Few studies have been conducted on the culture of Nephrops norvegicus larvae and none of them have permitted significant numbers of postlarvae to be obtained (stage IV). The goal of this study was to determine a suitable diet for rearing N. norvegicus to the juvenile stage V. Survival, moulting periodicity, growth, and elemental composition (CHN) of the young postembryonic stages were used as criteria of physiological condition. Four different diets, fresh enriched nauplii of Artemia (FENA), artificial feed for shrimp (AF), commercial frozen mussels (M), and commercial frozen adult Artemia (FAA) were tested from hatching to stage V at ambient temperature (14-16 °C). Five day old stage I larvae fed with AF, M or FAA showed a similar biomass as freshly hatched larvae, indicating that the energy derived from food allowed them to survive but not to gain length. FENA was the only diet that resulted in development to stage V. Larvae fed with FENA presented the shortest time of development, the highest survival, and the highest growth rates in size and biomass.