How to Cook a Whole Lobster
User Reviews
5
10 reviews
Excellent
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
24 mins
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Total Time
39 mins
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Course
Others
How to Cook a Whole Lobster
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This guide explains how to cook a live whole lobster safely and effectively by first numbing it in the freezer, then dispatching it swiftly with a knife before steaming it in salted water. Cooking time varies by weight, with smaller lobsters requiring about 7-9 minutes and larger ones up to 24 minutes. The process preserves the lobster's texture and flavor while ensuring humane preparation.
Description
To cook a whole lobster, start by confirming it is alive, indicated by slight movement of antennae and legs. Place the live lobster in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to numb it. Then, using a sharp chef's knife, quickly stab through the lobster's head across the cross line on the carapace to dispatch it humanely. Next, prepare a large pot with salted water containing about two tablespoons of sea or kosher salt per quart and place a steaming rack inside.
Place the lobster in the pot, cover, and steam according to the lobster's weight. Smaller lobsters (around 1 pound) require 7-9 minutes, while larger ones (up to 5 pounds) need 22-24 minutes. The cooked lobster meat is firm, succulent, and retains its natural sweetness. If the roe is present and remains black after cooking, continue cooking until it turns red.
Save lobster shells if desired for making homemade stock; they can be frozen for 3-4 months. Timing and proper dispatch ensure the best texture and flavor while following humane practices.
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Ingredients
- lobster live, whole
- sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
- Kill the lobster
- Make sure your lobster is alive. The antennae and legs should move a little, even after keeping it on ice. If you're not sure. let them warm up on the counter for a few minutes.
- Once you know your lobsters are alive, put them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to numb them up and 'put them to sleep'. They're still alive, but this makes sure they're not active and crawling around (or jumping out the pot like Lobster Rambo). I suggest doing this step whether you kill it by knife or by pot.
- Find the cross line at the top of the lobster's carapace (body). With a sharp chef's knife, quickly stab through the line and push the knife fully through the head to give the lobster a swift and painless death.
- Option 1: Steam the lobsters
- Use a stock pot large enough to comfortably hold the lobsters without crowding, and fill it with water so it comes up sides about two inches. Add in about 2 tbsp sea salt or kosher salt per quart of water. Use a steaming rack to place the lobsters on to steam evenly.
- Bring water back to a rolling boil over high heat. Place lobsters in the pot head first, cover the pot tightly with the lid, and return to a boil as quickly as possible before you start counting the time.
- Steam a lobster for 7 minutes for the first pound. Add 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound.
- Carefully remove lobsters from the pot with tongs. Be careful, they are very hot. Set in a large bowl for five minutes to cool before cracking.
- Option 2: Boil the lobsters
- Fill a pot (large enough to hold the lobsters) anywhere from one-half to two-thirds full with water. Use about 1 gallon of water per lobster so it is deep enough to submerge the lobster by at least 3 inches.
- Add 2 tbsp of sea salt or kosher salt for each quart of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Place the lobsters in one at a time, headfirst, making sure they are completely submerged. Cover the pot tightly with a lid and return to a boil. After the water comes back to a boil, start timing, and keep the water boiling throughout the cooking time. If it boils over, turn down the heat as much as you can without losing the boil.
- Carefully remove lobsters from the pot with tongs. Be careful, they are very hot. Set in a large bowl for five minutes to cool before shelling.
- Shelling the lobster
- First, remove the tails. Gently twist and pull, keeping your fingers on top of the tail, since the bottom has sharp bits. Use those kitchen shears to cut open the top of the shell and gently pull out the meat. Set aside in a medium sized bowl.
- Next is the knuckles and claws. Twist and pull them out from as close to the body as possible. Pop the knuckles from the claws and use those kitchen shears to open the knuckles and remove the meat into the bowl with the tail.
- Remove the thumbs from the claws by gently bending them back and slowly removing them. The blade should pull out with them and hopefully the thumb's meat will stay with the claw. If not, and the meat is in the thumb shell, pick it out with the lobster pickers.
- For the claws, you'll need a sharp chef's knife to gently, swiftly whack the claws (carefully! Don't hurt yourself and don't break through the meat!) We just want a crack in the shell that will allow us to break open the claw and remove all the meat. Carefully remove the meat and set it aside in the bowl.
- Next is the legs. Just like with the knuckles, twist and pull them from the carapace as close as possible. Using the kitchen shears, clip off the little pinchy feet and break the segments apart. Squeeze the meat out of the open ends and place them in the bowl.
- Repeat shelling lobster steps for all lobsters.
- Store the lobster meat in an air tight container for 3-4 days in the fridge, 3-4 months in the freezer.
Notes
- Steam times vary by lobster weight: 1 lb takes 7-9 mins; 1½ lbs 9-11 mins; 2 lbs 11-12 mins; 3 lbs 12-14 mins; 5 lbs 22-24 mins.
- If your lobster has roe that remains black after cooking, it is undercooked; continue cooking until it turns red.
- Discard or rinse out black roe if you do not wish to eat it.
- Freeze lobster shells promptly for up to 3-4 months to make flavorful stock later.
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