DIY Video Guide: How to Cook Lobster at Home

Nothing hits the spot like a lobster feast, but dining out to enjoy this seafood meal can cost you. A simple solution? Make it at home! It may sound intimidating, but with this easy video guide you can transform your kitchen into a five star seafood restaurant. Get cracking!

What You’ll Need:

• Medium-sized pot with lid
• Tongs
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 (3-pound) lobster
• Kitchen shears
• Nutcracker or seafood cracker
• Small fork or seafood fork
• Cutting board
• 1 medium bowl
• Pastry brush
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• Salt
• 1 lemon, sliced
• Herbs of your choice (parsley, cilantro or chives)

How to Cook Lobster:

1. Fill a medium-sized pot with about 2 inches of cold water.
2. Add vinegar and a large pinch of salt to the water.
3. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Clip the rubber bands from the lobster’s claws with kitchen shears.
5. Place the lobster head first into the pot and cover so it returns to a boil.
6. Cook the lobster for 12-15 minutes with the lid on until it turns bright red.
7. Remove the lobster from the pot with tongs and place on a plate to cool.

How to Break Down Lobster:

1. Once the lobster is cool, place it on a cutting board and break off each claw.
2. Crack the claws with the seafood cracker and take out the meat with a seafood fork.
3. Put the shell pieces on a plate to the side to separate them from the meat.
4. Repeat with other claw pieces.
5. With your hands, twist the tail from the body and place the body shell with the other shell pieces.
6. Discard the shell pieces, or, if desired, use them for a seafood stock.
7. Cut the underside of the tail lengthwise with kitchen shears, being careful not to cut the meat.
8. Pry open the shell around the tail with your hands and pull out the meat in one piece.

How to Serve Lobster:

1. Melt one stick of unsalted butter in a small bowl in the microwave and add in a handful of fresh, chopped herbs.
2. Place the lobster meat on a plate with fresh lemon slices and the herbed butter.
3. Squeeze the fresh lemon, to taste, and brush the herbed butter onto the lobster meat with a pastry brush.
4. Enjoy!

Expert Tips:

• Cooking times: For one pound lobsters, boil for about 7 minutes. Add 3 more minutes for each additional pound.
• If you’re cooking more than one lobster, choose a larger pot and stir halfway through cooking.
• When removing the meat from the shell, feel carefully with your fingertips for any small bits of shell stuck to the meat.