How to Steam Live Lobster

Do less. Steam it.

Good lobster does not need much help. Give it a big pot, a couple inches of well-salted water, steady steam and enough time. If this is your first live lobster, you are closer to dinner than you think.

Maine lobster ready for steaming
First things first:Keep the lobsters cold and damp in the refrigerator and cook them the day they arrive.Never put live lobster in fresh water or directly on ice.

The method

Let the steam do the work.

  1. Use a pot with room. The lobsters should fit comfortably so steam can circulate.
  2. Add about two inches of well-salted water. If your order was shipped, tuck some clean rockweed from the box into the bottom of the pot.
  3. Bring it to a strong boil. You want a pot full of steam before the lobsters go in.
  4. Add the lobsters and cover tightly. Start timing once the lid is on and the pot is steaming strongly again.
  5. Cook for the largest lobster in the pot. Six 1¼ lb lobsters do not take six times as long as one.
  6. Check the meat, not just the shell. Bright red is a clue; opaque white meat rather than translucent meat is the better test.

One more use for the packing

Save the rockweed for the pot.

We pack with rockweed to help keep lobster cool and damp on the overnight trip from Bailey Island. Once the box is open, clean pieces can go straight into the steaming pot. As it heats, it brings some of that salty, low-tide smell into the kitchen. It is optional. We think it belongs there.

Then crack in.

Twist off the claws and knuckles, separate the tail, crack the shell and take your time. Melted butter is traditional. Lemon is optional. Plenty of napkins is not.

Questions while you’re cooking? Call 207-833-3147 →