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To Boil a Lobster

A method for boiling a live lobster in salted water, then draining and extracting the meat.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Boil a Lobster

Ingredients

Directions

Boil

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.

  2. Add a handful of coarse sea salt to the boiling water.

  3. Tie the lobster's claws together and plunge it into the pot.

  4. Boil the lobster for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on its size.

  5. Remove the lobster and place it face down in a sieve to drain.

Extract the meat

  1. Once cool, split the lobster open and extract the meat from the body and tail, discarding the head and 'lady-fingers'.

  2. Crack the claws to extract the meat.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Lobster
Its protein firms up when heated, giving the meat its firm, springy texture.
Coarse sea salt
Seasons the cooking water so the lobster meat is lightly flavoured as it cooks.

The step that matters

Boil the lobster for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on its size. Overcooking toughens lobster meat as its proteins tighten and squeeze out moisture, while undercooking leaves it unsafe to eat. Size determines the time needed for the centre to cook through evenly.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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