How To Cook And Open A Lobster
How To Cook And Open A Lobster.
Equipment
- 1 stockpot 8-16 quart with a tight-fitting lid
- 1 meat mallet
- 1 lobster cracker
- 1 lobster pick
- 1 cutting board Meat-safe
- 1 dish towel
Ingredients
- 1 2-pound lobster Live
- 1 1/2 quarts water
- 2 tbsps kosher salt
- 5 sprigs fresh tarragon
Instructions
- Let's get back to cooking and opening a lobster. Once I bring the lobster(s) home, I make sure they are kept in the bag with some crushed ice. You want to cook them as soon as possible. Before placing them into the pot of salted boiling water, I put them to sleep. This is something I learned working at a seafood restaurant.Place the lobster face (head) down on a counter, tail end in the air. Cross their arms and claws, then rub the backside (the thorax) of their shell, in an up and down motion. In about 45 seconds, their legs and antennae will stop moving. The lobster will then be asleep. Balancing on their heads, by themselves on the counter. If you want to see how this is done, just Google "How to put a lobster to sleep, and there are videos available.In a large stockpot of boiling salted water, add the sprigs of fresh tarragon. Next, I place the sleeping lobster, headfirst, immediately into the pot. You'll notice that the lobster is not completely submerged. I prefer to let the steam, along with the water, cook the lobster. Place a tight-fitting lid on the pot. Using a dishtowel, I hold on to the lid for about 10 seconds before letting go.Once cooked, I lift the lobster using large tongs to release any excess water. Next, I place the lobster in a large plastic container to cool before removing the meat.Once cooled, take off the rubber bands from the claws. I remove the arms with the claws. Next, I twist off the tail to release it from the body, also known as the thorax. Discard the thorax.There are two ways you can remove the meat from the tail. The first is to bend it in a backward direction. Now the very end of the tail meat is showing. Use a pair of scissors and cut down the inner side of the tail to release the meat. The other way is to squeeze the tail together until you hear the backside snap. Turn the tail over, so the underbelly is facing upward. Using two hands, split the tail open.There is a piece that needs to be removed on the outer side of the tail meat. It's fibrous, just discard it. You'll notice a green paste-like substance known as *Tomalley. Rinse off the *Tomalley using warm water. The tail is now clean and done. Next, the claws.This is where a good pair of lobster crackers comes in handy. Another great tool is the meat mallet. One of the claws is larger and harder to break than the other. You may need some help with that one; that's why I mentioned using a meat mallet.Lay a towel over the larger claw and strike it once. That should put a crack into the claw and make it easier to remove the meat in one piece. When using the crackers, be careful not to crack the meat, just the shell. This is to ensure the meat will come out in one piece. The arms can be a bit tricky; they have knuckles, and meat can get caught. There are lobster picks available to make that job easier.There you have it, my How to Cook and Open a Lobster.
Notes
1) Fill a large bowl with warm water to remove the *Tomalley.
2) *Tomalley is a green substance (lobster paste) found in the body cavity of lobsters that fulfills the functions of both the liver and the pancreas.
3) The only changes for the final dishes in the last 2 pictures of this post are the addition of cooked lobster and fresh tarragon for a Seafood Pasta Over Linguine.
4) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.