Lobster handling and storage prior to cooking

Lobsters are widely known as the king of crustaceans and should be treated accordingly. To successfully buy or catch a lobster and keep it of the highest quality until it reaches the table, we must treat it with respect. As lobsters tend to be more expensive than other crustaceans, it is not good economics to throw a lobster away due to poor care, so let’s take a look at the best ways to handle and store our lobster.

Lobsters breathe through their gills, and these must be kept moist in order for them to stay alive. You really want to keep your live lobster cool out of sunlight or general heat and keep moisture around it.

Transport the lobster in a container such as a sturdy cardboard box or foam cooler, but ideally without a lid. Keep some wet straw or damp newspaper at the bottom of the box and cover the lobster with a damp cloth, as they will easily diffuse moisture from the air and absorb oxygen through their gills.

Do not submerge live lobster in salt water or ice that can melt and submerge it, as it will suffocate in a very short time. When in saltwater tanks at seafood stores, keep in mind that the tanks are filtered and the lobster frequently receives fresh oxygen. If they are submerged in water in a small container, their oxygen will be quickly depleted.

Make sure the lobster claws have been tied with string or a rubber band to prevent biting. You should handle lobster with care and the less often the better. Lobsters can easily get stressed and weak from all the jostling, remember they really are at home when they’re out at sea.

You can expect the lobster to stay in good condition out of the sea or its saltwater tank for a day or two. Sometimes in the wild they get caught by low tides and get stuck on open rocks and have to wait again for tidal changes so they have adjusted naturally but they are still in a weakened state so treat them with care.

Lobsters come in hard or soft shell versions; it just depends on where in the molding stage the lobster is. If you’ve done your checks and squeezed the side of the lobster and come to the conclusion that you have a hard shell version, well, they’ll travel much better than a soft shell version.

Once they’re home, make some room in the fridge and store them covered with a damp cloth so they can still breathe. Stored this way, they will have a realistic shelf life of a day or two. However, you should consider cooking them faster than this for maximum freshness.