How to Cook a Lobster
Buy live lobsters., Fill a large pot ¾ full with water., Plunge the lobsters into the water., Cook the lobsters., Serve the lobsters whole.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Buy live lobsters.
Live lobsters may be available in your grocery store, at your local fishmonger or if you're exceptionally fortunate enough to live in a lobster fishing area, right off the boat that caught them.
Look inside the lobster tank for lobsters that seem healthy and active.
Avoid lobsters that are too still or have holes or black marks on their shells. -
Step 2: Fill a large pot ¾ full with water.
Add 2 tablespoons of coarse salt for each quart of water, and bring the water to a quick boil. , One at a time, pick up the lobsters by the body and plunge them headfirst into the boiling water.
Cover the pot with a lid.
Do not allow the water to overflow.
If there isn’t room in the pot for all the lobsters you bought, cook them in two or more batches. , Once the water has come to a boil again, begin timing the cooking of the lobsters.
One-pound lobsters should cook for about 15 minutes, 1 ½-pound lobsters for 20 minutes, and 2-pound lobsters for 25 minutes.
The lobsters are finished cooking when their shells have turned bright red.
Remove them from the pot and set them on a plate on their backs to dry and cool.
This keeps the juices in the lobsters.
It’s important to time the cooking, since lobsters may turn red before they are fully done. , Place each lobster on a dinner plate for serving.
Serve each lobster with a small cup of melted butter, a nutcracker for cracking the claws, a lobster pick and a bowl for the discarded shells.
See How to Eat Lobster for a tutorial on which parts of the lobster are good to eat. -
Step 3: Plunge the lobsters into the water.
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Step 4: Cook the lobsters.
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Step 5: Serve the lobsters whole.
Detailed Guide
Live lobsters may be available in your grocery store, at your local fishmonger or if you're exceptionally fortunate enough to live in a lobster fishing area, right off the boat that caught them.
Look inside the lobster tank for lobsters that seem healthy and active.
Avoid lobsters that are too still or have holes or black marks on their shells.
Add 2 tablespoons of coarse salt for each quart of water, and bring the water to a quick boil. , One at a time, pick up the lobsters by the body and plunge them headfirst into the boiling water.
Cover the pot with a lid.
Do not allow the water to overflow.
If there isn’t room in the pot for all the lobsters you bought, cook them in two or more batches. , Once the water has come to a boil again, begin timing the cooking of the lobsters.
One-pound lobsters should cook for about 15 minutes, 1 ½-pound lobsters for 20 minutes, and 2-pound lobsters for 25 minutes.
The lobsters are finished cooking when their shells have turned bright red.
Remove them from the pot and set them on a plate on their backs to dry and cool.
This keeps the juices in the lobsters.
It’s important to time the cooking, since lobsters may turn red before they are fully done. , Place each lobster on a dinner plate for serving.
Serve each lobster with a small cup of melted butter, a nutcracker for cracking the claws, a lobster pick and a bowl for the discarded shells.
See How to Eat Lobster for a tutorial on which parts of the lobster are good to eat.
About the Author
Charlotte Hernandez
With a background in businessservices, Charlotte Hernandez brings 1 years of hands-on experience to every article. Charlotte believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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