How to buy, cook, and eat lobsters

Live lobsters vary in color from dark greenish blue to reddish brown, but all turn bright red when cooked. Lobsters are best if bought live and cooked just before serving.

When buying live lobsters, select the most active ones. A 11/4- to 11/2pound lobster will satisfy the average adult; a 21/2-pound lobster will yield about 2 cups of meat and can feed two or more. Store live lobsters in the refrigerator, not directly on ice; avoid holding them overnight. Use preboiled lobsters for salads and cold dishes; additional cooking toughens the meat.

Cooking lobsters

Most lobster lovers prefer the crustaceans steamed or boiled. To steam, fill a large kettle with about 11/2 inches of seawater (or add 1 tablespoon of salt to tap water). In the bottom of the kettle, place a rack that stands a bit above the water. Bring to a boil, put in the lobsters, and cover. After boiling resumes, steam 5 to 7 minutes for 1- to 11/4-pound size; 9 to 12 minutes for 11/2- to 21/2-pound size; for larger lobsters, 5 minutes for the first pound plus 4 minutes for each additional pound. Boiling takes the same amount of time. Lift out with tongs and drain. Serve whole at once, with lemon wedges and melted butter.

Eating a lobster

Most of the meat of a lobster is in the tail and claws. Break off the claws and crack them with a nutcracker to get at the meat. Next, take the lobster in your hands (careful, it may still be hot) and bend it backward so that the tail separates from the body. Break off the flippers and use a cocktail fork to push the tail meat out the front in a single piece or slit open the underside of the tail with a sharp knife and remove the meat with a fork. Finally, with the body laid on its back, slice or break it open lengthwise. The graygreen “tomalley,” or liver, and the coral-colored roe found in female lobsters are considered to be delicacies. Meat can be extracted from the small legs by sucking it out.