This relates to a seafood preparation method and product. More specifically, this relates to lobster tail food products and their method of preparation.
Lobster tails are popular seafood items today. They can be cooked by boiling or steaming them, frequently as part of the cooking of whole lobsters. Also a lobster tail can be separated from the rest of the lobster and cooked by frying, grilling or baking—often with the use of a skewer for assisting in the handling of the food while cooking.
Thus there is a need for improved lobster tail food products and methods for preparing lobster tails for cooking and consumption.
Broadly speaking, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a food product comprising a lobster tail having a sternite, a shell portion generally covering dorsal and lateral sides of the lobster tail, and a meat portion disposed generally adjacent to the shell portion and the sternite. The sternite is split or cut along the length of the lobster tail thereby exposing the meat portion. A wood skewer extends through a proximate sternite portion and into the meat portion so that the skewer exits from the meat portion on or near the opposite meat lateral side at a location that is generally adjacent to a distal sternite portion. The skewer does not pierce or run through the shell portion at any location.
In one aspect, a lobster tail has a shell portion disposed generally on dorsal and lateral sides of the lobster tail, a sternite disposed generally on a ventral side of the lobster tail, and a meat portion disposed generally adjacent to the shell portion. The sternite is cut along an imaginary line generally running the length of the lobster tail thereby splitting at least a portion of the sternite and exposing the meat portion. After the cutting of the sternite, the sternite is comprised of a proximate sternite portion disposed on one side of the imaginary line and a distal sternite portion disposed on another side of the imaginary line. A skewer is pushed through the proximate sternite portion and into the meat portion, so that the skewer does not run through the shell portion.
In another aspect, at least a portion of the meat portion is pulled away from the shell portion after the cutting of the sternite and prior to the pushing of the skewer. That portion of the meat portion is then placed back onto the shell portion.
In another aspect, the skewer is pushed so that it exits from the meat portion at a location that is generally adjacent to the distal sternite portion without running through the shell portion.
In an alternative embodiment a lobster tail has a swimmeret, a shell portion disposed generally on dorsal and lateral sides of the lobster tail, and a meat portion disposed generally adjacent to the shell portion. The swimmeret is pulled in a direction generally away from the meat portion thereby at least partially separating the swimmeret from the lobster tail at a coxa joint and thereby exposing a membrane. A skewer is pushed through the membrane and into the meat portion, so that the skewer does not run through the shell portion
In another aspect a sternite is cut along an imaginary line generally running the length of the lobster tail thereby splitting at least a portion of the sternite and exposing the meat portion. After the cutting of the sternite, the sternite is comprised of a proximate sternite portion disposed on one side of the imaginary line and a distal sternite portion disposed on the other side of the imaginary line. The skewer is pushed so that it exits from the meat portion at a location that is generally adjacent to the distal sternite portion without running through the shell portion
In yet another embodiment, a food product comprises a lobster tail having a sternite, a shell portion disposed generally on dorsal and lateral sides of the lobster tail, and a meat portion disposed generally adjacent to the shell portion and the sternite. At least a portion of the sternite is split along an imaginary line generally running the length of the lobster tail thereby exposing the meat portion and thereby forming a proximate sternite portion disposed on one side of the imaginary line and a distal sternite portion disposed on the other side of the imaginary line. A skewer extends through the proximate sternite portion and into the meat portion. However the skewer does not run through the shell portion at any location.
In another aspect, at least a portion of the meat portion is not attached to the shell portion while disposed on the shell portion.
In another aspect, the skewer extends further through the meat portion so that the skewer exits from the meat portion at a location that is generally adjacent to the distal sternite portion without running through the shell portion.
In another aspect, the meat portion has a proximate meat lateral side and a distal meat lateral side. The skewer extends into the proximate meat lateral side and exits from the meat portion on the distal meat lateral side. The skewer further extends through the distal sternite portion. However the skewer does not extend through the shell portion at any location.
In yet another embodiment, a food product comprises a lobster tail having a shell portion disposed generally on dorsal and lateral sides of the lobster tail, and a meat portion disposed generally adjacent to the shell portion. The lobster tail includes a membrane disposed generally at a location where a swimmeret has been at least partially separated from the lobster tail. A skewer extends through the membrane and into the meat portion. However the skewer does not run through the shell portion at any location.
There are additional aspects to the present inventions. It should therefore be understood that the preceding is merely a brief summary of some embodiments and aspects of the present inventions. Additional embodiments and aspects are referenced below. It should further be understood that numerous changes to the disclosed embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. The preceding summary therefore is not meant to limit the scope of the inventions. Rather, the scope of the inventions is to be determined by appended claims and their equivalents.
These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of certain embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. Disclosed are novel seafood products as well as methods for their preparation. Reference will be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. It is understood that other embodiments may be used and structural and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
According to an embodiment of the invention the sternite 208 is cut along the imaginary line 214 using a band saw, a knife or other cutting instrument. This will result in the splitting of the sternite 208 and the exposing of a meat portion 216 of the lobster tail 200 as shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
While the skewer 222 does not pierce or run through the distal sternite portion 220 in the illustrated embodiment, alternate embodiments include the skewer 222 extending through the distal sternite portion 222, the meat portion 216 and the proximate sternite portion 218 while not running through the shell portion 202 at any location of the shell portion 202.
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
In yet another alternative embodiment to that of
It will further be appreciated that any of the above-described methods and food products can be used so that one or a plurality of skewers can be inserted through one or a plurality of lobster tails thereby sometimes providing convenience of cooking, enhanced food handling, or variations in aesthetically-pleasing food presentation.
In view of the above, it will be appreciated that certain embodiments of the invention overcome many of the long-standing problems in the art by providing a food product comprising a lobster tail having a sternite, a shell portion, and a meat portion. The sternite is split or cut along the length of the lobster tail thereby exposing the meat portion. A wood skewer extends through a proximate sternite portion and into the meat portion so that the skewer exits from the meat portion on or near the opposite meat lateral side at a location that is generally adjacent to a distal sternite portion without running through the distal sternite portion and without running through the shell portion.
While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.