Equipment
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 2 live whole lobsters, rinsed
- 500 g baby potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 corn on the cob, husked and halved
- 150 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Pantry Staples
- 30 g sea salt
- 1000 ml water
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 1370 kcal
- Protein
- 121 g
- Carbohydrates
- 73 g
- Fat
- 69 g
- Fiber
- 12 g
- Sugar
- 14 g
- Sodium
- 2814 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 40 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 20 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 987 mg
- Potassium
- 2960 mg
- Calcium
- 656 mg
- Iron
- 11.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 384 mg
- Phosphorus
- 1346 mg
- Zinc
- 24.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 538 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 69 mg
- Vitamin E
- 7.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 8.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.51 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.32 mg
- Niacin
- 16.5 mg
- Folate
- 199 mcg
- Water
- 943 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Pour the water into the large stockpot until it reaches a depth of about 5 centimeters. Stir in the sea salt and insert the steamer basket or rack. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
Place the scrubbed baby potatoes into the steamer basket. Cover the pot tightly with the lid and steam the potatoes for 10 minutes to give them a head start.
Remove the lid carefully to avoid steam burns. Using kitchen tongs, gently place the live lobsters and halved corn cobs into the pot over the potatoes. Cover tightly and steam for 12 to 14 minutes. The lobsters are finished when the shells turn bright red and the internal temperature of the thickest part of the tail reaches 60 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the lobsters and vegetables are steaming, place the cubed unsalted butter in the small saucepan. Melt gently over low heat, skimming off any white milk solids that float to the top if you prefer clarified butter. Keep warm.
Use the kitchen tongs to carefully remove the lobsters, corn, and potatoes from the stockpot, transferring them to a large serving platter. Allow the lobsters to rest for 3 minutes. Serve immediately alongside the melted butter, lemon wedges, and lobster crackers.
Chef's Notes
- Steaming is far superior to boiling for lobsters. It is a gentler cooking method that yields tender meat and preserves the natural oceanic sweetness without waterlogging the seafood.
- Always purchase live, active lobsters. They should vigorously curl their tails when picked up. Keep them chilled in the refrigerator under damp newspaper until right before cooking.
- If you prefer a cleaner dipping experience with less sputtering, clarify your butter by completely skimming the white milk solids off the top after it melts, leaving only the pure, golden butterfat.
- Be incredibly cautious when lifting the lid from the stockpot. The concentrated steam is intense and can cause severe burns; open the lid tilting away from your face.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store leftover lobster meat removed from the shell in an airtight container.
Reheating: Reheat shelled meat gently in melted butter over medium-low heat to avoid rubbery texture.
Troubleshooting
Tough, rubbery lobster meat
Cause: The lobsters were left in the steamer too long or boiled instead of steamed.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Strictly monitor the cooking time, check the internal temperature, and ensure the water does not touch the lobsters.
Potatoes are hard in the center
Cause: Potatoes were too large or were not given enough head start before adding the lobsters.
Fix: Remove lobsters and corn, return potatoes to the steamer basket and steam until tender.
Prevention: Cut larger baby potatoes in half, or steam them a few minutes longer before adding the seafood.
Cultural Context
The New England lobster bake is a quintessential American coastal tradition with roots tracing back to indigenous communities of the Northeast. Originally, Native Americans cooked lobsters, clams, and corn over fire-heated rocks lined with wet seaweed on the beach. Today, steaming these ingredients together in a single pot is a convenient way to replicate the sweet, briny harmony of a traditional beach clambake right in a home kitchen.
