How A Meat Mallet Works Wonders For Preparing Lobster At Home

If you've ever tried to break apart a lobster shell with your bare hands, you likely know it can be a tough job. Some lobster shells are harder than others, and when you meet your match with a lobster shell that feels like concrete, break out the meat mallet. It's a perfect tool for cooking fresh lobster at home because it lets you crack open the shell well enough to pull out a big chunk of meat.

Meat mallets usually have flat and spiked sides. Do not use the spiked side on a lobster shell; the different points will cause it to break in all different places. Instead, use the flat side, where the mallet is more likely to create one large crack. Don't slam the mallet into the shell immediately. The amount of force will depend on how hard the shell is, so start relatively gentle and increase the force as needed. To prevent the shell from spewing everywhere, place a paper towel over the lobster before hitting it. Then, once you have a good crack in the shell, use your hands to gently break it entirely apart. It should come apart easily, creating a large enough opening for you to remove the meat from its claws or tail. Pro tip: If a mallet isn't working properly on the top side of the tail, flip the lobster over, and carefully use a pair of scissors to cut through the underside of the shell, bottom to top.

If you're wondering why the last lobster you picked was so soft yet the next one was so hard, there's an easy explanation: the longer a lobster has been in its shell, the harder the shell is. So if you happen to purchase cooked lobsters with rock-hard shells, it just means they haven't yet molded (shedded the shell) when they were caught. Those are the shells you'll need the mallet for.

Dishes like lobster rolls and lobster pasta should always have meat removed from the shell. If you're preparing and grilling whole lobsters or lobster tails for guests, then you might leave the shell intact for the guest to break apart. But otherwise, go ahead and use the mallet method to remove the meat. One more thing: Small bits of shell can sometimes stick to the lobster if it breaks into multiple pieces. Avoid this lobster mistake by running the meat under water to rinse off any small pieces, then pat it dry before serving.