Who wants lobster? At its best, lobster is rich, succulent, and delicious. But at its worst, it’s overcooked, rubbery, and inedible. However, with the right method and knowledge of how to boil lobster, you can achieve consistently juicy, tender results every time. Here’s how to boil lobster like a pro! Here’s a guide to boiling and eating fresh New England lobster.

We don’t have American lobsters here in California. Well, we do, but they’re shipped from New England, and they’re not as good as the lobsters you buy near the beach on the East Coast.)

So when I’m in New England in the summer (according to my seaside friends, summer is the best time for lobsters, they’re more abundant and therefore less expensive) I make sure to keep some.

Cover the pot and wait for the water to come back to a boil

Now, there are many ways to cook lobster, and probably many ways to eat them. The most direct way to cook lobster is boiling, although you can easily steam it.

I like my lobster dipped in hot melted butter, so here it is. Some like it with a squeeze of lemon juice or dipped in mayonnaise. Some people carefully remove the flesh from each little leg. I skip them and go for paws, knees, and tails.

To me, cooking lobster is something you do for a gathering of friends and family. It’s so fun, so messy and so cool, it just had to be shared.

How to Buy and Store Lobster

Fill a large pot with 2 inches of water

Place the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. Add some salt. Drop in the lia ve lobster, head first, and cover with lid. Cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let the wathe to cool for 5 minutes before removing lobster from pot.

When choosing live lobsters from the market, look for the liveliest legs, no noticeable cracks in their shells, and the liveliest feet or claws). Look for lobsters that are 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds, which is a good size for an average eater.

As soon as you get your lobsters home, put them in the refrigerator to keep them cool. Don’t put them in the freezer (they’ll solidify). Do not store them in tap water. Store them in a sturdy paper bag in your refrigerator.

If you must move lobsters, hold them by the body, not the claws or tail.

Lobsters can only live for about 36 hours after being taken out of the seawater, so buy lobster the day you want to cook it and wait longer for it to cook.

how to boil lobster

If you end up with leftover cooked lobster meat, chop it, mix it with mayo, and serve it with salad on a buttered and toasted hot dog bun to make lobster rolls.

material

Live Lobster, 1 per person

a large pot of salted water

butter

Bread for dipping in lobster-infused butter (optional)

Make a processor

how to boil lobster

and a 16-quart pot has 2 or 3 lobsters. If you’re cooking several lobsters, you may need to cook them in stages or boil more than one pot of water.

Do you have to remove the band that holds the lobster claw closed? Regardless, keep the bands on when storing live lobsters. Some people take them off before throwing them in the pot because they say the rubber gives the lobster an off-flavor if you leave them on. I recommend banding if you’re cooking lobster for the first time.

Place the live lobsters in the pot

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, filling it about halfway.

2. Add the live lobsters and put the lid on the pot with the water still boiling.

3. Boil for 8-10 minutes, or until they turn red and can be easily pierced with a fork.

2 Place the lobsters face down in the pot. Holding the lobsters near the body, turn them upside down and place them head-first in the boiling water. Continue adding live lobsters to the pot in this manner.

3 Boil the lobsters for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size. Pay attention to the time it takes for the water to boil again. From that point, boil the lobster for 10-20 minutes or longer, depending on the size of the lobster. 10–13 minutes for 1 pound lobster, 12–18 minutes for 1 1/2 pound lobster, and 18–23 minutes for 2–3 pound lobster.

Note that large lobsters will turn bright red before cooking, so you’ll want to time your cooking, and not go by color alone.

Unlike fresh scallops or fish that you can eat raw (think sashimi), you don’t want to eat lobster raw or undercooked. Translucent undercooked lobster meat is no good if you cook it for too long, the meat will become rubbery, so keep an eye on the timing.

how to eat lobster

4 Remove the lobsters from the pot to serve. Use tongs to remove the lobsters from the pot and place them on a plate to drain and cool.

Lobsters can be eaten boiled, baked, steamed, or deep-fried. If you’re boiling it, place the lobster in the pot of salted water and bring it to a rolling boil. Cover and cook for 12-18 minutes depending on the size of the lobsters.

When it’s done cooking, use tongs to remove it from the pot and place it in an ice-water bath until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the shell with a knife or kitchen shears.