How to Eat Lobster: Step-by-Step Guide for Whole Lobster

Lobster is a crustacean that lives in the ocean; fishermen catch and sell lobster for the morsels of tender meat underneath the creatures’ hard shells. In the United States, cooked lobster is a New England dining staple, with fresh Maine lobster being a local specialty, although people enjoy eating lobster in other parts of the country and the world, too.

When ordering live lobster, you’re sometimes able to choose the sex of your lobster dinner from a tank of live lobsters in the restaurant. Female lobsters tend to have larger tails, which translates to more lobster meat. Sometimes female lobsters have unfertilized eggs, called red roe, located in their tail sections. These are edible, assuming they’re red or orange in color. If they are black, then the chef did not cook the eggs properly along with the rest of the lobster.

After you properly boil or steam a whole lobster, you’re rewarded with its delicious meat. However, a lobster has many different segments, and getting to the meat in each part can require skill. Before you start, you may want to prepare your sides and condiments, such as melted butter. Now here are tips for disassembling and eating the various parts of a cooked whole lobster:

1. 1. Prepare your space. Eating lobster can be a messy experience, so plan accordingly. Gather a bib, napkins, kitchen shears, and even a cutting board. There are numerous tools specifically for assisting with the consumption of lobster, such as lobster crackers, lobster picks, and very small forks. It’s advisable to avoid eating your whole lobster over a nice tablecloth or other areas you wish to keep clean.
2. 2. Start with the claws. Twist each claw to pull it off the body. You should be able to twist further to separate the claws at their joints, with each resulting in four pieces, or four “knuckles.” Use a lobster cracker or lobster hammer (or in a pinch, a nutcracker) to gently crack these open to get to the claw meat. Use only as much pressure as is necessary, since you don’t want to damage or shred the bits of meat. You may find an oyster fork or small fork helpful.
3. 3. Next, remove the tail. The lobster’s tail should come off easily. Pluck off the tail flaps first if they are still attached. Then grip the body with one hand and the tail with the other; twist the two away from each other until they separate. Now pinch the lower part of the soft shell—where the tail flaps were—to release the tail meat. You might be able to poke the tail meat out of the shell with your fingers.
4. 4. Contend with the head and body. Pull the lobster’s top shell off to reveal the body cavity. Consider eating the tomalley—the lobster’s liver and pancreas—which are green and edible. If the lobster is female, there might be black or red roe (eggs) as well. Black roe is not safe to eat, but you can eat red roe. After you scoop out the cavity, you will be able to access the lobster’s rib meat.
5. 5. Snap off the legs. Remove the lobster’s spongy-looking gills, then pull off each leg, sucking each one for its meat and juices. Alternatively, you can work out the leg meat by rolling something hard over it, but it’s just as easy to do with your teeth.

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.