Who doesn't love the succulent and savory meat of a lobster served in its most classic combination of melted butter and lemon? It is a delicacy known and appreciated all over the world which, if served at the whole table, can create problems for many people. Read the article and discover the useful and fundamental steps to eat a lobster, enjoying every piece of pulp, from the claws, from the tail, from the body and from the legs.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Choose the Lobster
Step 1. Choose whether to tackle a lobster with a nice hard shell, or opt for one that has just changed its shell
Sometimes the restaurant offers a choice between these two types of lobsters.
- A lobster with a fully formed carapace has strong, sturdy claws that are potentially difficult to break, but full of firm and very flavorful flesh.
- A lobster that has just changed its shell is protected by a much less robust carapace and has a slightly sweeter pulp, as well as of course easier to break claws. These lobsters are normally smaller and contain less pulp.
Step 2. Choose whether to enjoy a male or female lobster
If you love tail pulp, choose a female, she will have a large one, to be able to accommodate and transport the eggs.
Step 3. Choose a healthy and lively lobster
This is not the time to prefer a small or weak crustacean, instead look for a nice lobster that wiggles its antennae moving briskly throughout the aquarium. It should have a nice bright color (it will turn red only after cooking) and shiny eyes.
Avoid lobsters that seem firm and weak to you. Those with visible damage to the carapace or with blurred eyes may be diseased. Lobsters with their tail curled down are probably already dead, absolutely avoid them
Method 2 of 3: Prepare to Eat your Lobster
Step 1. Dress appropriately
Lobsters are often served in fine and elegant restaurants, but this dish could create quite a bit of clutter. Small pieces of pulp could in fact slip off your fork, or you could stain yourself with a few drops of butter. Many restaurants will provide you with funny 'baby' bibs, but if you can, prefer clothes that are not easily stained.
Step 2. Be prepared to use your hands 'a lot'
It is almost impossible to eat a whole lobster without using them. Be prepared to handle the carapace, claws, tail, legs and inside of the lobster with your fingers. At the end of the meal you will know a lot more about the anatomy of a lobster.
Step 3. Learn to use the necessary tools
The lobster will be served with all the necessary utensils to make the experience as simple as possible:
- A crustacean tongs, very similar to a nutcracker. Without this tool, breaking the claws could be really complicated.
- A lobster fork. It is a very thin fork that is used to reach the most hidden points in search of the pulp.
- A dish to throw away 'clean' lobster scraps.
- Wet wipes. They are usually served at the end of a meal, to allow you to clean your hands.
Step 4. Eat it progressively or strip it completely before you start tasting it
Some people like to taste lobster one piece at a time, detaching it from the rest of the body. Others, on the other hand, prefer to completely de-flesh the animal before starting to eat it. The choice is yours alone, both ways are equally accepted, choose the one that makes you feel most comfortable.
Method 3 of 3: Eat the Lobster
Step 1. Remove the claws
Rotate the claws out and down to remove them. Rotate them at the base to detach them still complete with their front legs.
- Eat the pulp of the legs. Use the special fork and dig the pulp from the inside of the legs. You most likely won't find much of it, but it will be very good.
- Break the claws at the central point, where the two parts that compose them join. You will find a mouthful of pulp inside the smaller section, use the lobster fork to remove it.
- Break off the largest part of the claws. Use the crustacean tongs to break through the shell and then use the fork to remove the meat. The meat from the claws can be tough and you may have a hard time trying to cut it into small pieces with a knife.
- Eliminate the pieces of shell and cartilage by transferring them to the dish reserved for scraps.
Step 2. Remove the lobster legs
Extract the pulp as you did with the claws. Choose whether to break the shell and extract the pulp or use a toothpick to loosen it and then suck it directly with your mouth.
Step 3. Cut the tail
Separate the tail from the rest of the body, cut it in half and take out all the meat in one big bite. Remove all the fins of the tail and extract from each of them the small piece of meat that is hidden inside.
Step 4. Score the lobster body at the bottom
Open the carapace that protects the lobster's body and collect every single piece of pulp you can find.
Step 5. Eat the 'tomalley'
It is essentially the liver of the lobster, discarded by some, but loved by fans of this animal. It is dark in color, tending to gray and is found between the entrails of the lobster.
Step 6. Find the 'coral'
If you have chosen a female lobster it will be possible to find the eggs, they are red in color and are also found inside the body. They are edible, although they are not the most delicious part of the animal.
