How to Cook a Lobster

Use water that's as close to seawater as it can be - extremely salty or, better yet, seawater itself. And don't use that much: put three or four inches in the pot, and when the water is steaming like mad, add the lobster. A pound-and-a-quarter lobster takes about nine minutes. Afterward, don't shock it in ice water. That makes the meat tougher. Just let it cool down.

- Dave Pasternack, Esca, NY