How to Get Your Money"s Worth Eating Whole Lobster
Fresh, local lobster is a great treat of summer, whether you live at the seashore or just get to visit in the summer. Get every morsel out of the shell with this guide to how to eat lobster.
This part is obvious, but you want to start with a whole cooked lobster. To make sure you have the best lobster to work with, check out How to Buy a Lobster and then follow the tips over at How to Cook Lobster to avoid disappointing or overcooked specimens.
You should be able to remove the tail meat in one piece. Don't forget to pull off the tail fan sections at the tip for the bits of meat that hide at the end of the tail.
If you're lucky, the tail will have had a row of bright red roe (lobster eggs) along the tip of the shell where you split it. Eat the roe straight-up or save and stir into part sour cream and part cream cheese for a delicious spread or simply stir into seafood soups.
Pull the claws with a slight twist away from the lobster body to separate them. Pull the smaller, thumb-like part of the claw as far as it will go away from the rest of the claw, then pull it a bit more to break it off. With a cracker or a heavy knife break the claw shell and pull out the meat - this is where small forks come in handy.
Note: If the claw meat doesn't pretty nearly full the shell around it, it was held too long with a rubber band around its claw. Find another source for your lobster.
Lobster tomalley (the liver and pancreas, to be exact) is the light-green stuff found in the body cavity where you broke off the tail. Some people love it, some people are too squeamish to try it, and other people prefer to mix it into other dishes.
There is some meat at the front of the body cavity. Split the body down the center (your thumbs should do the job) and use a small fork to pick out the meat.
1. Start With the Whole Lobster
This part is obvious, but you want to start with a whole cooked lobster. To make sure you have the best lobster to work with, check out How to Buy a Lobster and then follow the tips over at How to Cook Lobster to avoid disappointing or overcooked specimens.
2. Lobster Tail
Grab the tail at the top, towards the body. Twist and pull away from the body to separate the two. Use a knife to cut the tail down the center (splitting it lengthwise) or squeeze the edges towards the bottom together until they give a bit and then pull them apart to break the shell.You should be able to remove the tail meat in one piece. Don't forget to pull off the tail fan sections at the tip for the bits of meat that hide at the end of the tail.
If you're lucky, the tail will have had a row of bright red roe (lobster eggs) along the tip of the shell where you split it. Eat the roe straight-up or save and stir into part sour cream and part cream cheese for a delicious spread or simply stir into seafood soups.
3. Lobster Claws
Pull the claws with a slight twist away from the lobster body to separate them. Pull the smaller, thumb-like part of the claw as far as it will go away from the rest of the claw, then pull it a bit more to break it off. With a cracker or a heavy knife break the claw shell and pull out the meat - this is where small forks come in handy.
Note: If the claw meat doesn't pretty nearly full the shell around it, it was held too long with a rubber band around its claw. Find another source for your lobster.
4. Lobster Knuckles
The knuckles are those things that join the claws and the body. They hold some very sweet and tender meat. Use a cracker or heavy knife to break them into pieces and use a seafood fork or similar utensil to poke the meat out.5. Lobster Body & Tomalley
Lobster tomalley (the liver and pancreas, to be exact) is the light-green stuff found in the body cavity where you broke off the tail. Some people love it, some people are too squeamish to try it, and other people prefer to mix it into other dishes.
There is some meat at the front of the body cavity. Split the body down the center (your thumbs should do the job) and use a small fork to pick out the meat.
6. Lobster Walking Legs
Dedicated lobster eaters will break off the six little legs and suck the meat out of them.
Source...