How to Cook a Live Lobster

eight cooked lobsters on a sheet pan with colorful rubber bands on their claws

5 from 3 votes

How to Cook a Live Lobster

Here's how to steam a live lobster to succulent perfection, regardless of size. I've called for four lobsters, but you can scale this recipe up or down to suit your needs, as long as you have a pot to accommodate them without crowding. Please refer to the text of the post as well as the notes section below for lots of additional information.

Prep Time10

Cook Time11

Total Time21

Course: Fish + Shellfish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cooking live lobster, how to eat a whole lobster

Calories: 523kcal

Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

4 live lobsters I recommend 1.75 to 2 pounds each
16 tablespoons (224 grams) cultured, salted butter
¼ cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Fill a large pot with two inches of water. Despite what you may have seen elsewhere, there is no need to salt it. Lobsters have plenty of salinity of their own. Cover and bring to a rolling boil.
One by one, place lobsters head-first into the pot with the elastic bands still on their claws. Do this carefully but as quickly as possible and replace the lid right away.
Give the water a few minutes to come back to a semblance of a boil. This can take just a minute or two in a smaller pot with a couple of lobsters, or up to about five minutes in a pot that's a little too big for your burner. You may not see steam escaping right away, and that's okay — use your judgment. At this point, set a timer as follows, based on the average size lobster you're cooking: 8 minutes for the first pound, plus three minutes for each additional pound. So a batch of 1.75-pound lobsters would cook for 11 minutes.
If you're cooking a large batch, carefully remove the lid about halfway through cooking time and rearrange the lobsters so they'll cook more evenly. (This step is optional but can be helpful. Alternatively, if some lobsters are bigger than others, you can place those into the pot first and avoid having to rearrange them.)
When the timer rings, carefully remove each lobster with tongs and place on a serving tray or individual plates. Let cool for at least five minutes.
While the lobsters cool a bit, place the butter into a very small pot and melt over medium-low heat. Despite what you may see elsewhere, there is no need to remove the milk solids. They're the best-tasting part of the butter.
Off the heat, whisk in the lemon juice. Pour lemon butter into ramekins and serve one alongside each lobster.

Notes

1. It's important to choose a pot that won't crowd the lobsters while cooking. Here are my recommendations on sizing. For two lobsters, a minimum size of 5 quarts, preferably an 8-quart stock pot. For four lobsters, 12 quarts. For eight lobsters, 20 quarts. For 12 lobsters, 24 quarts.
There is scientific uncertainty as to whether lobsters feel pain and what is the most humane way to kill them for cooking. Here are the two most-used approaches. You can choose the one that suits you best: Place live lobsters head-first into the pot with water at a rolling boil. (This is the method I use.) Or place live lobsters into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to sedate them without freezing the meat. Then plunge the tip of a chef's knife right below the eyes and make a firm cut through the head. Place lobsters into the pot.
I tend to cook live lobsters shortly before serving, since reheating takes almost as much work as cooking them in the first place. But if you like, you can steam them up to 24 hours in advance. Once completely cooled, store in the fridge in airtight containers. To reheat, plunge into boiling water or set in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Fully cooked leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for three days. You can pick the meat before storing it or place the whole lobsters into the fridge and pick them later. I usually choose the latter route based on stamina, but it's up to you.
If you’re really feeling ambitious, you can clean off the shells and place them in a resealable freezer bag. Pop them into the freezer for stock making. I’ll post about how to make lobster stock another time. It’s at least as easy as making chicken stock once you’ve gotten this far.

Nutrition