How to Clean Lobster: Tips for Cleaning Lobster

While you can buy lobster meat at seafood markets and some grocery stores, it’s often pricy and not as fresh as meat from just-cooked lobsters. Here’s how to go from live lobster to a pile of fresh lobster meat that you can use to make everything from lobster rolls to Chef Gordon Ramsay’s famous lobster ravioli.

1. 1. Purchase a fresh lobster. When choosing a live lobster, you’ll have the option of a soft-shell lobster or a hard-shell lobster. Soft-shell lobsters have recently shed their old shells to make room for new ones—the shells are thinner, so they’re easier to crack and pick, and the meat is more tender and delicate. Hard-shell lobsters have tough outer shells that can be more difficult to crack, and their meat is firmer and meatier. Whichever you choose, look for lobsters that are strong and lively. To ensure freshness, pick up the lobster by its upper body. The best lobster will hold its claws above its head; the claws should not droop.
2. 2. Place it in the freezer. Place the live lobster in the freezer for twenty minutes to slow its movements and numb it. After removing it from the freezer, use a chef’s knife to slice lengthwise through the head, or submerge the lobster in water over low heat, and bring it to a boil.
3. 3. Cook it on the stovetop or grill. There are several ways to cook lobster, including boiling, steaming, grilling, and poaching. One of the more common methods of cooking lobster is to place it in a large pot filled with boiling water and sea salt, as demonstrated in Chef Thomas Keller’s classic lobster boil. The cooking time ranges from ten to twenty minutes, depending on the lobster’s size. Remove the cooked lobster from the water with tongs and submerge it in cold water to halt the cooking process.
4. 4. Remove the tail. Once the lobster has cooled enough to handle, hold the lobster tail close to the top, then twist and separate it from the rest of the body. Use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to split the underside of the tail lengthwise and open the tail shell. Pull the meat from the end of the tail in one piece. Remove and discard the dark intestinal vein running down the back of the tail. Pull off each of the tail fins and extract the small bits of meat tucked away in the ends using a small fork or pick.
5. 5. Crack the claws. Twist and pull the claws from the lobster’s body. Using a lobster cracker, pull the smaller part of the claw all the way back until it separates. Using a small fork, remove the claw meat from within. Break the larger part of the claw with a cracker and pull the claw meat out with your fingers or a fork.
6. 6. Extract meat from the knuckles. Use a cracker to break open the appendages that connect the claws to the lobster’s body. A seafood fork or pick is useful for emptying the small cavities inside.
7. 7. Remove the legs. Pull the legs from the body. You can either roll the meat out of the legs with a rolling pin, or consume it directly by sucking the meat straight from the shell.
8. 8. Crack open the head and body. Using a lobster cracker or your hands, break open the main body of the lobster. The main body is the most complex part of the lobster, and it requires some extra attention. Discard the pale papery gills from the sides of the body and throw away the gritty stomach sac (aka sand sack) located just behind the eyes. Scoop out the tomalley, a green substance you can use in seafood recipes or spread on crackers or bread. (If you’re unsure where the lobster came from, it’s safest to discard the tomalley, as it stores environmental toxins in the lobster’s body.)
9. 9. Remove the roe. If you have a female lobster, there may be eggs (or roe) located at the base of the main body where it meets the tail. The roe is a delicacy, which you can either eat straightaway or scoop out and save for a sauce or fish stock. Use a small fork to remove all remaining meat from inside the lobster’s body cavity.

To avoid injury, keep the claws of a live lobster bound by rubber bands at all times. Here’s what else to know when cleaning lobster:

1. 1. Store live lobsters properly. To store a live lobster, wrap it in damp newspaper or seaweed and store it upright in a paper bag in the refrigerator. You can store live lobsters in your refrigerator for up to one night before cooking them.
2. 2. Wear a bib. Cleaning lobster is messy business. Wear a bib or apron to protect your clothing from flying shell fragments, seafood debris, and melted butter. Cleaning a whole lobster requires getting your hands dirty, so a roll of paper towels for cleanup is helpful.
3. 3. Use the right tools. A lobster cracker, nutcracker, or mallet makes breaking through the tough shell much easier. Kitchen shears are useful for removing legs and revealing tail meat. A seafood fork or skewer can help get at the smaller bits of meat in tiny cavities.
4. 4. Refrigerate any leftover meat. You can refrigerate leftover cooked lobster in an airtight container for three to five days. The sooner you use it, however, the better it will taste.
5. 5. Use the shells to make seafood stock. While you can’t eat lobster shells, you can use the picked-over shells as a base for stock used in seafood recipes.

To perfect the mother sauces and make French cuisine at home, you must master essential cooking techniques. Discover Chef Thomas Keller’s approach to setting up a home kitchen and sourcing quality ingredients like fish and clams when you sign up for the MasterClass Annual Membership.