How to Eat a Lobster

Growing up in Maine, one of the greatest pleasures of summer is boiling up a big pot of live lobsters at a family picnic. Nothing tastes as good as sweet lobster meat drowned in melted butter, followed by corn on the cob, coleslaw and fresh blueberry pie. Despite living in the state best known for its "lobstah," most Mainers only eat the delicacy once or twice a year, usually in the summer. However, I do have good friends who eat lobster as a special treat every Christmas Eve.

I would never order a lobster at a restaurant, because it is by far the messiest meal ever created. However, if you don't have access to lobster at your local market, and your only options are eating it at a restaurant, here are some tips to get the most out of your meal.

Start by breaking the claws off the body, by gently twisting them at the first knuckle. Next, break off the "thumb" part of each lobster claw. (I'm sure this has a specific name, but at our house, it is known simply as the lobster thumb.) Inside the thumb, you will find a small piece of meat. I find it to taste like salty rubber. Some people like it. You will have to decide for yourself. Using nutcrackers (a must) break the tip of the claw off, then with your index finger; push the meat out through the bottom of the claw. This is a very tasty piece of meat, especially with drawn butter.

To remove the tail, firmly grasp the body in one hand and the tail in the other. Twist in opposite directions. Be prepared, because as you do, you will see the green tomalley inside the body cavity. Some people love to eat this, claiming it is delicious. They are big, fat liars. It is disgusting. Consider yourself warned.

Pull off the tail fins and legs (save these, we'll get to them in a minute) and with your index finger push the tail meat out of the shell, through the larger opening. The tail should pop out in one long piece. Pull off the top membrane of the tail, and remove the black vein running down the length of it, just as you would with shrimp. Next, drown in butter and enjoy!

Once you have finished the claws and tail, there is plenty more meat, but you will have to work to get it. The tail fins and legs can be squeezed and sucked on, to get the tiny morsels within. The knuckle meat is very good, and I recommend using a lobster pick to get it. Forks are too big and bulky to be of any real value when eating lobster.

Occasionally you may get a female lobster full of roe (red eggs). If this happens, you can do one, of two things. Try it. It is supposed to be a delicacy, like caviar. I am not that sophisticated, so I usually just scrape the roe out, and add extra butter.

I Hope this helps the next time you find yourself in public wearing a plastic bib and holding nutcrackers.