Warm Vs. Cold Water Lobster Tails

Sweet, firm lobster meat is a treat in many cuisines. Spiny lobsters are harvested from both cold and warm waters. Clawed lobsters come from cold water and are favored for their sweeter, firmer, more tender meat.

Cold Water Lobsters

• Both spiny and clawed lobsters are harvested from the north Atlantic and off the coast of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Spiny lobsters from Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and South Africa are cold water lobsters. Also called rock lobsters, they have a bumpy, spiny shell, long antennae and meatier tails than clawed lobsters. The more popular clawed lobster has two large meat-filled claws. It is caught on both sides of the north Atlantic, the European lobster from the northeastern Atlantic, and the American lobster, or Maine lobster, from the eastern coast of North America.

Warm Water Lobsters

• Warm water lobsters are caught near California, Florida, the Mediterranean, South Pacific, Caribbean, New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Spiny lobsters taken from some of these areas may be marketed as warm water lobsters. They usually have small yellow flecks on their shell and yellow bands on their tail. Although the tails are meatier, it isn't as firm and may taste fishier.

How to Buy

• If buying live lobster, choose the most active one in the tank. Avoid frozen tails with gray or spotted meat or a fishy odor.