Brendan McAninch

Every year Brendan, Ellie and the kids join Brendan’s s whole family in  Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where Brendan’s Dad owns an historic house and barn.  It’s close to the sea, so they catch crabs and lobsters for a wonderful summer beach party, complete with grilled corn on the cob and local breads. Serve melted butter for the corn, bread, and lobster. Ellie makes a great tomato, basil and buffalo mozzarella salad dressed with great olive oil and balsamic vinegar to round out the meal.

For 6 people:

• 3 lobsters, 2 pounds each
• ¼ lb. Butter to melt

In a large kettle, bring water to a rolling boil. Add the lobsters, cover and boil 20 minutes or until they are bright red and the long head–feelers can be pulled from the sockets easily.

Cooking a lobster:
If you object to steaming a live lobster, you can kill them almost instantly by plunging a knife into the head between the eyes, or sever the spinal cord by making a small incision in the back of the shell at the juncture of the chest and tail. Brendan’s Dad is a surgeon, but they usually just toss them in. Yes, they do scream sometimes, wouldn’t you?