Preparing the live lobster

Many people find it difficult to kill the beast they are about to eat. They expect butchers and fishmongers to perform the horrid deed on their behalf. Sometimes, however, one is confronted with the problem of how to despatch the beast oneself. This can be traumatic for some, but unless one wishes to keep the hapless beast as a pet — which can be expensive and gastronomically wasteful — one must know how to do it as painlessly as possible for the benefit of both parties.

The simplest way is to put the lobster in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator for 45 minutes (this slows down its metabolism so that it feels nothing), then plunge the lobster into a large pot of boiling salted water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook over the highest flame. Leave boiling for five minutes only, remove the lobster and plunge into a pot of cold water to stop it cooking any further. The lobster may then be prepared according to the following recipes.