
You'll need:
- A nutcracker
- A small lobster fork
Eating the legs
- Grasp the lobster by its back and gently twist the legs to detach them at the base.
- Break the legs at the joints and suck on the ends to savor the meat and lobster juice.
- Use your lobster fork to remove strings of meat.
Eating the arms and claws
- Twist the claws so they come away from the lobster at their base, and break off each arm from its claw at the point of connection.
- Use your lobster fork to remove the meat inside the arm. You may have to open up the shell with the nutcracker to get at the meat fully.
- The claw looks like a mitten, with a "thumb" opposing the rest of the claw. Separate the thumb from the claw with your fingers — then, you can usually pull the meat from the thumb by pulling it out with your lobster fork.
- To get the claw meat, use your nutcracker to crack and remove the tip of the claw.
- Insert a finger or your lobster fork into the hole at the tip of the claw, and push the meat out of the hole you've made at the wrist.
Eating the tail
- With one hand, firmly grasp the top of the lobster's back. With the other hand, grasp the lobster's tail in the same way.
- Twist the two parts of the lobster in opposite directions until they separate. At this point, you have a choice of two different ways to get at the tail meat.
Tip: Before eating the tail, peel off the digestive tract — it runs down the middle of the back of the tail.
Method 1
- The underside of the tail is covered in a white or translucent plastic-like material. Use a sharp knife to cut down the middle of the tail underside, along its length.
- Split the tail open and remove the meat.
Tip: Start at the wide end of the tail and work your way down to the fan.
Method 2
- At the end of a lobster's tail, you'll see the fan — it looks like a cluster of mini flippers. Pull these flippers off of the tail to create a narrow hole at the end of the tail.
- Insert a finger — or your lobster fork — into this narrow hole, and push the tail meat through the widest section of the tail.
Tip: Each section of the tail fan contains a bit of delicious meat. Break open the shell of each section and snag the meat with your lobster fork.
More cooking delights