How To Cook Live Lobsters
Here's a fun fact: 50% of people who purchase live lobsters don't actually know the proper way to cook them! If this is you, don't feel bad! You are not alone, and we can help! Ever since Maine Lobster Now™ first opened its doors, our customers have been asking us how to perfectly boil, steam, or grill their live lobsters. Cooking and handling live lobsters is part of the fun! We recommend that you start by searching for the perfect Maine lobster within our huge inventory of regular or jumbo lobsters and our mouth-watering lobster dinner side dishes!
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How To Store Live Lobsters Properly Until You're Ready To Cook
It's very important to store your lobsters properly so they don't spoil prior to cooking them. If they are not alive when its time to cook, then the meat will not be edible. The two most important things to keep in mind that keep lobsters alive are temperature and moisture. Here is a list of "Do's and Don'ts". Please keep in mind we guarantee all lobsters will be alive upon arrival, storing lobsters longer than that would be at your own risk. With that said we can give you the best practices for the most successful event! If you have to store lobsters more than 24 hours, we recommend a 2 lb lobster or larger...the larger the better. These larger lobsters hold their temperature and moisture better than smaller lobsters because of their thicker shell. In some wholesale shipment, select sizes (2 lb and larger) will actually live over 48 hours in transit, so 24 hours is a pretty safe bet if stored properly for these sizes.
Lobster Storage Do's
Lobster Storage Don'ts
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![]() How to Store Live Lobster |
Getting Ready To Cook - Things You Should Know Before You Start Cooking Lobsters
Perfectly cooked lobster is very delicious and a great way to impress your guests. However, if not done properly it can be a great expense and ruin the entire evening. We make live lobsters easy to cook. Steaming and boiling are the two most common ways to cook lobsters. In the winter, lobsters have a harder shell and therefore require more time to cook. In the summer, the lobsters have a softer shell and require less time. It's always best to under cook your lobster than to overcook. Also it's important to cool your lobsters when you are done boiling or steaming so they stop cooking. It's very common for people to leave the steaming lobsters in the pot and they continue to cook even taken off the stove or flame which will ruin your lobster. We recommend spraying with fresh water using the hose in your sink or even your outside hose for events.
What Sized Lobster Pot?
![]() Choose the Right Size Lobster Pot |
Whether you steam or boil, pick a pot with lots of room. Do not crowd the lobsters in the pot as the heat will not circulate evenly around the lobsters. If you do not have a big pot, you may cook lobsters in batches, using a couple of pots. A 4-5 quart soup pot will work well for a couple of small lobsters. A 20-quart pot will cook about 6 of the 1.5 lb lobsters. The pot does not have to be heavy-duty as water will actually boil faster in a lighter gauge metal pot. Whether you choose to cook on the stove or use an outdoor lobster cooker, using a stainless or aluminum cooking pot isn't important. For larger events using outdoor cookers, we recommend aluminum to save money because the burner will actually scorch the bottom of the pot, for home cookware please use your own preference. |
How To Tell If a Lobster Is Spoiled
- Your lobsters should look healthy and lively with tails straight and claws up. Sometimes lobsters get tired from the cold temperature or traveling, but at the very least the small legs underneath should be moving.
- If you have a lobster that is not moving, set it on its back for a couple of minutes to see if it starts to move. If your Maine lobster does not revive within a couple of minutes then it is certainly dead, then do not cook the lobster and let us know as soon as you discover the loss. In this unlikely event, please lay the lobster on its back and take a picture and email customer service with photos for a refund. Including an invoice number will expedite the refund process.
How To Kill Live Lobsters Humanely
We know that killing a creature at home can be very uncomfortable for many people. If you follow our recommendations there will be nothing to get squeamish about. This can be a fun experience for the whole family without having to separate someone who may feel uncomfortable about the event. We want to include people who feel this way and educate them so they know that every part of this process is humane for the lobster. There are some common misconceptions we would like to clear up right away.
How to Put a Lobster to Sleep
Do Lobsters Scream When Put Into Boiling Water? - NO!Lobster cannot “scream” because lobsters have no throat, no vocal cords, no lungs, so how could they scream at all? The fact is that the noise is caused by air trapped in the shell. When heated the air expands and forces itself out through small gaps, causing the sound – sort of like when you force air out between your tightly clenched lips. You have nothing to worry about, this is a normal part of cooking lobsters. |
![]() How to Kill a Lobster Humanely |
How To Boil Live Lobster
We strongly recommend boiling lobsters. This is the easiest technique for beginners. This is the best way to boil in that saltwater flavor that you love by using sea salt in the cooking water. The water actually adds weight to the lobster meat while some methods tend to dry out the lobster meat. We actually have an industrial style cooker and we boil 100 lbs of lobsters at a time! We boil them! You should trust our 30 years of experience! So please follow our easy instructions below for a perfectly boiled lobster!
![]() How to Boil Lobsters |
Lobster Boiling Instructions:
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How To Steam Live Lobster
Steaming lobsters is a great way to cook also. Its arguably the most traditional way but nobody will really know. When you pull the cover off that lobster pot everyone will know you have some lobsters cooking! This is a great way to add some 'wow' effect to your party! Another great benefit to steaming is lobsters are actually cooking at a higher temperature so they cook faster! Another pro to steaming lobsters is that you don't need to wait for your water to boil, we all know "a watch-pot never boils"! Some people like to steam is so they can add seaweed or other seafood in the mix to have a seafood boil. We aren't going to get into these details because different foods have different cooking times and temperatures, so if you are going to mix in other items, please make sure you know what you are doing!
Lobster Steaming Instructions:
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![]() How to Steam Lobsters |
How To Grill Lobster
I recently just discovered how delicious grilling lobsters can actually be. I have always boiled my lobsters, but once I tried grilling them, let me tell you I will grill every opportunity I get. This really adds that distinct 'char' flavor to your lobster that any grilling connoisseur will love. If you love grilling steaks, you will definitely love a grilled lobster. The tricky thing is just like grilling any food, you have to make sure you get all parts of the lobster cooked, which is why some people cut them in half so they don't know to cook longer times on lower heat to thoroughly cook the center. It is common to cut lobsters in half for grilling. But again, just to drive this point home as mentioned before, its better to under-cook than to over-cook, you will really kick yourself when you've scorched the meat. Also for larger lobsters, its tough to give cooking times because some claws are very thick and odd shapes and some tails may be small or large. So please just cook at a shorter time, take a look, if it's not done, throw it back on for a few more minutes. Grilling is also a great opportunity to try some butter and spices. I wouldn't recommend garlic because its a very strong flavor but some people do like it.
![]() How to Grill Lobsters |
Lobster Grilling Instructions:
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How To Boil Jumbo Lobster
![]() How to Boil Jumbo Lobsters |
Jumbo Lobster Boiling Instructions:
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How To Crack Open A Lobster In 8 Steps!
Lobster Cracking Instructions:
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![]() How to Crack Open a Lobster |
Looking for more detailed instructions on how to crack a lobster? Check out our blog!