1. Once your cooked lobster is cool enough to handle, place it on a chopping board and grab the tail in one hand and the body with the other. Gently twist and pull to separate the tail from the body
  2. Place the tail on its side on the chopping board. Use both hands to apply pressure to the side facing upwards until the shell cracks. Turn the tail so that the underside is facing upwards. Holding it in both hands, use your thumbs to open the shell outwards and pull it away from the meat.
  3. Using a paring knife, carefully remove the dark vein that runs down the centre of the top of the tail meat. Rinse the meat under cold running water to remove the last traces of the vein and the green tomalley (liver) that is on the side of the tail closest to the body. Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper and set aside.
  4. Next, twist the arms of the lobster to pull them away from the body, then pull the knuckles away from each claw. Crack the knuckles into individual sections at the joint, using a chef’s knife if needed. Use a skewer or the handle of a teaspoon to push the meat out of each section. Wiggle the smaller hinge piece of each claw and pull it off. If there is meat inside these small parts — poke it out with your skewer or teaspoon.
  5. Crack into the claws by hitting them with the back of your chef’s knife and pull out the meat.
  6. Finally, pull off all of the lobster legs. Place them flat on the chopping board and, one at a time, use a rolling pin to roll up from the claw end, pushing the meat out through the end that was broken from the body. Stop rolling just before the end of each leg to avoid crushing the shell into the meat.