Learn How to Eat Lobster

I cannot imagine Maine vacations without fresh Maine lobster - steamed or boiled - and I am sure that I am not alone. However, for the many people who have not yet had a chance to learn how to eat lobster, the savory taste of this world famous crustacean may remain only in their imagination.

Which is sad, since eating lobster is easy...

...and should not be intimidating.  Basically...

...you need directions on how to break a lobster apart - detaching the lobster claws, the lobster tail, and the legs from its body, and then...

...learn how to crack the lobster claws and tail, and what to do with the legs to get to the delicious meat that lays within.

And trust me, the end result is WELL worth the effort!

You may also be interested in:
Maine Lobster Picture, Maine Lobster Recipes, Maine Lobster Season

Directions for Eating Lobster From a Shell

If you have learned how to cook lobster, or are finally ready to order lobster in a restaurant, great for you! But now...

...you need to learn how to eat lobster! Although at first it may seem challenging - don't worry - it gets easier with each lobster you eat and the reward for your work will be beyond comparison.

Everyone has their own method as to how to eat lobster. Below is mine...

I prefer to do my "work" before I begin eating. Other people like to nibble as they take their lobster apart. But, whichever way you choose for eating lobster, keep in mind...

...that a boiled lobster, and to some extent a steamed lobster, retain water when cooked, and as you break the lobster apart it will "leak". Keeping it over a plate, or a sink (if eating lobster at home), will help ensure that you stay dry.

Note... If you are dining out and order a Maine lobster from the menu, some restaurants serve lobster (steamed and boiled lobsters), with the claws and tail already removed, and cracked. Others may break a lobster apart for you if requested to do so - just ask your server.

And don't worry about making a mess when learning how to eat lobster...

...you will likely be provided with a lobster bib and plenty of moist towelettes!

1. Hold the lobster by the back, and with a twisting motion, gently break off the legs. DO NOT discard.


2. Break off the two claws (the pincher/tearing claw and the larger crusher claw), by holding the back of the lobster firmly, and gently twisting the claws at the point where they attach to the body.


3. To remove the lobster tail, grasp the tail in one hand, and the back of the lobster in the other. Twist in opposite directions.

Tip on how to eat lobster... A lobster cracker, or nut cracker, may be used for leverage when removing claws from a lobster. Also, since a cooked lobster can be very hot, you may want to use a napkin, or towel, to hold the shell as you break the lobster apart.

1. Remove the knuckle (the small flexible piece) from the larger portion of the claw. With a lobster pick, a nut pick, or cocktail fork remove the tiny pieces of knuckle meat.


2. Using a lobster cracker, or nut cracker, crack the lobster claws. To reach all of the claw meat, you may need to crack the claw in several places. Remove the meat with a lobster pick, nut pick, or cocktail fork.

There are several ways to remove meat from a lobster tail. The first method is the one that I use at home, the second I use when dining out.

1. Rest the back of the lobster tail (the shell side) across the palm of your hand and squeeze the edges inward until you hear a cracking sound. Then, with the underside of the tail facing upwards, pull the sides in opposite directions, exposing the meat. The meat can then be easily removed with fingers and/or a fork. Or...
   


2. Place the tail on its shell side. Hold it down firmly. Work a fork in between the tail meat and the shell. Once the meat begins to loosen, tug it firmly with the fork, holding the tip of the tail with your other hand.

Last, but not least...

Although there is not much meat in the lobsters legs, the tiny morsels that are there, are very juicy, sweet and delicious. You can get to them by either breaking the leg shells open with your hands, or as I prefer...

...simply put an open end of the leg into your mouth, and suck on it as you would a straw.

Also, where the legs were removed from the body, are "pockets", and in them is "pocket meat". Use a lobster pick, a nut pick, or a cocktail fork, to be sure you everything out of the pockets!

The remainder of your lobster...

...the mouth parts, antennae, antennules, and rostrum (or beak), are all inedible.

But there is nothing more savory than dipping your edible lobster meat into drawn (melted) or clarified butter, and letting the sweet, salty taste awaken your taste buds.

Reheating cooked lobster...
It has not happened often, but every once in a while I have ordered more Maine lobster than I can eat. The nice thing is that you can reheat lobster. Just warm it in a saucepan, with a little bit of melted butter. Leftovers will taste just as good a when the lobster was fresh cooked.

Can you Eat Lobster Tomalley?

By the time you have broken your lobster apart, you no doubt have come across the "green stuff". What is it? The lobster's liver, or more accurately, the lobster's digestive system - otherwise known as "tomalley".

Although many people like to eat tomalley, there has been debate over whether it is healthy to do so. According to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute website...

...it probably isn't a good idea (to eat tomalley) because this is where pollution in the lobster's own meal choices would become concentrated in the lobster's body."

And as for the "red stuff" that can be found inside some lobsters...

...it is roe, which is the unfertilized eggs of a female lobster. Once considered a delicacy, lobster roe is now commonly discarded.

My lobster eating suggestion...
Learn how to eat lobster at home, or at a casual Maine seafood restaurant, or lobster shack. You may feel less intimidated this way. And remember, everyone (if they are lucky) eats their first succulent lobster sometime!