaty claws, I think that lobster tails are the best tasting part of this delicious creature. A great meal of lobster tails might seem like a gourmet feast to your guests, but they are actually quite easy to prepare. Add a little sprig of garnish and a fancy side dish and you're sure to impress even your mother in law.
Your lobster tails might start off a fresh or frozen, being in New England, fresh lobster is easy to come by but frozen might be all you can get in some parts of the country and in the off season. If your lobster tails are frozen, you need to thaw them out (you can cook them frozen but they will not be as tender). Put them in the fridge for 10 hours or so or thaw them in the microwave on defrost - be very careful if you choose this method as you don't want them to start cooking in the microwave.
After they are thawed, remove the meat from the shell by cutting open the back of the shell - split it down the middle and open it up to reveal the meat. Lift the meat out - you can leave the fan part of the tail on for show or not. Remove the vein.
Boiling Lobster Tails
Boil a pot of water large enough for all the tails to float in, add 1 tsp salt for each quart of water. Drop the tails in the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute per oz thawed (so 10 0z of tails needs to cook for 10 minutes). If you are cooking a lot of tails, add a minute or two on to the total time.
Cooking Lobster Tails in the Oven
Lobster tails can be baked or broiled in the oven. To cook thawed lobster in the oven,set the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the tails with butter and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. If broiling, place the tails 4 or 5 inches from the heat and broil for 2 - 5 minutes. When broiling keep a very close eye on them so that they don't burn on the tops.
Cooking Lobster Tails On The Grill
Oil the grill to keep the lobsters from sticking. Put the grill on medium heat. Brush the lobster tails with butter and place on the grill. Make sure that the tails do not burn - if there are any flames on the grill move the lobster away from it. Grill on each side for 4-5 minutes.
Take care not to overcook your lobster or it will be rubbery and tasteless. Lobster is cooked when it is no longer transparent.
I know, we can't all live on a farm, but there are places where you can get fresh produce and farm raised meat that has been humanly raised, never given antibiotics or hormones and fed only vegetarian feed. This is the way we need to feed our bodies, the natural, healthy way. Check out meat online for farmers and ranchers that raise livestock the traditional way. Not only are these ranches and farm sustainable and environmentally friendly but they taste the very best! You don't have to settle for the meat in the grocery store that comes from unhealthy feed lots, cows injected with antibiotics and hormones which has been proven to contain all sorts of health problems for both animal and human.
I would love to raise my boys on a farm. A large vegetable garden out back with fruit trees in front. A cow or pig wandering around and a horse to ride in the afternoon. That is lovely daydream that will never be, unfortunately. If I can't raise the produce and meat myself I want to buy it from someone else's farm with free range cattle that are well taken care of. Doesn't it make sense that the cattle that is raised on ranges, not shot full of hormones in a feed lot of would taste much better? It does, try it for yourself. Compare a stores bought tomatoes and a home grown one and you will see what I mean. Farm fresh is better. It's too bad we all can't live on a farm.
