Because lobster meat can go bad quickly, it's generally necessary to cook a lobster while it's still alive. Never eat a cooked lobster with its tail uncurled, as it died before it was cooked.

How to cut lobster? Most people start by breaking off the legs. Holding the lobster by the back, gently pull off the legs with a twisting motion. Don't throw these away: there are plenty of delicious morsels inside!

Next, take off the claws. Tear them off at the first joint, again with a gentle twisting motion, and note that the crusher claw usually is bigger than the tearing claw.

Grasp the tail portion with one hand, and the head with the other hand. Twist to separate the two sections.

Arguably, the best part of the lobster, the debate rages between tail lovers and claw lovers, is the tail meat. With the palm of your hand, press firmly on the tail to crack it. Peel off the top of the tail to reveal the digestive tract, which should be removed before eating the rest of the tail meat.

Gently remove the loose part of the claw. Again, check for especially tasty morsels in small parts! Using a nutcracker, break off the tip of the large section of claw, revealing the meat. With your forefinger, push the meat from the tip of the claw out the larger open end.

Notice the mouth parts, antennae, antennules, and rostrum or beak, all of which are inedible. Intrepid diners who explore further find small chunks of meat inside the carapace, the hard shell or body of the lobster.

They may also encounter the gills, the circulation system, and green "tomalley"(the digestive gland) and in a female lobster, red "coral" or "roe" (the unfertilized eggs). Hard-core lobster lovers eat the latter two.

What's the green stuff? It's the lobster's liver or more accurately, its digestive system. Although many people like to eat the "tomalley" it probably isn't a good idea because this is where pollution in the lobsters own meal choices would become concentrated in the lobster's body.

What's the red stuff? It's the roe, the unfertilized eggs of the female. Lobster eggs were once considered a delicacy, like caviar. The roe is also called "coral" because of its bright red color.

Can you eat lobster when there is a shellfish ban? Yes. Lobsters, unlike mussels, oysters, and clams, are not "filter feeders." Filter feeders pump sea water, and any plankton or pollution carried, through their bodies. Any toxins in the water will be concentrated in their flesh. Meat eaters like lobsters, crabs, and fish do not filter plankton from sea water, so they are safe to eat during an outbreak of red tide.

What is the nutritional value of lobster? Nutrition studies show that 3 « ounces of lobster meat (without the butter) contains only 90 calories, compared to 163 calories for the same amount of chicken and 280 calories for sirloin steak. Lobster also contains omega-3 fatty acids, the "good " cholesterol that seems to reduce hardening of the arteries and decrease the risk of heart attacks.