Cape Cod Restaurant Pardons Giant Lobster

When the state fisheries commissioner announced that 2012 would be a huge year for lobster, we sort of thought they meant tons of normal-sized lobsters, not one toddler-sized crustacean, until a 1950s horror movie monster was caught off Nauset Beach in Orleans, Mass.

The 21-pound lobster found its way to Capt'n Elmer's restaurant, where manager Elisa Costa got to pose with the behemoth.

"I had its tail on my shoulder and I had each claw in one of my hands, and it was as long as my arms and as big as my torso. It's giant," she told CBS.

The restaurant originally intended to offer up the giant lobster as the prize in a charity raffle to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The prize would have made a large meal for quite a few people.

"Usually, for every four and a half pounds of live lobster, once you cook it and clean it, you get one pound of meat. So 21 divided by four and a half, that would give you about five pounds of meat," Costa said.

However, the lobster became an Internet celebrity and Capt'n Elmer's has decided to grant him a full pardon. The drawing will continue as planned, however, and the winner will get to choose between 21 pounds of smaller lobsters or the opportunity to participate in the giant lobster's release.

The enormous lobster will be returned to the waters of Cape Cod, where he will surely continue to rule as king for the next hundred years.

If all this talk of lobster is making you think of hiring a tiny boat and going back after him, check out some of our best lobster recipes.