Are you a lobster aficionado? If yes, congratulate you on coming to the right place! Within this article, Fishermen’s Net is going to provide you with the 3 most interesting pieces of information related to lobster including how much meat in a lobster, how to grade lobster and what lobster size to buy. Are you ready? Let’s get started!
As a seafood lover, I’ve always wondered how much it costs to buy lobster meat by the pound Lobster is considered a luxury food, so I expected it to be pricey But with lobster meat prices varying wildly between retailers, it can be hard to know what’s a fair deal.
To get a definitive answer on the cost per pound of lobster meat, I did some thorough research In this article, I’ll share everything I learned about
- Average prices per pound for raw and cooked lobster meat
- Cost differences between lobster tails, claws, and whole lobster meat
- How lobster meat prices compare to live lobsters
- Factors that affect the varying costs of lobster meat
After reading this, you’ll know exactly what to expect to pay when buying lobster meat by the pound. Let’s dive in!
Average Cost per Pound of Lobster Meat
I surveyed prices at grocery stores, seafood markets, and online seafood retailers to find out the typical price range. Here are the average costs per pound I found:
- Raw lobster meat: $35-$60 per pound
- Cooked lobster meat: $50-$90 per pound
As you can see, cooked lobster meat costs quite a bit more than raw. This is because the weight decreases some when lobster meat is cooked.
There’s also quite a wide price range even for the same product. You might pay $35 per pound at one place and $60 per pound somewhere else. Later in this article, I’ll explain the factors that cause these big pricing differences.
Lobster Tail, Claw, and Whole Meat Prices
Within the broad category of lobster meat, there are more specific options like tails, claws, chunks, and whole lobster meat. The price per pound varies for each:
- Lobster tails: $45-$75 per pound
- Lobster claws: $35-$50 per pound
- Lobster chunks: $35-$45 per pound
- Whole lobster meat: $55-$90 per pound
Lobster tails fetch the highest prices per pound because they contain the largest chunks of sweet, succulent meat. Claws and chunk meat cost noticeably less.
Whole lobster meat means a mix of meat from all parts of the lobster’s body. This requires the most labor to extract, so it comes at a premium cost per pound.
Lobster Meat vs. Whole Live Lobsters
To put the cost of lobster meat in context, let’s compare it to buying whole live lobsters:
- Live hard shell lobsters cost $10-$20 per pound
- A 1.5 pound lobster yields around 5-6 oz of meat
That works out to over $20 per pound of meat yield from live lobsters. But lobster meat itself only costs $35-$60 per pound.
So lobster meat gives you a much better deal if you just want the edible portions. Buying whole lobsters makes more sense if you want the experience of cooking them yourself.
What Impacts the Varying Prices of Lobster Meat?
As we’ve seen, lobster meat prices cover a wide range even within the same product category. What accounts for these big differences between retailers, seasons, and regions?
Here are the main factors that influence the cost per pound:
- Meat condition – Fresh raw vs. frozen vs. precooked
- Meat quality – Hard shell vs. soft shell lobster meat
- Supply availability – Seasonal catches impact supply
- Shipping costs – Overnight shipping is expensive
- Lobster size – Bigger lobsters have higher meat yields
- Business overhead – Costs of running a lobster business
Places that sell fresh raw lobster meat fetched right off the boats will charge premium prices. Frozen and precooked meat costs less.
Meat from hard shell lobsters delivers better texture and yields compared to soft shell lobster meat. So it comes at a higher pound price.
In times of low supply like off-peak seasons, the law of supply and demand kicks in to raise prices. Shipping costs also get passed onto the customer.
Bigger lobsters produce more meat per pound. So meat pounds extracted from larger lobsters carries a higher price tag.
Finally, some lobster dealers simply run more expensive operations, which raises their prices. Things like high rent locations, marketing costs, and wages impact overhead.
So now you understand why the exact same product can cost double the price at one place versus another. It all comes down to these factors.
Common Questions about Lobster Meat Prices
Here are answers to some frequent questions people have about the cost of lobster meat:
How much does lobster meat cost at restaurants?
Restaurant lobster dishes usually cost $40-$60 for an 8-12 oz portion. However, some fine dining restaurants charge over $100 for their lobster entrees!
Why is lobster meat so expensive?
The labor-intensive process of catching lobsters and extracting the meat, plus high demand and limited supply, drive up the costs. Lobster is considered a luxury food.
