Removing Lobster Meat

Take the lobster apart and remove the meat from the shell over a bowl so that you save all those flavorful juices. As you remove each piece of the meat, put it on a large plate or platter so that the pieces lie flat and separate from one another. Save all the shells for soup, sauces, and fish and shellfish stews; if not using them right away, put them in sealed plastic (odorless bags or containers) and freeze.

First, twist off the small legs, cutting off and discarding the bits of feathery gill sticking to the knuckle ends. Keep the legs on the platter with the lobster meat.