The ultimate guide to lobster

Meet Barney

Before joining Good Food, Barney worked in top restaurants in London, France and Australia, honing his chef skills and gaining experience with luxury ingredients including lobster. He is also an ambassador for The Welsh Lobster Company, Wales’s leading live shellfish distributor. “I love lobster in all its forms, but lobster pasta and lobster with chips are two of my favourite dishes. I’ve spent time with The Welsh Lobster Company learning the best ways to handle, prepare and cook it. The most important thing is not to overcomplicate it – treat the lobster well, cook it carefully and let its natural flavours shine.”

 

There’s something about lobsters that places them in the higher strata of the fish world, whether it’s their colour-changing shells or succulent flesh. Once the reserve of fancy restaurants, lobsters are now available at local fishmongers and supermarkets.

Beginners tips for cooking lobster

A frozen lobster comes conveniently prepped. If you choose one that has been pre-cooked, you can get straight to work on removing the flesh without having to bother with finding a huge cooking pot to boil it in. Read on to discover Barney’s tips on cooking lobster.

Live lobster

“Cooking a live lobster gives you complete control from start to finish, but it’s not something we’d recommend for first-timers. Welfare has to come first – lobsters are recognised in UK law as sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and distress, so the old method of simply dropping a live one into boiling water is no longer considered appropriate. If you buy a live lobster, ask your fishmonger to humanely dispatch it for you. The RSPCA recommends this is done ideally using electrical stunning.”

“Once dispatched, how you prepare the lobster depends on how you plan to cook and serve it. The simplest method is to boil it in well-salted water until cooked through, then leave it to cool slightly before removing the meat. For frying, it’s usually chopped into pieces first; for grilling or barbecuing, it’s generally split in half lengthways.”

Frozen raw lobster

“For most home cooks, frozen lobster is a much more approachable starting point. It has usually been prepared before freezing, taking the welfare and handling of a live animal out of your hands, while still allowing you to cook the meat yourself. Frozen tails are particularly easy to work with: defrost them thoroughly in the fridge, then grill, roast or barbecue them. Whole frozen lobster requires a little more work, but it’s still much less daunting than starting with a live one, because it gives you plenty of control without unnecessary complication.”

Fresh or frozen ready-cooked lobster

“Buying lobster already cooked means the tricky bit has been done for you, and your job is simply to extract the meat without mangling it. Twist off the claws, crack them carefully, then split the body and remove the tail meat, ideally keeping it in one piece. You can then serve it cold, warm it gently in butter or use it in dishes such as lobster rolls or pasta. Avoid cooking the meat all over again for too long – lobster quickly goes from beautifully tender to disappointingly rubbery.”

How to cook lobster

How to boil lobster

1. Once your lobster is ready for cooking, put it in a large pan of cold, salted water and slowly bring it up to the boil.
2. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 mins for the first 450g*.
3. Simmer for a further 10 mins for each 450g thereafter, for up to a maximum of 40 mins.

*Boiling time can depend on the size of the lobster.

How to grill lobster

1. Prepare your lobster for grilling by slicing it on a sturdy board, cutting it in half lengthways and opening it up.
2. Remove the stomach sac and soft brown meat, if you like, then crack the claws using the back of a knife so the heat can penetrate to the meat inside.
3. Finally, season with a thermidor butter sauce and lemon juice, then pop under the grill.
4. Grill for 4-5 mins until the sauce is bubbling.

Watch our video on how to prepare your lobster for grilling:

What you’ll need

• A large bowl for the shells
• A lobster pick or skewer
• Kitchen scissors
• Something heavy, like a rolling pin or the handle of a large knife
• Lots of kitchen paper

1. Lay the cooked lobster on a board and twist off the claws.

2. Break them into sections using specialist lobster crackers or a good, solid nutcracker, then pull out the meat – the skill is in keeping the tail meat in one piece.

3. Twist off the legs, flatten them using the back of a knife, then get to work on digging out the flesh using a pick or the end of a teaspoon.

4. To deal with the body, split the lobster in half along its length and separate the two halves. Remove and discard the stomach sac, gills and intestinal thread (you may want to keep the liver – known as tomalley, it’s considered by some to be a delicacy).

Any coral-coloured roe can be put aside to use in a concentrated lobster butter. The empty shells can be used to make stock, which is ideal to use as a base for bisque or bouillabaisse.

What to look for when buying lobster

“Buy lobster from a trusted fishmonger or supplier, and look for provenance as well as price. If buying live and not by the sea, ask where the lobsters have come from and whether they’ve been held in tanks after being transported; a live lobster should feel heavy for its size and be lively, with moving legs and antennae. For cooked lobster, the shell should look bright and intact, with no strong or unpleasant smell. Frozen lobster is a convenient option, but check when it was frozen, that the packaging is undamaged and that there are no large ice crystals, which can suggest it has partially thawed and refrozen.”

