Don MacKenzie bought the 17-pound lobster at a Waterford, Connecticut, restaurant.
But Lucky Larry wasn't headed for a pot of boiling water.
MacKenzie released the big crustacean back into Long Island Sound.
MacKenzie won't say how much he paid The Dock restaurant to take Lucky Larry off the menu.
But MacKenzie tells a local paper it's the "most expensive lobster" he never ate.