Is frozen lobster meat cheaper?
Yes, frozen lobster meat is about 15-20% cheaper than fresh raw. Freezing and storage costs are lower.
What is the cheapest place to buy lobster meat?
Discount warehouse clubs like Costco often sell raw lobster meat for around $35 per pound, one of the most affordable options.
Is lobster meat cheaper in Maine?
Not always. Even in top producing states like Maine, lobster meat costs about the same as other regions after factoring in shipping.
When is lobster meat cheapest?
In peak harvest seasons like summer in Maine, fresh raw lobster meat prices can dip to around $35 per pound at some retailers.
Get Your Lobster Meat Fix on a Budget
Lobster meat is considered a splurge for many buyers, given the average prices. But savvy shoppers can find ways to enjoy lobster without breaking the bank:
- Check warehouse store prices for discounted raw meat.
- Buy frozen tails to save about 15% over fresh.
- Order direct from a Maine seafood company during peak summer.
- Opt for claw or chunk meat instead of pricier tails.
- Consider culls (lobsters with one claw) for cheaper deals.
- Eat lobster meat as an appetizer instead of entree.
- Skip restaurant lobster dishes and cook your own at home.
With the right strategies, you can get your claws on delicious lobster meat without sacrificing your budget. Just use this knowledge to shop smart.
Now that you know exactly what to expect to pay per pound for lobster meat, you can buy and budget with confidence. And you’ll know how to find the best lobster meat deals. Let the lobster feast begin!
How Is Lobster Graded?
Grading lobster is a way to determine its value and quality. When purchasing, this technique helps customers know how much meat is in a lobster as well as its quality. At any time of the year, lobsters are graded to remove the spoiled and weak ones. Specifically, the lower the grade is, the softer the shell and less hardier the lobster is. Lobsters that are undergoing molting normally have soft shells. These lobsters are generally weaker and yield fewer meat than hard-shell lobsters.
Soft Shell Lobster means they have recently changed their cramped shell for the new one with a larger growing room. This new shell fills with water which makes the yield slightly less per pound. Soft shell lobsters are not shipped because of their weak and fragile natures. Moreover, the meat yields lower than good hard-shell lobster about 10%. Due to the yield being a bit less, the cost is less per pound for soft shells. However, the lower the price is, the more water in the shell is. The advantage of a soft shell is that it will be much easier for you to remove the shell from the lobster meat. However, water inside it makes the meat a bit messier.
Lobsters with hard shells are the most popular due to the quantity and quality of the meat. After cooked, the shell turns into orange along with a sweet fragrance. The white flesh is firm and dense with a sweet flavour. Hard-shell lobsters are the standard of quality with the higher ratio of meat on shell. Normally, meat is only about 20% of the lobster’s weight, but hard-shell lobster can yield up to 30% meat inside with full of meat from claws to tail.
Grade-A lobsters are the best lobster with the highest ratio of meat inside. These lobsters are hard-shell lobster, because they have the most meat and firm, along with the best fragrance after cooked. Nowadays, grade-A lobster has the highest price in the market.
On the contrary with Grade-A lobsters, Grade-B lobsters have lower quality and price. They are generally caught in the summer when lobsters have been molting for a while, and their shells are not too soft. At this time, the lobsters’ shells are firm or medium hard. Moreover, they also yield a significant amount of meat and are delectable.
If you want to find a good deal for live lobster, culls are the best choice to consider. Culls are lobsters that are missing one of their claws. They are usually less expensive, but have a good flavour and yield a lot of meat. Additionally, these are a great option for a recipe calling for cooked lobster meat.
How Much Meat Is In A Lobster?
Having eaten lobster for a long time, have you ever thought of the amount of meat contained in a lobster? For what you may concern, the amount of meat in each types of lobster is different, but on average, a live lobster will yield up to 30% meat of its total weight. Obviously, the remaining 70% are made up of shell and waste. In addition, softer-shell has a lower proportion of meat per pound; because most of their body is water (after freshly molten). It is rare for any live lobster to yield less than 15 – 20% of its body weight.
The lowest-yield but sweetest-tasting lobster is typically harvested during the summer. Most live lobster shipped to you require a hard-shell that ensures an average yield rate of 20 – 25% meat. Here is an estimated meat yield broken down by different parts of lobster.
- 15% Lobster Tail.
- 10% Claw Meat.
- 3% Knuckle Meat.
- 2% Leg Meat.