How do you tell if a live lobster is fresh?

A fresh live lobster is active. It moves its legs and claws, and its tail curls tightly under the body when you pick it up. A limp, motionless lobster that lets its tail hang straight is weak or dying and should be cooked at once or skipped.

How do you tell if lobster has gone bad?

Trust your nose first. A strong ammonia or sour smell means the lobster has spoiled and should be thrown out. Other warning signs are soft, mushy or slimy meat, and a grey, green or discolored look instead of clean white meat. When in doubt, throw it out.

How long does cooked lobster keep?

Cooked lobster keeps about three to four days in the fridge in a sealed container, and several months frozen. Raw lobster meat is far more delicate and should be cooked within a day.

How to Tell If Lobster Is Fresh (or Going Bad)

Lobster is at its best when it is genuinely fresh, and the signs are easy to read once you know them. Here is how to judge a live lobster, a cooked one, and when to walk away.

🦞 Quick answer

A fresh live lobster is active and curls its tail tightly when lifted. A spoiled lobster gives off a sharp ammonia smell, feels soft or slimy, or looks grey and discolored. The nose is your best tool. When in doubt, throw it out.

Judging a live lobster

A healthy live lobster is lively. It waves its legs, raises its claws, and snaps its tail under its body the moment you pick it up. That tail curl is the clearest sign of a strong animal. A lobster that lies limp, barely moves, and lets its tail droop is weak and on its way out. It is safe to eat only if you cook it immediately.

Judging cooked or raw meat

Start with the smell. Clean lobster has a mild, sweet ocean scent. A strong ammonia, sour or fishy smell means it has spoiled, and no rinsing will fix it. Next, look and feel: fresh meat is firm and white, sometimes with red and cream tones. Meat that is soft, mushy, slimy, or has turned grey or green has gone off. Throw it out rather than risk it.

How long lobster keeps

Cooked lobster lasts about three to four days in the fridge in a sealed container, and several months in the freezer. Raw lobster meat is more fragile and should be cooked within a day. A live lobster is best cooked the same day you buy it, kept cool and damp in the meantime, never sealed in water or ice.

Buy from a place you trust

The simplest way to get fresh lobster is to buy from a spot that turns over a lot of it. Browse every city we have mapped for top-rated, busy places, or visit a coastal capital like Portland, Maine or Boston. Once you have it home, see how to eat a lobster.