Cleaning Lobsters fast and easy
Cleaning your lobster is not hard and it takes just a few minutes to accomplish. Most of us will clean the bugs right after we return from hoop netting. The only things needed for the cleaning method I use are a pair of gloves, and a freezer or alternately enough ice to cover the lobster if you don't have the freezer.
↓ Cleaning Lobsters ↓ | |
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I put the lobster in the freezer for about 30 minutes to help dispatch it. After that, it's time to separate the lobster tail. While wearing gloves to protect my hands, I'll firmly grab the tail and slowly pull while twisting it. |
Now that the tail is separated, we have to remove the digestive tract where the waste exited the lobster using the piece of broken antennae. |
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This is the lobsters anal opening we'll remove, and I do this as soon as I can after catching them. It's basically the same as de-veining a shrimp before you cook it. | I insert the antennae big end first and push it all the way through the tail. Most of the tract will push out when you do this. Then I pull it back towards me to clean out more of it. |
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In the photo, the yellow arrow shows the antennae in the opening ready to be pulled through. This works because the antennae have small directionally facing spines. When you pull the lobster antennae towards you, it grabs the tract or other loose matter and pulls it out. The red arrow shows what has been removed from the tail so far. It usually takes just a few times until the antennae comes out clean. |