Eating lobster, cracking the shell and searching for the sweet, prized meat is a New England ritual. Eating live Maine lobster can be a little intimidating. Don’t worry; you’ll learn how to eat Maine lobster like a native in no time!
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Cracking Into a Cooked Lobster
Taking a lobster apart before eating is an art. It involves protecting your clothing with a lobster bib and napkins, and taking the time to crack the lobster open, and remove the meat from the tail, claws, and legs. This whole process can be messy, and it may leave you behind others dining with you who are not so brave. You may have to adjust to the idea of finishing last.
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Banded Claws
You will notice the claws of your Maine lobster have been banded. These should be removed before the lobster is eaten, but not before the live lobster is steamed. The bands are placed on the lobster for two reasons: The first is to protect whoever handles the lobster from the powerful claws. The second is to protect the lobster from other lobsters.
Lobsters are traditionally cooked by steam or boiling water. Some folks believe putting a bottle of beer or other special ingredients in the water makes for a tastier lobster. For cooking instructions be sure to review our seafood cooking and handling guide.
What Parts of the Lobster Are Edible
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Lobster meat is found within the large front claws, knuckles, legs, tail, fin and within the body.
The tail offers the most meat and is saved until last by many lobster lovers. Remember, the smaller the piece of meat, the sweeter, so it is often worth the extra time to find the little morsels! The Knuckle meat tastes extra sweet and is a natural for lobster salad. Claw meat can be used in salads, too.
Is any part of the lobster poisonous? You can eat almost every single part of the lobster depending on who you ask. The FDA recommends you stay away from the Tomalley ( green stuff) and we recommend you take out the digestive tract, in the tail. It will be a black line, which looks like a vein.
Save the Lobster Shells
And don’t throw out the shells. They can be used as a flavoring for soup or to make lobster bisque. Note: The greenish-gray “stuff” inside the lobster’s head is called the tomalley. Some people consider it a delicacy. The “red stuff” that you sometimes see inside a lobster are immature, unfertilized eggs. Although red after cooking, before they are cooked, the eggs are black. The eggs are also called spawn, roe, or coral. It’s caviar to lobster enthusiasts.
Get Ready. Crack. Eat Lobster!
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It’s easiest to remove the meat while the lobster is still warm. Eating lobster with fresh lemon juice or melted butter is the usual way to enjoy a meal. There are many recipes that can be added to a lobster dinner, and we recommend that you browse through some of our lobster recipes on our site for ideas.
Tip for Getting the Meat Out: If you are at home, use a rolling pin to push the meat out of the legs.
Now take the plunge and don a lobster bib and get ready to crack, eat and enjoy one of the most wonderful food experiences ever. Tools to use:
- Nutcracker or kitchen shears
- Seafood fork or small fork
- Lobster bibs
- Plenty of wet naps
- Large bowl to discard the shells
- Newspaper to cover table or towel to work over
- Small bowl of melted butter.
- Chefs Knife
- Your Bare Hands!
Be sure you allow the lobster to cool down before handling and before you get cracking!
Crack open the lobster by piercing the underside with a sharp knife or crack with lobster crackers. Then, gently pull apart the lobster. Alternatively you could crack the lobster first and then bake or grill the meat with butter and spices.
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