How to Clean up after a Lobster Feast

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By Virginia Allain
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Clean up after a Lobster Feast

Lobster and steamed clams with corn-on-the-cob makes a summer feast. Unfortunately the clean up afterwards can be quite a job. Here's how to take care of it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

lots of detergent
sturdy trash bags
baking soda
spray cleaner like Windex
lots of napkins
newspapers or plastic tablecloth

Step 1

When refrigerating the bag of live lobsters, put paper towels under it in the refrigerator or put a roasting pan under it. You don't want drips on the plastic parts of the refrigerator where they might be hard to remove.
Step 2

Cook the lobster outside if at all possible. The cooking smells can linger inside for some time. If it can't be cooked and eaten outside, consider getting already cooked lobster to bring home and eat inside.
Step 3

Lobster is best eaten outside on the patio or deck. Cover the picnic table with a plastic tablecloth or layers of newspaper. Clean the tablecloth afterwards with lots of soapy water and paper towels, then spray with something like Windex for the final wipe down. Leave it out in the sun for a day to finish the deodorizing.
Step 4

Paper plates usually aren't big enough or strong enough for all the liquid and weight of lobsters. I recommend sturdy plastic lobster plates if you serve this each summer. Clean these afterwards with hot soapy water followed by Windex, then rinse.
Use side plates for the potato salad as the lobster plate gets messy and soupy from all the liquid.
Step 5

Use paper napkins, not your best linen ones. Put a stack of extra napkins on the table for everyone. Lobster bibs seem a little funny but it protects the clothes somewhat. Hopefully everyone is wearing casual clothing that's easily washed.
Step 6

Have a metal pan to collect the shells in as people work on the clams and lobster. Have a large trash bin nearby. Line it with two trash bags (one inside the other for strength). Empty the shells into this when the pan on the table threatens to overflow.
Step 7

After the shellfish feast, sop up most of the liquid on the plates with the crumpled paper napkins. Dump these and the shells and the newspapers (that covered the table) into the lined trash bin.
Step 8

Be sure to rescue the picks and lobster crackers so they don't get swept away in the trash or with the shells. Use more crumpled napkins to wipe out the individual butter dishes. Put plenty of dish detergent in the wash water. If the water cools or loses its suds, run a fresh sink of water to get everything cleaned of butter residue or lobster smell.
Step 9

Empty the water from the lobster pot somewhere where the odor won't plague you for days. If you pour it down the sink drain, then flush with more water to clear the trap. Ideally wash the lobster pot outside as it's too big for most sinks. Take hot, soapy water outside to slosh around the pot. Rinse, then air dry the pot outside.
Step 10

The perfect lobster feast clean up would include trash pick up the very next morning. If trash pick up isn't scheduled for a few days, place all the bags of shells, etc. in a tightly closed (racoon and bear proof) container. Avoid opening it if the following days are hot. The odor gets pretty bad inside the bin.
Step 11

Give the refrigerator a good wiping down where the lobster was to be sure no liquid causes smells later. If there is an odor, check on the recommendations in the link below.

Comments

MIghtyDreamer said

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on 9/4/2008 I don't eat lobster, but I can tell these are wonderful and efficient ideas for cleaning up, fixing and enjoying the dish.

BirdWoman said

on 9/4/2008 It was great fun to take part in your lobster feast, yummy. The photos are sharp & clear. They really add to you article. The hints for using windex is new for me.