The Lobster Feast

Everyone can use a bit of advice on how to enjoy our traditional Thursday night fare. These directions are courtesy of the Gulf of Maine Aquarium.

Most people start by breaking off the legs. Holding the lobster by the back, gently pull off the legs with a twisting motion. Don't throw these away: there are plenty of delicious morsels inside!

Next, take off the claws, which are also called chelipeds. Tear them off at the first joint, again with a gentle twisting motion, and note that the crusher claw usually is bigger than the tearing claw.

Gently remove the loose part of the claw. Again, check for especially tasty morsels in small parts!

Using a nutcracker, break off the tip of the large section of claw, revealing the meat.

With your forefinger, push the meat from the tip of the claw out the larger open end. Notice the mouth parts, antennae, antennules, and rostrum or beak, all of which are inedible.

Grasp the tail portion with one hand, and the back with the other hand. Twist to separate the two sections. After that, turn to end of the tail which has small flippers, or telsons, at the base. These provide tasty if miniscule chunks of meat to those who don't mind a little extra work.

Arguably, the best part of the lobster (the debate rages between tail lovers and claw lovers) is the tail meat. Then insert your fingers into the telson end to push the tail meat out intact through the larger opening. Peel off the top of the tail to reveal the digestive tract, which should be removed before eating the rest of the tail meat.

Intrepid diners who explore further find small chunks of meat inside the carapace, the hard shell or body of the lobster. They may also encounter the gills, the circulation system, and green "tomalley"(the digestive gland) and in a female lobster, red "coral" or "roe" (the unfertilized eggs). Hard-core lobster lovers eat the latter two.