How to Dress and Serve Delicious Cooked Lobster

Lobster is a delicious and luxurious seafood that can seem intimidating to cook and dress at home. However, learning how to properly dress and serve cooked lobster is easier than you think! In this article, I’ll walk you through the simple steps to dress cooked lobster and serve it in style.

Gather Your Ingredients and Tools

Before cooking your lobsters, make sure you have the necessary ingredients and tools on hand:

• Live lobsters – Get lobsters that are lively and energetic when selecting them. Avoid any that seem lethargic or limp.

• Large pot – You’ll need a large pot to cook the lobsters in The pot should be big enough to accommodate the lobsters without crowding them

• Salt – Salt helps flavor the lobster meat Use coarse sea salt or kosher salt

• Butter – Melted butter is the classic topping for dressed lobster. Use high-quality unsalted butter.

• Lemon wedges – Lemon brightens the flavor of the lobster meat Cut a few lemons into wedges for serving,

• Small bowl – Use a small bowl for melted butter.

• Shell cracker/picker – A lobster cracker or picker makes it easy to access the meat.

• Small fork – Use a small fork to pull lobster meat out of the shell.

• Napkins or moist towelettes – These help clean up after eating lobster.

Cook the Lobsters

To cook the lobsters:

• Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the lobsters completely. Salt the water generously – it should taste like sea water.

• Bring the water to a rapid boil.

• Place live lobsters head first into the boiling water. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes per pound.

• Lobsters are done when their shells turn bright red. Carefully remove them from the water.

Dress the Cooked Lobsters

Once cooked, here’s how to dress your lobsters for serving:

• Twist and remove the claws and tails from the body. Discard the head/body or save for lobster stock.

• Use a cracker or mallet to crack the claws and tail shells. Be careful, as cooked shells can shatter into sharp pieces. I recommend cracking them over a towel for easy cleanup.

• For the tail, flip it over onto its back and use scissors to cut through the underside of the shell. This allows you to butterfly the tail open while keeping the shell intact.

• Remove and discard the intestinal tract that runs along the top of the tail meat. Rinse under cool water to clean.

• Use a small fork or lobster pick to push the meat out of the tail in one piece.

• For the knuckles and claws, use your cracker/picker to break apart the shell and pull out the meat. Discard any pieces of shell or cartilage.

• Arrange the lobster meat nicely on a platter for an appetizing presentation. Place claw and knuckle meat towards the center and tails around the outside.

Make Melted Butter for Dipping

Melted butter is the perfect accompaniment for lobster. To make it:

• Melt at least 1 stick of unsalted butter in a small bowl or pot. Clarified butter works best, as it won’t have milk solids that burn.

• For flavor, add minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, parsley, or other herbs to the melted butter.

• Pour the melted butter into small ramekins for individual servings at the table.

• Provide lemon wedges for squeezing over the lobster meat.

Serving Suggestions

Your perfectly dressed lobster is ready to be enjoyed! Here are some serving suggestions:

• Serve with classic sides like coleslaw, corn on the cob, and boiled potatoes. Dip them in the flavored butter for extra richness.

• Let guests get hands-on by providing lobster crackers, picks, and napkins. Cover the table with newspaper for easy cleanup.

• For a romantic meal, serve lobster with a crisp white wine, salad, and crusty bread. Light candles and put on soft music.

• Impress guests by stuffing lobster meat back into the shells and broiling briefly with buttered breadcrumbs.

• Turn leftover lobster meat into lobster rolls served on hot dog buns with chives and lemon mayo.

How to Grill Lobster

Before you put your lobster on the grill, cut it in half lengthwise and open it up on a sturdy board. Take out the stomach sac and any soft, brown meat you want. Then, use the back of a knife to crack the claws so the heat can reach the meat inside.

Finally, season with a thermidor butter sauce and lemon juice, then pop under the grill.

How to Prepare Cooked Lobster

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Expert advice on how to get all the meat from the shell of a cooked lobster.

Start by removing the claws from the lobster by twisting them at the point where they meet the body. Remove the rest of the legs in the same way.

Separate the head from the tail by twisting the two sections in opposite directions.

To prepare the claws, snap them into their separate sections but keep the large part of the claw and both pincers whole. Pull back the smallest pincer until it snaps off then pull it back. Don’t forget to save any pieces of meat, which are attached. To extract the rest of the claw meat, give shell a sharp, gentle tap with a heavy item like a rolling pin. You just want to crack it, not smash it. Do this on both sides then peel the shell away.

Use a lobster pick or skewer to pick out the last pieces of meat from the shell.

To take the meat out of the legs, use a rolling pin to firmly push it out.

To prepare the tail, either split it in half or, using a pair of kitchen scissors, snip down the length of the shell on either side of the legs on the underside of the lobster. Peel away the shell then remove the digestive tract by cutting the tail in half lengthways and using a skewer or lobster pick to lift the vein out.