Lobster

The large-clawed American lobster, caught off New England, is now enjoyed coast to coast thanks to overnight air freight. This is the library's foundation article — the fishery, the shells, the nutrition, and the practical matter of getting one home alive.

The Fishery

American lobster has been fished hard for generations, yet the population has held steady thanks to careful management, ongoing scientific research, and a low-bycatch catch method: traps. Rock and spiny lobsters are trap-fished around the world as well; among them, Australian rock lobster comes from a fishery certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, and California's small spiny lobster fishery is notably well regulated. For the American lobster's current stock status, NOAA Fisheries keeps the authoritative scorecard.

Molting: Hard-Shell and New-Shell

Lobsters grow by molting — shedding their shells, usually once a year. Just after the molt the animal is soft and fragile; over a few months the new shell hardens and the lobster becomes a "hard-shell." A new-shell lobster (also called soft-shell) carries less meat because its new shell is sized for another year's growth — but that meat is sweeter and juicier, which is why many regulars request it. New-shells represent some ninety percent of the summer catch. Because they travel less well, new-shells were often shipped pre-cooked: a saltwater cooking process locks in the fresh flavor and gives a three-day refrigerated shelf life.

Nutrition

Lobster meat has less saturated fat, fewer calories and less cholesterol than beef, pork, shrimp or even the light meat of chicken — one of the leanest proteins available — and it contributes omega-3 fatty acids besides. Research associates regular omega-3 intake with meaningfully lower risk of cardiac events, which is part of why the American Heart Association recommends seafood on the table twice a week. Delicious and defensible.

The Ways to Buy It

• Lobster meat — fresh, frozen or pasteurized; ready for any dish that calls for lobster (details on our lobster meat page).
• Whole frozen lobster — cooked then frozen; warm and serve.
• Lobster tails — frozen in the shell; grill, broil or bake (see lobster tails).
• Steamed lobster — cooked fresh and delivered ready to eat.
• Live lobster — delivered overnight; the full experience (see live Maine lobster).

How to Buy It

Color: Maine lobsters are usually greenish-brown or black, but blue, yellow, red and even white individuals turn up. Color does not affect flavor or texture. Activity: look for lobsters that move, hold their claws up — claws should never hang limply — and curl their tails underneath. Shells: black marks or holes are ordinary wear, usually indicating an older lobster that hasn't recently molted; they are not harmful. Hard-shells are fuller and demand crackers and picks; new-shells give up sweeter meat with bare hands.

Storage

Live lobster: open container in the refrigerator, kept moist with seaweed or seawater-dampened towels or newspaper. Never immerse in fresh water and never seal in an airtight container — they will suffocate. Kept cold with moist gills, live lobsters hold up to 48 hours. Cooked lobster: rigid, airtight container; best within three days. Picked meat: airtight, up to four days. Frozen products: follow package directions. With seafood of any kind, the golden rule stands: the sooner, the better.

The Long View

The American lobster is a conservation story still being written well. Trap fishing takes almost nothing from the sea but lobster; egg-bearing females are notched and returned by law; oversize breeding stock goes back over the rail. The result is a wild fishery that has fed a growing appetite for over a century without collapsing — rare company in the modern ocean. Eating American lobster is, by the standards of wild protein, one of the more defensible pleasures available, and the people who haul the traps have more at stake in keeping it that way than anyone.