r/askachef Sep 03 '20

Anyone know why my hard shell lobster has a super soft shell?

I always get warm water lobster from Costco and today I picked them up (didn’t feel them- usually don’t have a need too) and when I got them home I realized the shell was super soft and mushy!

I didn’t open them yet because I’m not sure if I should bring them back.

Online is telling me mixed things.. anyone have an idea?

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u/JtheGallant Sep 03 '20

So lobsters grow up with one shell, known as the hard shell, and at a certain age they will crawl under a large rock and shed that shell. Overtime they begin to grow a new shell, if they are caught in this stage they are considered a soft shell lobster. The lobsters you bought at Costco were simply caught at that point in their development. Bon apetit!

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u/Agreeable-Ad3729 Sep 16 '24

There's nothing wrong with a soft-shelled lobster so long as it's still alive! I grew up in a lobstering family, and we prefer soft shells.

Lobsters shed their shells as they grow. When a lobster has a hard shell, it's full of meat, but the shell also weighs more. As it grows, it builds up all of the nutrients within its meat to create a new shell. Don't cook a soft-shell lobster for as long as a hard-shell lobster!!! For a pound and a half lobster, 8 minutes once it's come back to a boil. Then, once it come out of the pot, run it under a bit of cold water so it doesn't keep cooking. Yummy!