Aragosta (Lobster)

Yes, there are lobsters (aragosti) in Italy, they come from the region up near Venice in the waters of the Adriatic Sea in Northeastern Italy.  While they may not be as big as the ones in Maine, they are a nice but small size and delicious if cooked the right way. The one time I had them, they were absolutely delicious, and simple enough to prepare.

First off, boil the lobster, if you don't like boiling your lobsters when they are live (you should not cook it if it has already died), just have someone at the market cook it and/or you can buy them cooked at a fresh fish market or supermarket.  When the lobster have been around long enough, before they die, the supermarkets will boil them and either sell them cooked, or if they are still not sold, put out as a display on the ice. Keep in mind that the lobster will have the sweetest flavor if you kill it just before cooking it.

The first time I had it prepared like this, it was in a fancy restaurant in New York City, and we were eating outdoors.  The other time, I had tried to recreate and cook it at home.  

The one time I tried it, I bought the lobster cooked, it had just come out of the bot at my local supermarket.  I took it home, left it in refrigerator until dinner time, and then fired up the grill. I use a charcoal grill, I prefer that over gas grills.  After the grill is ready, put the lobster flat on a cutting board, just as if it were lying at the bottom of the ocean, and split the lobster down the back (that is to say, the top of the lobster) from head to tail, but do not cut all the way through, leave it open like a hinge.  Put butter on the exposed flesh, some lemon if you wish, parsley or spinkle lightly with oregano.  Put it on the grill flesh side down, flip it over and be sure you do not cook it too long, or the lobster will become to tough and chewy.  If you are cooking it yourself, do not boil it all the way, pull it out just before its done and put it on the grill. If you bought it already cooked, do not keep it on the grill as long, just long enough to get it hot, melt the butter, and get that wonderful grilled taste.  Believe me, you will never want lobster any other way once you have tried it like this.

FACTS: More than half the lobsters eaten in the US come from Maine. European Lobsters are more elegant than American lobsters and are actually have a blue pigment to them.  Something very interesting about lobsters.  Lobsters shed their shells, when they do, they "bulk up" on seawater, they swell up then grow another shell.  The problem is, when you cook them, they shrink to their actual size and the water comes out, so you want to choose your lobster carefully.  A 5 pound lobster is about 20 years old.  

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