Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Lobster & Steaming Liquid
- 2 live hard-shell lobsters, chilled
- 500 ml water
- 30 g sea salt
Serving (Optional)
- 100 g unsalted butter, melted and clarified
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 897 kcal
- Protein
- 113 g
- Carbohydrates
- 5 g
- Fat
- 46 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 2883 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 27 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 971 mg
- Potassium
- 1441 mg
- Calcium
- 596 mg
- Iron
- 2.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 263 mg
- Phosphorus
- 1115 mg
- Zinc
- 24.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 349 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 27 mg
- Vitamin E
- 7.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 8.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.16 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.10 mg
- Niacin
- 10.9 mg
- Folate
- 75 mcg
- Water
- 603 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the water and sea salt into the large stockpot and insert the steamer basket. Cover the pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
Wash hands thoroughly. If dispatching humanely before cooking, swiftly pierce the lobsters head just behind the eyes with a heavy chefs knife. Wash hands and thoroughly sanitize the cutting board and knife immediately after handling the raw seafood to prevent cross-contamination.
Grasp the lobsters by the body using tongs and place them headfirst into the steamer basket. Immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid and steam undisturbed for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the shells are bright red and the internal temperature at the thickest part of the tail reaches 63°C/145°F.
Carefully remove the lobsters from the pot using tongs, allowing excess water to drain back into the pot. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
Crack the claws and tails to extract the meat. Serve immediately with warm clarified butter and lemon wedges, or chill completely for lobster rolls.
Chef's Notes
- Steaming is vastly superior to boiling for lobster. Boiling heavily waterlogs the meat and dilutes the briny ocean flavor into the water, whereas steaming cooks the meat gently in its own natural juices.
- Chilling live lobsters in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking makes them dormant. This minimizes stress, makes them much safer to handle, and prevents them from shedding their claws during the cooking process.
- Do not discard the culinary gold left behind. Save the empty shells, the bodies, and the rich green tomalley to simmer into an incredibly flavorful lobster stock or classic bisque.
- If your ultimate goal is to make cold lobster rolls, prepare an ice bath before cooking. Submerge the steamed lobsters in the ice water immediately after removing them from the pot to instantly halt the cooking process and firm up the meat for clean slicing.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store picked meat in an airtight container. Do not store whole in the shell for more than 24 hours.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze picked meat in a vacuum-sealed bag, or submerged in a light brine to prevent freezer burn.
Troubleshooting
Meat is tough, rubbery, and has shrunk significantly
Cause: The lobster was left in the steam too long, causing the proteins to tightly contract and expel all moisture
Fix: Cannot be fixed for fresh eating, but can be roughly chopped and folded into a rich, creamy chowder to mask the tough texture
Prevention: Set a timer the exact moment the lid goes on, and verify the internal temperature of the tail at the minimum recommended cooking time
Meat sticks stubbornly to the shell and the center is translucent
Cause: The lobster is undercooked, either from removing it too early or steam escaping from a poorly fitted lid
Fix: Return the lobsters to the steamer for 2 to 3 additional minutes
Prevention: Ensure the water is at a violent, rolling boil before adding lobsters, and use a heavy-duty lid
Cultural Context
While it is a highly prized luxury item today, lobster was historically considered poverty food in colonial North America, so abundant that it was routinely fed to prisoners, apprentices, and livestock. The simple, steamed preparation highlights the natural sweetness of the meat and stands as an enduring emblem of traditional coastal New England cuisine.
