What is the purpose of allowing cooked lobster to rest briefly off the heat before serving?
Answer
It allows the juices to redistribute slightly while carryover heat finishes the setting process.
Resting is a crucial, often overlooked step in achieving optimal succulence. When lobster is pulled from the heat, especially when removed near the lower end of the doneness spectrum ($135^{\circ}\text{F}$ to $140^{\circ}\text{F}$), the carried-over residual heat continues the cooking process slightly. Simultaneously, allowing the meat a few minutes off the heat enables internal moisture and juices, which may have been highly concentrated during the cooking phase, to redistribute evenly throughout the muscle fibers, thus preventing immediate dryness upon cracking.
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