How to Cook Lobster Tails
Today, lobster graces the menus of the world’s best restaurants—but did you know that it was once considered a poor man’s food? It wasn’t until the 1880’s that lobster became quite popular, and by World War II it was deemed a delicacy.
There is meat in the front body cavity, claws, and legs of a lobster, but the meatiest part is the tail. The tail is thought by many to be the most delicious part of the lobster and restaurants will often serve it on its own without all the other parts. Cameron’s Seafood sells beautiful, cold water lobster tails that are flash frozen raw. The chunky rich meat on these tails is wonderfully tender and light in flavor.
The nice thing about cooking only the tails at home is that they are less expensive than buying the entire lobster. If your tails are frozen, thaw them for 24 hours in the fridge before you are ready to use them. If you’d like, you can butterfly your lobster tails before cooking them.
To butterfly a lobster tail, you cut down through the top hard shell and most of the meat with kitchen shears. Don’t cut all the way through the lobster tail; you want to leave the bottom of the shell intact. Stop cutting just before you get to the fan of the tail, leaving some of that meat attached to the end of the lobster. Butterflying lobster tails helps the meat cook faster and more evenly.
There are many ways to cook a lobster tail, and these include grilling, boiling, steaming, broiling, and baking. When learning how to cook lobster tails, a good rule of thumb is to cook them for 1 minute per ounce.
Grilling Lobster Tails
To get fancy grill lines on your lobster, cut the tails in half before grilling them. Turn your grill on to medium high heat. Brush cooking oil on the tail halves and put them meat side down on the grill.
Cook for about 8 minutes depending on size, until the shells are red and the meat is cooked but not rubbery. Serve warm.
Boiling Lobster Tails
To boil 4 lobster tails, bring 6 cups of water with 1.5 tsp of salt to a boil in a large pot. Add your lobster tails and cook for 8-12 minutes depending on the size of your tails.
The shells should be bright red and the meat tender when it is ready. To keep your tails from curling up in the water, stick a metal or wooden skewer through the length of them.
Steaming Lobster Tails
To steam lobsters, pour cold water into a steamer pot covering to a depth of about 2-3 inches. Bring the water to a boil.
Add the lobster tails into the steamer basket and cover with the lid. Steam the tails following the 1 minute per ounce method.
Once cooked, carefully remove the lobster tails from the steamer basket with tongs and serve with melted butter.
Broiling Lobster Tails
Preheat your broiler. Cut lengthwise through the top of the lobster tail shell.
Spread the halves apart slightly and brush with butter and perhaps sprinkle with salt and pepper too.
Broil lobster tails until shells are bright red and the meat is opaque, this should take about 5-10 minutes.
Baking Lobster Tails
It’s a good idea to butterfly your lobster tails before baking them for even temperature distribution.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place your lobster tails in a pan with a bit of water.
Brush the tails with butter and bake. Baking them takes a little bit longer than the other methods; go for about 1.5 minutes per ounce.
Buy Delicious Lobster Tails Online
Loved learning how to cook lobster tails? You can find premium quality cold water lobster tails on our online store. You will also find steamed whole Maine lobsters on our website as well as a variety of other seafood options.
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About the author
Patterson Watkins is a professional chef with over 17 years of experience. With a robust career in restaurants, contract dining and catering (including 4 Summer Olympic posts preparing food for the athletes!) Patterson joined the Cameron’s Seafood team at the end of 2018 to concoct some delicious recipes with our premium seafood items as the centerpiece.
You make butterflying sound easy, I use fresh lobster, use scissors to cut the shell and try to pull the meat up and close the shell under it before cooking. The lobster consistently stays stuck to the sides of the shells and I end up slicing my fingers trying to dislodge the meat from the shell. What am I doing wrong?
I find that it is easier to loosen the meat by grabbing it at the thickest part of the tail (where the tail and the body meet). Holding the tail shell in one hand while pulling the meat partially free with the other in an upward motion(keeping the part closest to the ‘flipper’ intact), then draping it over the top once you pry most of the meat free.
Lobster shells are notorious for getting pokey, that even happens to seasoned chefs. Cut gloves are a great thing, and you can usually find some pretty cheap ones online. They still have some grip, to keep you from slipping, and can be tossed in the washing machine or dishwasher after you clean your seafood.