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Order by 12:00 midnight EST for orders to ship the following business day. Choose your lobster delivery at checkout.
Saturday delivery is an extra charge and is not available to some rural areas. Call FedEx at 1800.463.3339 with your zip code to check.
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"Your incredible lobsters were the undisputed highlight of our annual
beach trip. Everyone raved that they had never seen lobsters that big
before, nor had tasted anything like them. Prompt delivery, great
presentation, great meal!
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--Ernie Williams,
Coastal Living magazine, Cooking Light Magazine
"We were extraordinarily pleased with our first order of lobsters and clams. The lobsters were exquisitely succulent and delectable... even exceeded my uncommonly high expectations. The clams were sweet and
flavorful. We look forward to many, many more orders in the future."
Very truly yours,
--Ting Peterson, Washington DC
"We had to write to let you know how much we enjoyed our live Maine
lobster. My wife, originally from Rhode Island and a former Bostonian,
loves lobster and she can't stop talking about it. Our package included
a 5-lb. live Maine lobster, New England clam chowder, lobster bisque,
and a 4-piece box of chocolate truffles. The lobster was incredible - huge beyond belief. Its meat was succulent, tender and sweet. We had
always heard that lobsters over 2 lbs. were tough, but that's just not
true."
--Rob Cassese, Naples, FL |
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Lobster 101
 Maine
lobster, also known as the American Lobster, is found in the
waters between Eastern Canada and North Carolina, with Maine
contributing to more than half of all lobsters caught in the
United States. Maine lobster is easily distinguished from
the "spiny" lobster (commonly called rock lobster)
caught along the southern Atlantic coast and the coast of
California by its large heavy claws. The spiny lobster has
tiny claws and is usually marketed as uncooked frozen tails.
Because of its sweet, delicious flavor and tender texture
Maine lobster is the world's most prized catch.
Live Maine lobster is available year-round, with the bulk
of the catch harvested in the summer and fall. In the winter
months many lobstermen pull their traps to avoid damage and
danger of Nor'easters and other storms. The price of lobster,
like most prices, is ruled by supply and demand, as well as,
the weather. Lobster prices usually rise at the start of Memorial
Day and drop as the season ends with Labor Day weekend. May
and September are good times to buy hard-shell lobsters. In
June and July, when lobster molting is at its peak, the majority
of lobsters sold locally are soft-shell.
Lobsters grow by molting, or shedding their shells. Just
after they molt, they are soft and fragile until their new
shell has hardened. (It takes about 25 molts over 5-7 years
for a lobster to grow to a minimum legal size, 1 pound.) Newly
molted lobsters are called soft-shell or "new shell"
lobsters. It is important to be aware of the quality and price
of soft-shell lobsters. Soft-Shell lobsters have less meat
in proportion to total body weight than hard-shell lobsters.
Hard-shell meat is firmer, while soft-shell meat is softer
and tends to have more water. Because soft-shell lobsters
are not as strong as hard-shells, they do not ship well. This
is why soft-shell lobster is always less expensive. Cracking
a hard-shell Maine lobster takes some effort, but the results
are more than worth it.
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 Lobsters
are caught in traps, marked by colorful buoys to identify
the traps' owners. If you happen to be out on a boat and come
across one, don't even think about pulling it up to take a
look. There is no real authority specifically governing lobster
traps, unless you count Smith & Wesson, and the notoriously
short-tempered lobstermen, themselves.
When the lobsters are taken from the trap, they are "banded"
with strong rubber bands. Sometimes you might see wooden plugs
inserted into the base of the claw. Do not remove the bands
or plugs...they are there for your safety!!!
The State of Maine has very strict laws governing lobstering.
Lobster traps may not be hauled at night and on Sundays during
June through August in Maine waters (since 1967). In Maine
it is illegal to keep lobsters under and over a certain size.
Lobstermen use a special gauge to accurately measure the length
of the lobster's carapace (body)--from the eye socket to the
beginning of the tail to ensure legal compliance. The legal
minimum length is 3 1/4 inches. Lobsters under this length
are call "shorts" or snappers" and must be
thrown back into the ocean. Minimum sizes are enforced to
make sure that lobsters are mature enough to breed at least
once before they are harvested. When a female egg-bearing
lobster is found, it is required by Maine law that a v-shaped
notch be placed in the right tail flipper before releasing
the lobster, in order to protect her so that she may continue
to reproduce.
The maximum legal length of a lobster is 5 inches carapace-length;
which are called "jumbos". The maximum size limit
is regulated to protect the breeding stock. A minimum size
lobster will weigh around 1 pound, while a maximum size lobster
will weigh between 3-4 pounds. The most plentiful and most
popular size of Maine Lobster is between 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pounds
each.
Contrary to popular belief, live lobsters are not red in color,
but are actually a dark blue-green color because of the many
different color pigments. When cooked, all of the pigments
except for the red (astaxantbin) are hidden. Besides the typical
colored lobsters, there are also rare yellow, red, blue and
white specimens. About 1 in every 30 million lobsters is born
with a blue shell. Lobsters are usually active at night and
eat fish, crabs, clams, mussels, sea urchins and sometimes-other
lobsters!
