Tackling lobster: You're faced with a clawed creature on your plate ... now what? [photos + video] (2024)

A lobster, a pot of boiling, salted water and a chef’s knife with some heft.

No fancy tools or ingredients needed — though a little melted butter for lobster meat dipping won’t hurt.

The United States and Canada, combined, are the source of more than half of the lobster consumed globally, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.And the weight of all “landings,” or catches, has increased dramatically since 1980, more than doubling worldwide.

Most Americans who consume lobster order it in a restaurant — but, says Jeff Stauffer, it’s a relatively simple food to prepare, and prepare well, at home.

Just in time for National Lobster Day on Friday, Stauffer, the longtime seafood buyer for Stauffers of Kissel Hill Fresh Foods, demonstrated how to accomplish one of the most intimidating tasks for lobster novices:

Extracting the sweet meat from a lobster’s shell without mangling the whole process or sending shell fragments flying.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How do you prep the lobster for cooking?

One of the most important aspects is to take the rubber band off the claw first. Then you don’t get any of that rubber band “flavoring” in the water. You just get that lobster flavor.

What do you put in the boiling water?

Just a little salt. Gives it that flavor. When we get live lobsters (from New England), they come with newspaper in the bottom of the box. It used to be seaweed, and we’d take that seaweed — it’s kind of brown — and drop it in the water. It would get green, and gives (lobster) that great, great (ocean) flavor.

What’s the clue that the lobster is cooked? When it turns red?

The (upper) shell turns red pretty quick. And then oftentimes, the bottom of the shell (takes a little longer). It doesn’t matter if you cook it a little longer ... lobster is kind of forgiving. It’s not like some fish, where you want to make sure it’s not overdone or underdone.

What’s the process you use to get the meat out of its shell?

(summarized answer):

First grab a large, sharp chef’s knife. Then:

1. Flip the lobster onto its back, exposing its underside.

2. Bend the tail back until it’s flat on the cutting surface. Make a vertical cut through the underside, from the lower legs to the tail, slicing through the meat, until you hit the shell on the other side. Use your hands to fold the two sides open and pull out the tail meat.

3. Using the heel of the knife, give each claw a couple of firm hits until you get a crack in the shell. Grab each of the front claws at its base, close to the lobster’s body, and pull or twist off.

4. Using your hands, firmly snap open each claw at the crack’s “fault line,” and remove meat.

5. The widest part of the leg, or knuckle, looks like a sphere. Give it a couple smacks with the knife and extract the chunk of “tremendously flavorful” meat inside. Twist or snap open the rest of the front claw legs, and remove any meat.

6. Repeat the process with the other claw.

7. Take each of the smaller legs, snap it off the body and break it apart at the knuckle. Then grip the shell in your teeth and suck out the meat and juices.

What parts do people find intimidating to eat?

Well, when I pulled the tail (meat) out (while demonstrating), there there were these red things — the eggs, the roe. Or you get green stuff; that’s the tomalley (liver). It’s green and gooey. People just get turned off by it, but it’s phenomenal.

The body doesn’t really have enough meat to bother with?

Not at all. There is a little meat at the base of each leg, but it’s hardly worth (getting).

Are there typical mistakes home cooks make when preparing lobster?

Well, I’ve had people tell me they tried to grill their lobster, and they put it on the grill live, and it crawled off — that’s a bad mistake. Don’t do that!

What’s another way to cook a lobster, besides boiling inside its shell?

You take a lobster — not a live lobster; you kill it first — then cut it in half the whole way down, tip to tail and pull that apart. So what you’re left with is both people get tail meat and a claw.

Then, in the body cavity here you take out all the (organs) and put in a crab cake. (You’ll have to) kind of shape it into an oblong to fit. Then you put it in the oven at 350 (degrees) for about 15 minutes, maybe 20, until the crab cake is done. ... What you’re left with is a unique presentation. You’ve got your tail meat, the claw, the crab ... phenomenal.

Do you ever do anything with the shells when you’re done?

I don’t — but you can boil it off; you get a lot of the flavoring (in the liquid), then strain it good.