Which Parts of a Lobster Can You Eat?

At City Fish Market, we are scrupulous about seafood. Naturally, therefore, we can fill you in on “Which parts of a lobster can you eat?” The more you home chefs know about seafood, the better equipped you are to cook like a true connoisseur. So, we will break down the facts. As a bonus, we will share an online recipe collection to fan the flames of love for all delectable parts of a lobster! 

When you’re ready for the best live Maine lobsters–the favorite seafood in the U.S. (per a recent study)–visit us at 884 Silas Deane Hwy in Wethersfield, CT.

Which Parts of a Lobster Can You Eat?

The edible parts of a lobster are listed below with a few pertinent details about each. One important recommendation: 

Keep the lobster shell and body for the purpose of making delicious seafood stock. The shells are not edible in any other way, but they, like the edible body, are infused with flavor. 

All edible parts of a lobster are someone’s favorite! So, we are listing the edible parts in the order you may handle a lobster in preparation for cooking or eating it, as follows:

Claws. Lobster claws have silky and sweet meat. Lobster meat is in both large and small claws.

Tail. Lobster tail is often touted as the best of the lobster meat because of its beefy texture. Lobsters flap their tail rapidly to dodge potential trouble. That exercise makes the tail more fibrous and muscular.

Knuckles. The knuckles attach the claws to the body (it is more like a knee). The tasty knuckle meat is about the size of a grape, and you twist it from the claw.

Legs. Lobsters have 8 walking legs and 2 pincers, and the work it takes to get to the sweet meat in lobster legs is worth the struggle.

*Tomalley. The equivalent of a liver and pancreas, the tomalley is a custardy, green delicacy that you can scoop out and eat. Another option is to use it as a thickener for sauces and chowders. 

Roe(eggs). Roe are unfertilized lobster eggs in female lobsters that many consider a delicacy. These can be found in the body cavity or under the tail. Roe is black when uncooked and turns vibrant red when cooked. Roe is also known as “coral.”

Body/Ribs. Use your fingers or a lobster pick to get to the scraps of meat between the body’s thin interior shell.

*Warning about Tomalley: The FDA has previously issued warnings about tomalley because of potential contamination with toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) during a “red tide” event when algae blooms cause a heightened level of toxins.

The Parts of a Lobster Not to Eat

The following are the four parts of a lobster to discard, with the possible exception of the lobster shell, which can be used, along with the lobster body, to make terrific seafood stock, as mentioned above. To be clear, do not eat the following lobster parts:

• Shell– the hard exterior of the lobster. 
• The “vein” in the lobster tail—the dark string or “vein” in the lobster tail is safe to eat, but it is the lobster’s digestive tract, and removing it will ensure better texture and taste.
• Stomach—a lobster stomach is in the head area, just behind the mouthparts. Don’t eat the lobster stomach because it can contain shell fragments, digestive juices, and sand, making it bitter and gritty.
• Gills–the spongy, feathery structures are lobster gills, and they are not meant for consumption. 

City Fish Market has a Tank Full of All the Parts of a Lobster You Can Eat!

At City Fish Market, we have a 5,000-gallon tank that we keep well-stocked with living lobsters from 1 pound up to 10 pounds. Every lobster has its parts for you to enjoy. See all of the above for the answer to “Which parts of a lobster can you eat?” Food & Wine offers these 20 Dreamy Lobster Recipes to Learn. And, yes, various recipes use all the edible lobster parts! 

Be sure to check out our many fresh seafood varieties. For example, we offer shrimp in all sizes, crab, sport fish such as tuna, farm-raised fish such as tilapia and catfish, white meat fish fillets, and dark meat fish fillets. We also deliver! Call us or fill out our online form for seafood delivery.