You can tell if a lobster is a male or a female by looking
at their first pair of swimmerets found on the under body
of the lobster. The swimmerets on the male are larger and
bony; they are smaller and softer in the female.
Maine lobster is not only great tasting, it's healthy - that
is, if you go easy on the butter. It's hard to believe, but
Maine Lobster has less cholesterol, calories, and saturated
fats than lean beef, skinless chicken and pork. Lobster is
a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are
proven to reduce hardening of the arteries and risk of heart
disease. Lobster is also high in amino acids, potassium, magnesium,
calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, vitamin A, and many of the
B vitamins.
Live lobster can be boiled, steamed, grilled, or baked. The
white meat of the Maine lobster is located in the tail, claws,
and knuckles. Meat can also be found in parts of the body
and legs. The red material in the tail section is the coral
"roe" or the female eggs and is considered a delicacy.
The greenish material at the junction of the body and tail
is "tomalley", which is actually the liver, and
has a very unique "peppery" taste used in many recipes.
Don't worry about cooking live lobsters. Lobsters have a ganglionic
nervous system (as opposed to a central nervous system), so
they do not feel "pain" the same way that we do.
The supposed "screaming" in the pot is actually
the sound of steam escaping from the lobster's shell.
Cooking a lobster longer than the recommended times usually
makes the meat too tough. When properly cooked, lobster meat
is a creamy white, shells are bright red and the two front
antennae pull out easily. A 1-2 pound whole lobster serves
one person. A pound of meat can be removed from four to six
lobsters weighing 1.25 pounds (typical market size). Approximately
two cups of lobster meat equals one pound. For more Maine
lobster and seafood cooking instructions be sure to visit
our seafood cooking
and handling guide.
Though Maine lobster is best enjoyed "in the rough"
(cooked whole in the shell), it lends itself to a variety
of recipes and styles. Celebrate, anytime of year, anywhere
in the country, with the finest live Maine Lobster from LobsterAnywhere.com.
Happy Cracking!
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| Lobster Lingo |
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| Lobster Sizes ^ |
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Shorts or Snappers- A lobster under the
legal size limit
Chickens- A lobster weighing about 1 pound
Culls- A lobster that has lost one or both claws.
Quarters-A lobster weighing 1-1/4 pounds.
Selects- A lobster weighing from 1 ½ to 1 3/4 pound
Deuces- A lobster weighing about 2 pounds
Jumbos- A lobster weighing over 2-1/2 pounds |
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Lobster Parts ^
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| Carapace: |
Hard-shell of the lobster with the claws, knuckles and
tail removed. It houses the legs, tomalley, and, in the
females, the roe. |
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| Claws: |
The larger of the two claws is called the crusher claw
and the smaller claw is called the pincer or cutter claw.
They are full of tender, sweet meat. |
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| Knuckles: |
The two joints to connect the large claws to the carapace.
Connoisseurs say the knuckle meat is the tastiest. |
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| Tails: |
The tail holds the biggest piece of meat in the lobster. |
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| Legs: |
The four pairs of legs contain small strips of meat
that take some work to remove. |
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| Roe: |
The red stuff is the "coral" or tiny lobster
eggs of the female lobster. The roe is black uncooked.
Lobster eggs were once considered a delicacy, like caviar. |
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| White Stuff: |
The lobster blood, looks like egg whites, uncooked,
it's clear. Try it in sauces. |
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| Tomalley: |
The light-green "tomalley" in the carapace
of the lobster is the liver and pancreas. Although lobster
lovers adore the rich as butter tomalley, it should not
be eaten regularly. As with other animals, contaminants
may settle in the liver, so its best to be on the safe
side. |
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Lobster Rules: ^ |
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If you plan to ship or transport lobster,
always choose active, hard-shell Maine lobsters from LobsterAnywhere.com |
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If you plan to ship or transport lobster,
always choose hard-shell Maine lobsters. |
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The best way to keep lobster alive at home
is to refrigerate them and cover with a damp cloth or
newspaper. |
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Do not immerse lobster in fresh water (in
the sink or bathtub) or allow them to sit in melted ice.
When transferring lobsters, pick them up by the body not
the claws. |
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Do not remove wooden pegs or rubber bands
until after lobsters have been cooked. |
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Whole, cooked lobsters should have their
tails curled, a sign that they were alive when cooked. |
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How To Eat Maine Lobster ^
The first step to cleaning a lobster is to pull the claws
and large legs away from the body. Then break the claw away
from the leg. The seafood pick will help you remove the meat
from the legs. Next crack the claw with your shell cracker,
gently, as not to grind the shell into the meat. If you did
it correctly, you should be able to pull the meat in one piece.
Use a knife to trim away the soft membrane on the underside
of the tail and pull out the meat in one piece using the seafood
pick. Now throw all the shells over your shoulder and being
dipping your well-deserve red lobster meat in some drawn butter!
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