Page Analysis » Selina Wamucii (2024)

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The price of Maine Lobster, California Spiny Lobster and Florida Spiny Lobster

There are three main types of lobster fished in the United States, namely Maine Lobster, California Spiny Lobster, and Florida Spiny Lobster.

Below are the different prices for May 2024, across these different types:

1. Maine Lobster

Lowest price: $22.39 per pound

Highest price: $38.49 per pound

Because of its meaty content and sweet tender flesh, Maine lobster is costly. The lowest cost for live Maine lobster, especially across online seafood marketplaces is between $22.39 and $27.99 per pound.

2. California Spiny Lobster

Lowest price: $26 per pound

Highest price: $30 per pound

If you would like to try a nutty flavor on your lobster dish, then the rare California spiny lobster will do. It is available six months a year, from October to mid-March during the state’s fishing season. It gets rather expensive after the October to mid-March fishing season ends in California.

3. Florida Spiny Lobster

Lowest price: $16.99 per pound

Highest price: $19.99 per pound

While it is not as nutty in taste as its California mate, Florida spiny lobster nevertheless has a special delicious flavor of its own. Its tail is quite meaty and a tender treat for lobster tail lovers.

Because of its wide availability 8 months a year, Florida spiny lobster is low-priced compared to the other types of lobsters.

How much does Live Lobster, Lobster Meat, Lobster Tail, and Lobster Claws Cost?

Besides the differentiation of prices across the three popular species of lobster fished in the US, lobster prices also vary depending on whether you are buying live lobster, lobster meat, lobster tail or lobster claws.

1. Live Lobster

Live lobster comes in its shell in most cases. Though it may not always be alive upon arrival depending on the distribution distance, it is usually still fresh. It normally costs cheaper than lobster meat because it has not undergone processing.

The current price of live lobster is about $16.99 per pound on the lower side and $38.49 per pound on the higher side.

2. Lobster Meat

Lobster meat is costlier than live lobster because it has undergone simple processing prior to shipping. The processing bit involves the separation of claws, tail and legs. Some of these parts such as the tail and claws are sometimes sold separately from the body. The body provides the tender flesh known in the seafood market as “lobster meat.”

The price per pound for lobster meat in the US is between $55 and $96.49 in May 2024.

Generally, it's more cost effective to buy lobster meat instead of live lobster. Lobster meat is already processed, meaning the parts that are not good for meat have already been removed. So if your interest is just to enjoy lobster meat, then lobster meat should be your pick.

3. Lobster Tail

Perhaps the most popular lobster tail in the US comes from processed spiny lobster harvested in the Gulf Coast of Florida. This species has a tender meaty tail that compensates for its lack of claws.

Lobster tails come at a premium. You can expect to pay around $39.99 per pound in 2024. The meat comes directly fresh from the ocean, only that processors sell only the tail portion. The maximum retail price for a lobster tail in the US by May 2024 is around $45 per pound.

4. Lobster Claws

A single 1 1/2-pound lobster provides 5 to 8 lobster claws per pound. These claws can look like curved giants on the plate but they are quite delectable. It is for this reason that they cost a premium. The average cost of lobster claws is about $39.5 per pound across online retailers and retail seafood markets in May 2024. The highest cost, however, can reach $70 per pound.

Which month is lobster cheapest in the US?

Lobster is generally cheapest in late spring to early summer (May to June) when lobster harvests peak in some regions. We particularly recommend May as the most appropriate month to buy lobster at a friendly price.

This period coincides with the lobster molting season. Lobsters are more active and easier to catch during this time.

Molting is the process where lobsters shed their old exoskeleton to grow a new, larger one.

How fresh is lobster by the time it’s delivered to consumers?

The freshness level of lobster depends on where you buy it from. If you are going to buy your lobster from a supermarket or a typical grocery store, then the lobster may not be nearly as fresh compared to when you buy your lobster directly from a company that sources their fish directly from source and sell it fresh to customers. Such companies get fresh lobsters daily from the waters and hand select them for dispatch to customers.

Supermarkets and grocery stores, on the other hand, may have preserved the lobster for a couple of days by the time you place your order. But this does not mean that the lobster from supermarkets or grocery stores is not good. It's just that they may not be as fresh compared to those that arrive straight from the waters and into your kitchen on the same day.

Regardless of where you are going to buy your lobster from, remember to always check out the reviews and thoughts from especially the regular customers.

How is lobster packed for delivery to consumers?

A single lobster is typically placed in a mesh or breathable bag to keep it secure. This prevents movement and reduces stress during transport.

For example, Maine Lobster company Lobster Anywhere packs their lobster in rock seaweed or seawater soaked newspaper. This package is then put in a reusable Styrofoam cooler with ice cold gel packs before being shipped.

Pearl Lobster: The most expensive lobster?

According to an analysis by Rene Anna Kim and Clancy Morgan at Business Insider, the price of wild-caught pearl lobsters was found to be more expensive compared to the price of Maine lobsters. By the time they published the findings in January 2023, the average price of pearl lobsters, fresh from the fishermen in Indonesian waters, was $99 per kilogram. This was way more compared to the price of Maine lobster then at the same place. So as you can imagine, by the time this lobster hits the retail shelves or restaurants in the US, the price will be way up there.