A Beginner’s Guide To Preparing A Lobster for July 4th

If you find the preparation of live lobsters a daunting one, do not fret as they are really easy to make. Approaching live lobsters should be like approaching corn on the cob – all you need to do is place the product in boiling water and wait for them to cook. The process will take approximately thirty minutes in total when using these step-by-step instructions. It is incredibly simple using a quick tutorial to cook lobster tails and using this guideline you will be able to serve the gourmet lobster for dinner without difficulty!

Step #1: Buy A Fresh Lobster

Lobster is one of the rare food products that need to be cooked from a live state. When purchasing a live lobster, it is essential that you purchase the item from a reliable source and that the lobster is alive when purchased (they are still moving). If you lift a lobster and the tail curls under the body, then the lobster is alive – check for this before paying for the item.

The most well-known type of lobster in the US is the Maine lobster because of their sweet meat. While they are available all year, Maine lobster tends to be more affordable during the spring and summer months. A live lobster generally presents with a mottle green-blue-brown appearance and this needs to be checked before purchase. It is also recommended that you buy the lobster on the day you plan to cook it storing it in seawater or wrapped in a wet cloth over ice in the fridge until cooking.

A top tip when buying a lobster is to purchase a one-pound lobster per person being served. A single lobster tends to provide five to six ounces of meat per serving.

Step #2: Preparation And Boiling Lobsters

For two one-pound lobster, you should bring eight-quarts of salt water to boil in a large twenty-quart kettle with a lid. The size of the kettle or canning pot is vital because the lobster needs to fit in the pot when the lid is closed. Hold the lobster behind the eyes and run it under cold water, then plunge the lobster head-first into the boiling salt water and cover the pot.

Boil for fifteen minutes exactly beginning timing as soon as the lobster enters the water; however, heat may need to be adjusted to maintain a steady boiling temperature. For a larger lobster, you may need to increase the boiling time. Once the boiling has been completed, drain the lobsters.

A top tip when boiling lobsters is that the lobster turns bright red and the tail turns underneath the body when finished; however, you can also pull off legs or long antennae. Legs and antennae should be removed easily when a lobster is boiled correctly.

Step #3: Removing The Meat

When the lobster is cool enough to handle, place it on its back and remove the tail by twisting the body and tail in opposite directions. Using kitchen scissors remove the membrane from the lobster tail and expose the meat. Remove and discord the black vein running throughout the tail and then take the meat from the tail.

Meat from the claws can be removed by pulling the claw meat from the shell with a small tug. Twist the large claws from the body to remove them and break the claw open with a nutcracker. Crack the shell on the remaining body and remove the lobster meat using a small fork.

The video below also shows you how to prepare perfect lobster tails on the grill for July 4th.