GOING FOR SPINY LOBSTER IN FLORIDA

Spiny lobsters are Florida’s answer to the Maine lobsters except without the claws. They hide in dens during the day and forage at night. They are usually caught in traps that are laid out overnight.

Although the Keys are the most productive of all harvesting, Central/North Florida are known to house the largest of the species. Here at Wild Ocean we’ve seen lobster as big as 8 pounds (where as in the keys they usually run 1 lb each).

Spiny lobsters are super versatile since they are firm and sweet. They hold in soups, seared, broiled, grilled, steamed, etc. One of our favorite ways is to split the lobster tail, take the meat out and flatten it on top of the lobster and broil it. Since most of the local caught lobsters are large, it’s best to split the meat and flatten it so it cooks evenly. Lobster is too expensive to not cook correctly.

Pro Tip – buy the whole lobster, have the fishmonger tail it for you and tell them you want to keep the head in a separate bag. You can take the head home and prepare it to make the most amazing lobster stock. In fact, when making lobster bisque most of the flavor comes from the stock than the meat itself. Remember that the tail is only a third of the whole lobster weight.

Remember, as spring approaches so does the end of spiny lobster season; it closes on March 31st. Our suggestion? Enjoy them while you can because the season doesn’t  re-open until August.  Wild Ocean Seafood Market is the spot to pick them up locally.

Author: Cinthia Sandoval, Wild Ocean Market

Get the GPS coordinates for WILD OCEAN here