Now is the time to start planning to have live lobsters shipped in time for your New Year’s celebrations. Fresh lobster makes for an impressive dish at a party with family or friends. You can easily order live lobsters online and have them arrive at your house ready to prepare. While you might think cooking and serving whole, live lobsters is intimidating, you can follow the step-by-step guide below.
Ordering Live Lobsters Shipped to Your Door
While you can easily place an order for live lobster, you need to be prepared for your live lobster when it arrives. A successful live lobster delivery depends on ordering the right amount and timing the delivery.
Online lobster shops typically sell 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pound live lobsters. However, you need to factor in the actual yield of lobster meat to determine how much you need to buy for your group size. An average yield of lobster meat is 20% of the lobster’s weight with its shell. This means that a typical lobster equates to 4 to 5 ounces of meat. You can plan on serving 4 ounces of lobster per person, meaning roughly one lobster per person. Some sites offer jumbo lobsters, too, so be sure to check the weight before placing your order.
When lobster sellers prepare orders for live lobsters shipped, they take careful precautions to package the lobsters to keep them alive and fresh throughout their journey. You can expect the box to have gel ice packs, an insulated Styrofoam box, and damp paper. Each of these packing materials protects the chill environment for the lobster. The seller should provide instructions for opening the lobster delivery and storing the lobster until you are ready to cook with them. The order should arrive within a few days of you placing the order.
Cooking and Serving Live Lobsters Shipped
Cooking live lobster does not require special skills, but you do need the right equipment. One lobster will fit in an 8-quart pot, so you will either have to cook the lobster in batches or have multiple pots boiling at the same time. Average lobsters will cook for 15 minutes in the covered pot of boiling water. You should look for the shell to turn bright red and for the meat to be completely opaque. Once the lobsters finish cooking, remove them from the pot and allow them to drain.
To serve the lobster, you can set out bowls for the shells and a shell cracker. First, remove the claws from the lobster and crack the shell to expose the claw meat. Next, you can separate the tail from the body of the lobster and use your hands to remove the meat. You can choose to serve the lobster with melted butter, lemon, or other sauces. For New Year’s Eve, you can make the meal extra fancy and serve the lobster alongside steak for surf and turf or with other fresh seafood, too.