How to store lobster

“Live lobsters should be kept in the fridge in their packaging or a well-ventilated container, covered with damp newspaper or a clean, damp cloth – never submerge them in fresh water. Once cooked, lobster should be cooled quickly, covered and refrigerated, then eaten within a day or two. For fresh, ready-cooked lobster, follow the storage instructions and use-by date on the pack. Frozen lobster should stay frozen until needed and be defrosted thoroughly in the fridge. Once defrosted, don’t refreeze.”

How to eat lobster

• Mayonnaise is a natural partner – its richness works brilliantly with sweet lobster meat, whether it’s simply seasoned or turned into a marie rose sauce for a very fancy lobster cocktail. That can extend to mayonnaise-based sides, such as potato salad or russian salad
• Soft rolls are perfect – brioche-style buns, submarine rolls and soft white bread all work brilliantly for lobster rolls and sandwiches, especially with a little mayo, lemon and crisp lettuce
• Butter is hard to beat – melted butter, garlic butter or lightly flavoured herb butter all work, especially with grilled or barbecued lobster
• Pasta is a natural match – lobster works beautifully with spaghetti or linguine, particularly with tomato, chilli, garlic, butter or a light cream sauce
• Go classic with thermidor – lobster thermidor combines the meat with a rich, mustardy cream sauce before returning it to the shell to grill until bubbling and golden
• Grilling brings out its sweetness – halved lobster can be brushed with butter or oil and grilled or barbecued until lightly charred, which adds smokiness without overpowering the meat
• Fresh herbs work best – chives, parsley, tarragon and dill all complement lobster; use stronger herbs more sparingly
• A little heat is welcome – chilli, cayenne or a dash of hot sauce can lift lobster beautifully, particularly in rolls, pasta and salads

What to do with the leftovers

“Don’t throw away the shells – they’re packed with flavour and make a brilliant lobster stock for risotto, pasta sauces, shellfish soup or bisque. To make it, break up the shells from one cooked lobster and fry in a little oil with 1 chopped onion and 1 fennel bulb for 5 mins until fragrant. Add 1 tbsp tomato purée and cook for 2 mins more, then add a splash of white wine. Cover with water, add a bay leaf and a few parsley stalks, and simmer gently for 30-40 mins. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the shells to extract as much flavour as possible. Reduce further for a stronger stock, or cool and freeze for another day.”

How to serve lobster

Enjoy a seafood feast with chorizo, lobster, prawns, potatoes and corn cooked in Cajun broth, finished with herby butter.

Serve lobster thermidor for a celebratory starter or luxurious main course. We’ve given the dish an upgrade while retaining its original charm.

Load brioche buns with lobster, mayo and celery, and serve with salty crisps for a proper treat that’s a classic dish on the northeastern coast of the US.

Learn how to grill lobster with our video.

Using lobster and crab makes this golden macaroni cheese really special – perfect for an indulgent weekend meal. Top with garlic breadcrumbs for a crispy finish.

Try lobster served two ways: with a buttery dipping sauce for the large chunks of meat and a salad made with the smaller pieces. Nothing is wasted, and this easy main lets the lobster shine!

If you want to put your barbecue to good use, try an indulgent barbecued surf & turf with seasonal lobster and T-bone steak. This quick cooking method really lends itself to the delicate flavour of the meat.

Lobster troubleshooting

• Rubbery meat: lobster turns tough very quickly when overcooked. Keep cooking times short, and remember the meat will continue to cook slightly from its residual heat. If it’s already rubbery, chop it and use it in a saucy dish such as pasta, risotto or a lobster roll
• Worried it’s undercooked? The flesh should be opaque, firm and pearly white rather than translucent. If you’re unsure, return it to the pan, grill or oven for another minute or two, rather than giving it a long blast of heat
• Shells are difficult to crack: use lobster crackers or the back of a sturdy knife, and crack the shell in several places rather than trying to smash it in one go. Kitchen scissors are useful for cutting through tail shells
• Watery meat: this can happen if lobster has been frozen or thawed badly. Defrost slowly in the fridge, drain well and pat the meat dry before cooking. Avoid soaking cooked lobster in water

When is lobster worth splurging on?

“A whole lobster makes a particularly special meal for two – ideal for a romantic dinner, anniversary or occasion when you want one ingredient to feel like the main event. It’s a splurge, but you don’t need much else alongside it beyond some good bread, chips, salad or butter. If you’re feeding more people, stretch the meat through pasta, risotto or rice dishes so a little goes further. For recipes where the shellfish is chopped, mixed with sauce or heavily seasoned, crab, langoustines or large prawns can often do a very similar job for considerably less. As a rough guide, a 500g lobster is a generous serving for one, while larger lobsters can comfortably feed two or more, especially when served with sides or used in a pasta, rice or salad dish.”

Discover more lobster guides

How to grill lobster
How to prepare cooked lobster
Our best lobster recipes

Are you a fan of lobster? We’d love to hear your experiences and serving suggestions. We have plenty more fish recipe inspiration to explore, too.