How to Boil and Eat Lobster Recipe
It's not summer in New England until you have your first taste of lobster! Cooking lobster at home is the easiest and most fun way to enjoy this classic summer seafood.
How to Make the Best How to Boil and Eat Lobster
It’s not summer in New England until you have your first taste of lobster! This guide to boiling and eating lobster is the easiest and most fun way to enjoy this classic summer seafood. Whether you’re a seasoned lobster lover or trying it for the first time, cooking lobster at home is surprisingly simple and yields restaurant-quality results.
The key to perfectly cooked lobster is starting with plenty of salted, boiling water. The generous salt mimics the ocean’s salinity and brings out the lobster’s natural sweetness. With just 20 minutes from prep to table, you’ll have a delicious, impressive meal that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
Shucking the lobster is half the fun—there’s an art to extracting every bit of tender, succulent meat. From the familiar claws and tail to the hidden gems in the legs and body, this recipe walks you through finding every morsel and enjoying each bite with melted butter and fresh lemon.
How to Boil and Eat Lobster
It's not summer in New England until you have your first taste of lobster! Cooking lobster at home is the easiest and most fun way to enjoy this classic summer seafood.
Ingredients
Main
Instructions
Cooking the Lobster
- Fill a large stock pot with water and salt generously. You'll want a large enough pot that the water will cover the lobsters. Leave at least two inches from the top to avoid boiling over. Cover and bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Grab the lobsters from the back shell, not the claw or tail. Add each lobster to the boiling water head first. Optional: You can freeze the lobsters for 10 to 15 minutes before boiling to limit the amount of kicking.
- Cover the pot and return to a boil. Stir the lobsters halfway through cooking. Cooking times will vary depending on size, about 10 minutes for 1.25-pound lobsters to 15 minutes for 2-pounders.
- After cooking, remove from the water and serve immediately with butter and fresh lemon wedges.
How to Shuck a Lobster
- Serve the lobster on a deep lipped plate with a side bowl for the shells. Remove the arms and claws.
- Crack the claws using the lobster cracker and remove the meat from the bottom. Dip the meat in butter and enjoy or add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Repeat with the knuckles.
- Break the tail from the body and remove the tail meat either by cracking the shell or cutting it with kitchen shears.
- If there is green substance in the tail, this is called 'tomalley' and is the liver and pancreas. It is edible and considered a delicacy.
Finding the Uncommon Meat
- Remove the legs from the body and use the lobster fork to poke the meat through the shell. Meat can be sucked from the fins, antenna, and the head.
- In the body, there is meat along the inside of the shell as well. If there are small, bright red eggs in the body, these are roe and can be eaten as well.
Notes
- Freezing the lobsters for 10 to 15 minutes before boiling can limit the amount of kicking during cooking.
- The tomalley (green substance in the tail) is the liver and pancreas and is considered a delicacy.
- Small, bright red eggs (roe) found in the body are edible.