Wayne Gisslen

Handling

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About
  1. Live lobsters are either cooked live or cut up before cooking (as for broiling or sautéing). Live lobsters are plunged headfirst into boiling water to kill them instantly. They are then simmered 5 to 6 minutes per lb (480 g). If served hot, they are drained well and split in half, and the claws are cracked.

  2. Splitting and cutting up live lobsters is necessary for certain preparations. Figure 20.13 shows splitting a lobster for broiling. Figure 20.14 shows cutting up a lobster for sautés and stews. Note that the methods are somewhat different.

  3. The thorax section contains four parts you should recognize. Figure 20.15 shows their location.
    • The stomach, or sac, located just behind the eyes, is often sandy and should be discarded.
    • The tomalley, or liver, is pale green. It is eaten plain or removed, mashed, and added to sauces that accompany the lobster.
    • The coral, or roe, is red when cooked and dark green when raw. It is present only in females. Like the tomalley, it is considered a delicacy.
    • The intestinal vein may be removed from the split lobster if it contains dark material, but is often left in if it is clear.