Martha Stewart's Trick For Effortlessly Removing Lobster Tail Meat

According to Samuels Seafood, lobster was once considered "poor man's food." Nowadays, however, it's a delicacy. The Takeout explains that after decades of overfishing, the crustaceans became scarce and expensive because they are slow to grow, require a lot of food, and have a high disease risk. Time of year also affects cost; lobsters become more active in the spring as water temperatures rise, lowering the price of the meat.

Given the price high price of lobster, you want ensure you get every bit of the tender, slightly sweet meat, especially from the claw and tail. Twisting the thumb off the claw is a simple way to get to the good stuff. Of course, removing the tail meat is a bit more complicated. Is the extra effort warranted? Lobster Anywhere says claw meat is more tender, but the tail meat is firmer to the tooth with a satisfyingly meaty texture. Per Today, a survey conducted by a Portland, Maine, newspaper pitted the tail against the claw, and the results came out tied. Lobster fans love both! 

Whether you like your lobster grilled or poached in booze (per Martha Stewart's lobster rule), getting the succulent meat out of the tail is no easy feat. Cook's Illustrated suggests cracking the tail open by pressing on it with both hands; Lobster Trader uses scissors to cut the shell up the middle; and Megan Waldrep of the Partners of Commercial Fisherman uses a sharp knife. Stewart, however, has her own trick.

When you're eating lobster at a seafood boil with friends or a fine dining restaurant, you may not exactly be able to whip out a sharp pair of scissors or a well-honed knife. Cracking the shell with your hands is convenient in this situation, but it's certainly messy. Leave it to Martha Stewart to offer a solution.

In a TikTok video, Stewart, wearing a sensible lobster bib while presumably eating a seafood boil at a restaurant, offers a simple primer on the tricky business of getting the lobster meat out of the tail. Holding the tail in one hand and a fork in the other, Stewart maneuvers the fork, held upside-down with the tines toward the meat, under the shell. "Stick it as far down as you can," she advises. She does a little twisting and pulling motion with both the fork and the tail to loosen the meat from the shell. Stewart successfully liberates the tail meat in one large piece to collective wows of her dinner companions — giving lobster lovers an easier, classier way to enjoy their favorite crustacean.