Here is a question that many people ask. Can you freeze both cooked lobster and uncooked lobster to enjoy at a later date? The short answer to this question is no, you cannot freeze uncooked lobster. Here is why:
The meat will stick
When you freeze and thaw uncooked lobster, the meat sticks to the inside of the shell and it is almost impossible to get out. When you cook a lobster first and thaw at a later date the lobster meat does not stick to the inside of the shell. It actually tastes very fresh and still remains juicy when you do sit down to enjoy it.
The meat will also tear
When an uncooked lobster is frozen, the meat actually expands and is tightly compressed within the shell walls. When you thaw the uncooked lobster the meat then tears and shreds as the meat shrinks and disconnects from the wall that it was once connected.
According to the University of Maine Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition and the Lobster Institute, properly prepared lobster will stay fresh for a 9 to 12 month period. That is if you can exercise self control and stare at your lobster in the freezer for that long without eating it.
There is no need to learn the hard lesson on freezing uncooked lobster. The next time that you buy your lobster at Cape Porpoise, and we hope that’s soon, be sure to cook your lobster first and then store. Or you can eat it all at once, either way works for us!
