How to Buy Lobster and How to Cook

How To Buy a Lobster

• Lobster is available fresh, frozen and canned, but the best lobster is a live lobster.

• Buy the liveliest lobster you can find in the tank. Feistiness equals freshness.

• Refrigerate the lobster in whatever bag you used to bring it home. Plan to cook it that day; lobsters don’t hold well overnight.

• Take care in handling a lobster between the bag and the pot. You want to make sure the rubber bands or wooden pegs used to keep the large claws closed remain in place so you don’t get nipped.

How To Boil a Lobster

Choose a pot large enough to hold all the lobsters comfortably; do not crowd them. A 4- to 5-gallon pot can handle 6 to 8 pounds of lobster. Fill with water, allowing 3 quarts of water per 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of lobster. Add a quarter-cup of sea salt for each gallon of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the live lobsters one at a time, and start timing immediately (boil them about 7-8 minutes per pound). Do not cover. Stir the lobsters halfway through cooking. Let the lobsters rest for five minutes or so after cooking to allow the meat to absorb some of the moisture in the shell.