Seafood is a tasty delicacy that is best when eaten fresh and prepared well. Among the popular types of seafood are lobsters. The thought of lobsters probably makes you crave them being cooked with delicious spices and dipped in savoury sauces.
Before cooked lobsters enter your mouth, you go through a series of shell-cracking and meat-pulling. After all, live lobsters are stubborn crustaceans that can be tricky to prepare. If you’re planning to cook a homemade lobster recipe, extracting their meat could be challenging because of their thick shells.
Cleaning fresh lobsters can be complicated. If you’re a beginner at it, read this helpful guide to making a delicious lobster dish.
Steps in Cleaning Live Lobsters
You must handle your live lobster with proper care. One wrong move and you’re likely to remove the tastiest parts and leave the unpleasant ones. Below are the proper steps to follow when cleaning live lobsters.
Step 1: Choose what lobsters you want
A live lobster for sale may have soft or hard shells. If you want to crack the body quickly, choose a soft-shell one. This lobster type has thinner shells with more tender and delicate meat.
Opting for a hard-shell type can be complicated because it has a rigid body. However, it can be easy to crack open with the right tools. Nonetheless, its meat is rich and firm.
Whichever you prefer, it all boils down to picking the freshest lobsters. You will know if you got a catch if the claws don’t droop when you hold one.
Step 2: Numb the lobsters by freezing
Before all the cutting, place your live lobster in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. Freezing helps numb it, slowing its movements. Once the time has elapsed, take it out and drain any excess water. You may start cutting lengthwise from the head or cook it immediately.
Step 3: Cook the lobster
After numbing the live lobster, cooking can be an option. You can do this by boiling, steaming, grilling, or poaching. These lobster cooking methods have different time requirements ranging from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size. Remove the cooked lobster with tongs when done, then soak it in cold water.
Step 4: Twist and pull the claws and tail
When the lobster has cooled down, get out its meat by twisting and pulling its claws and tail. After separating the tail, cut lengthwise using a sharp knife. Pull the whole meat off and remove the black intestinal vein. This vein is part of the lobster’s digestive system and may have an unpleasant taste.
For claws, do the same twisting and pulling. Pull the claws with a lobster cracker until it separates. Then, extract the meat using your hands or a small fork, whichever works for you.
Step 5: Crack the head and body
The lobster’s head and body are the main parts that may require extra attention. They can be hard to crack, so use a lobster cracker. Upon opening, get rid of the stomach sac and tomalley. You must throw away the tomalley because it contains unsafe environmental toxins.
Tips for Cleaning Live Lobsters
Knowing the steps isn’t enough. You must learn how to clean your live lobsters through these tips.
- Tip #1: Use rubber bands – A lobster’s claws may cause injuries. To prevent this and keep yourself safe, tie them with rubber bands.
- Tip #2: Store your live lobster properly – Storing your live lobster overnight is possible without spoiling the meat. You can do this by wrapping it in newspaper or seaweed and storing it in a paper bag. Then, put it inside the refrigerator.
- Tip #3: Wear an apron – Cleaning your live lobster can be messy. You must wear an apron to shield your clothes from shell debris and lobster blood.
- Tip #4: Use the right tools – Use a lobster cracker, nutcracker, or mallet for tough shells, while kitchen shears work for legs and tails. Additionally, seafood forks or skewers can extract tiny pieces of meat.
- Tip #5: Put the leftover meat in the refrigerator – If you’re not against eating lobster leftovers, you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for three to five days.
- Tip #6: Make seafood stock using the shells – You can’t eat lobster shells, but you can use them in making base stock for other seafood recipes.
Satisfy Your Cravings for Savoury Lobsters
Lobster is tastiest when cooked the right way. However, cleaning it is equally important because that’s how you can make it more flavourful. Satisfy your lobster cravings by following this helpful guide.
