Freezing tails?

[surfer349]

so i got some questions about how to store and save tails for a later date.

How long would you keep a bug alive in your fridge before eating? Then what? What's your method to prepare for storage?

-soft boil first, then freeze?
-freeze the whole bug?
-tail them then freeze?
-freeze surrounded by layer of water (like the other post a few days ago)?
-remove the entire tail from the shell then bag?


My big question is how to avoid freezer burn? Everytime I've bagged the tails for freezeing, the spikes keep poking holes all over the bags, letting air in or leaking water. Maybe take some nail clippers to the spikes?

[goldenapples]

Never done it but was always told to freeze the whole bug their ectoskeleton provides protection against freezer burn.

[MiguelT]

Two days max in the vegetable crisper for fresh, otherwise tail and vacuum seal. Make sure to cover the spines before you vacuum seal... They'll stay fresh for over a year

[chowderpuff]

I would pre-cook for 5 min in boiling water, then plunge into an ice bath, drain and then tail, devein and freeze. I think wire cutters would work better than nail clippers

[LunkerBuster]

i place a small bit of cardboard under the tail and a bit of wax paper to prevent the tail from touching the cardboard, vacuum seal and done...still taste new a year later

[ezcompany]

i heard the best way is to freeze lobster whole

[surfer349]

limits of weener dog size lobsters take up a lot of freezer space if done whole....(i wish)

[Castor]

I just tail, wrap tightly in seran wrap (lots of wraps to keep air out),put them in a zip lock bag and then into the deep freeze. They last a long time this way and still taste fresh.

[deckhandmike]

I cook the bodies first and eat that meat and then tail the lobster to freeze. For freezing I just fill a keg cup with some salted water and put the meat into the water and freeze. Simple and the shell protects the exposed meat just fine.

[Bluewater1]

freeze just the tail and make sure you clean the whole tail ( a straight cut down the center of the tail and take the pop line out) if you are going to do it. then let them defrost or run them under cold water once you pull them out of the freezer. once you have done that then throw them in boiling water and grub them down.

i actually like doing it this way cause when it comes to taking them out of the boiling water they almost just fall right out of the shell.

[Mr Paul]

Originally Posted by MiguelT

Two days max in the vegetable crisper for fresh, otherwise tail and vacuum seal. Make sure to cover the spines before you vacuum seal... They'll stay fresh for over a year

+ 1, rather than covering the spines, i usually just cut them off mine with a pair of Fiskars shears. Either way works though.

[Mobius1]

I tail them snip the tail spines and then tightly wrap in several layers of cellophane then vaccume seal if you can. If you keep more than seven(IE another divers lobster living in the same house) be sure you seperate your limit of 7 from your wives/girlfriends lobsters and mark them as another persons catch just to satisfy technicalities

If you tail them atleast bbq the heads up and eat all that good meat inside the body cavity legs, and knuckels so as not to waste any of your hard earned catch.

[NihilisticMisanthropist]

i like to make soup from the heads, then remove the tailmeat from the shell (raw), and vacuum seal...when i cook the tails, i usually chop and sautee or cook using an immersion method. i dont boil lobsters, though sometimes i will steam or grill them. when i do this it is almost always fresh. i have also frozen them whole with pretty good success.

[Sgt.Byron]

I've had great success with tailing them, cutting off the spines, placing them on a styrofoam plate and vacuum sealing.

Additionally, I've never been very lucky with the whole antenna in the poop-shoot trick. So, I've found it much easier to cut all the way around the anus with my fillet knife and then pull out the entire vein in one swoop after the tail is off.

[mokaction]

You guys are killing me..