Lobster is a delicious crustacean that can be intimidating to eat, especially if you’ve never tackled a whole lobster before. With its hard shell, claws, legs, and tail, it may seem daunting to properly extract all the sweet, succulent meat. But armed with the right techniques and tools, eating lobster can be simple, fun, and satisfying. In this article, I’ll walk you through the proper steps for eating lobster, from preparation to getting every last bit of meat out of the shell.
Supplies You’ll Need
- Cooked lobster – either steamed, boiled, or grilled
- Cracking tool – a lobster cracker, small hammer, or nut cracker
- Small fork or lobster pick
- Seafood scissors (optional)
- Small bowl for lobster meat
- Drawn butter, lemon wedges
- Napkins or wet wipes
- Bib (optional but recommended)
Step 1: Twist Off the Tail
Once your lobster is cooked, start by twisting the tail off the body Hold the tail in one hand and the body in the other Twist gently in opposite directions until the tail separates.
Set the tail aside for now and move on to the claws and legs
Step 2: Remove the Claws
The claws contain a good amount of meat, so you’ll want to tackle them next Wiggle and twist the claws until they detach from the body You may need to use a bit of force.
If the claws won’t detach easily, you can use the back of your knife or kitchen shears to cut through the joints.
Step 3. Crack the Claws
Now comes the fun part – cracking the claws open to get to the sweet meat inside.
Start with the smaller tip of the claw. Use your cracking tool to break the shell. Twist off the shell and remove any meat.
For the larger part of the claw, place it on a steady surface. Use the cracking tool to break the shell in several spots. Then pull apart the cracked shell and remove the meat in one piece if possible.
Use a lobster pick or fork to get any remaining meat out of the empty shells and joints.
Step 4. Remove the Legs
The legs can contain tasty meat too. Twist and pull each leg out of the body. Use the back of a knife or kitchen shears to crack the thin shell open. Pull out any meat.
You can also use a rolling pin to press the legs to push out the meat.
Step 5. Open the Tail
Now go back to the lobster tail you removed earlier. There are a few ways to extract the tail meat:
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Use seafood scissors to cut along the back of the tail shell. Pry open the shell and remove the meat.
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For a dramatic presentation, use your hands to crack open the tail shell by putting pressure on the sides. The tail meat should come out in one solid piece.
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You can also keep the meat in the shell and use a fork or pick to pull bites of meat straight from the tail.
Make sure to remove the digestive tract that runs along the back of the tail meat.
Step 6. Extract Meat from the Body
The body (carapace) still contains tasty morsels of lobster goodness. Twist and pull to remove the carapace from the head and discard the head.
Inside the body you’ll find the liver or tomalley (green substance), as well as white meat along the sides. Use a fork, pick, or small spoon to scoop out the interior meat and tomalley.
Avoid the stomach sac located near the head and the feathery gills along the sides.
Step 7: Enjoy Your Lobster Meat
You did it! Arrange the extracted lobster meat on a plate or in a bowl. Serve with drawn butter, lemon wedges, or other dipping sauces of your choice.
Don’t forget to suck the flavorful juices out of the empty legs and claws!
Now relax and celebrate conquering your lobster with satisfaction. Just be sure to have plenty of napkins on hand for the inevitable messy fingers and face.
Lobster Eating Tips
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Go slow and take your time. Don’t rush this delicacy.
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Use bibs and napkins to contain the mess. Enjoy getting your hands dirty!
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Watch out for stray shell pieces mixed in with the meat.
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If you’re squeamish about certain parts, feel free to skip them. The tail, claws and legs have the most abundant meat.
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Share the experience with others! Eating lobster is more fun as a social occasion.
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Pair your lobster with melted butter, lemon, or even Worcestershire sauce for dipping.
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Suck or squeeze out all the flavorful juices left in the empty shells.
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If needed, use a lobster cracker, mallet, or your hands to break the shells. But try not to crush the meat.
I hope these tips help you feel more confident about properly eating lobster from start to finish. It just takes having the right tools, techniques, and patience to extract all of the sweet, delicious meat from this special seafood treat. So grab your bib and cracker, and get ready for a fun, tasty lobster feast!
① Separate the Tail from the Body
If you want to eat a whole lobster that has just been steamed, you’ll have to first act like a serial killer and cut the tail off of the body. Lucky for us, once a lobster is cooked, all you have to do to get its tail off is twist its two halves apart.
You might encounter a green substance known as the tomalley, which essentially acts as the lobsters liver. Though some view it as a briny, sought-after delicacy, its something to eat with caution as its job is to filter out various toxins. Luckily, its easy to just brush off.
(But were just too afraid to ask)
It’s a must to break open a freshly steamed lobster tail, whether you’re at an end-of-summer clambake, wearing a cheesy bib at your favorite chain restaurant (don’t forget the cheddar biscuits), or steaming a pair for date night in your own kitchen.
Unfortunately, learning how to crack open a crustacean wasn’t really a life skill that was taught in school. That’s why we’re showing you how to do it. So you can get the most for your money (and avoid any dinnertime embarrassment).
How to Shell and Eat A Whole Lobster
How do you eat a lobster?
Eating lobster can be quite an undertaking, so it’s best to know all of your lobster tools (and how and when to use them) before you dig in. Use a lobster pick to extract meat from the shell, and use a nutcracker to crack open the claws.
How do you eat lobster claws?
How you eat the claws is a matter of personal preference—once the meat is out of the shell, you can eat it with a fork or your hands. The same goes for the knuckle meat and any meat that may be in the body cavity. Since lobster legs are small, the best way to eat them is to suck the meat out with your mouth.
How do you eat lobster legs?
“The legs are thin, but depending on the size of the lobster, they can have a good deal of tasty meat,” King says. “You can use a rolling pin or wine bottle to push the meat out of the legs onto a flat surface. You can also just dip the legs in some drawn butter and suck on the legs to pull the meat out this way.” 4. Tackle the body
How do you eat a lobster tail?
Hold the lobster body in one hand and the tail in the other hand and twist the tail away from the body and remove. Bend the tail fins off the tail piece. Use a seafood fork to pick the small pieces of meat from the fin. Place the tail on its side on a flat surface, like a cutting board or cooking sheet (to collect the juices.)