Lobster facts

Tickle the central fin in the tail to see whether a lobster is lively. It should contract rapidly. Stroking it between the eyes has a calming effect on it.

A lobster has a harder, more brittle shell before it moults. At this stage it will have a higher proportion of meat to body weight: roughly 25%. Lobster with softer shells that have just moulted yield 20% or less.

What is tomalley or coral? Some recipe books describe it as the liver. In fact, it's a digestive gland that combines the functions of liver and pancreas.