How To Cook Lobster Tails
Choose Your Method For Cooking:
| Grilling | |
| Baking |
Here's a fun fact: 50% of lobster purchasers actually don't know how to cook lobster tails. Ever since Maine Lobster Now™ first opened its doors, our customers have been asking us how to perfectly boil, broil, bake, steam, or grill their lobster tails.
Cooking lobster tails at home is part of the fun! We recommend that you start by searching for the perfect lobster tail within our huge inventory of regular or jumbo lobster tails, as well as our mouth-watering lobster dinner side dishes!
Options For Cooking Lobster Tails At Home
Cooking lobster tails is a fairly simple process. When you buy lobster tails, you can steam them, boil them, grill them, bake them, broil them or even smoke them.
If you aren’t sure which method to use, we strongly recommend boiling your lobster tails because it’s your best bet to avoid the tails sticking to the shell.
To get started, click on your cooking method below. To learn how to store and thaw lobster tails, continue reading.
- How To Boil Lobster Tails
- How To Steam Lobster Tails
- How To Bake Lobster Tails
- How To Grill Lobster Tails
Featured Video - Our Recommended Way Of Cooking
Before You Being Cooking Your Lobster Tails - What To Do First
The first step to making Maine lobster tails at home is finding the perfect size. Our best sellers range from 8-10oz, but we ship lobster tails ranging from 5oz to 36oz. We also offer an array of options for side dishes, as well as the supplies you may need. All of this can be shipped overnight so you can enjoy your lobster tails by dinnertime tomorrow!
 Maine Lobster Tails |
 Giant Lobster Tails |
 Lobster Dinner Side Dishes |
 Lobster Cooking Supplies |
Once your tails arrive, you can follow our instructions to cook them like a pro! Don't worry, for most people, cooking lobster tails is a new experience. When your lobster tails arrive, they will be brown in color and the inside of the tail will be a gray color. This is a lobster's natural color and lobster tails do not turn red until they are fully cooked!
Store Your Lobster Tails Properly Until You Are Ready To Use
Your lobster tails are shipped frozen in dry ice unless they are ordered with a fresh or live product. If you order was shipped with dry ice, don't worry, the gas in dry ice is as harmless as the carbon dioxide you exhale(but please don't breath it in). We would never ship your product with dangerous material, however, we do not recommend handling the dry ice without gloves. If you order was shipped with gel packs, your tails may begin to "sweat" or have water beads on the outside of the tail. Although the outer rim of the shell may be beginning to defrost, your tail meat is totally safe and can be stored properly. Once your tails are thawed, do not refreeze your lobster tails at home, the slow freezing process in a conventional freezer will actually break down the cell wall of the raw lobster meat and ruin the texture of your cooked lobster tails. Place your lobster tails in the freezer right away until 24 hours prior to use. Do not store for more than 3 months or your tails may begin to dry out.
Thaw Your Tails Thoroughly To Avoid Meat Sticking to the Shell
If you want to avoid your tails sticking to the shell, thaw your tails 24 hours prior to cooking in a refrigerator inside a leak-proof container. Your tails are defrosting so they will leak fluid. If your tails are frozen and you are planning on cooking them today, that is not a problem. Put your lobster tails in a sealed bag and soak them in cold water for at least 30-60 minutes. Larger lobster tails will take longer to thaw. If you want to butterfly a lobster tail, thawing your tails will be critical because you will have to cut the meat, and you won't be able to do so if the tails are not thawed all the way.
Common Misconceptions
It is common to have tomalley in the center of the tail. It appears black and sometimes green and sometimes will startle customers. Do not worry. This is a natural part of the lobster tail. It is actually the liver and is totally edible and is considered a delicacy. If you do not desire to eat this it can be rinsed off with water once the lobster is fully cooked.
The most lobster tail meat is white but it is also common to have a slight pink tint to the meat for lobsters that are preparing to shed. Once again, this is a totally natural process and is totally edible. If you want to remove the pink tint, you can rinse most of it off with warm water after you have cooked your tail.
With our easy-to-use lobster tail boiling, grilling and broiling guides below, you’ll find that cooking lobster tails is a rewarding experience the whole family will want to experience again and again. Check out our lobster tail recipes section to find out better techniques on how to butterfly a lobster tail! We intentionally only stock cold-water lobster tails, if you are interested in learning the difference between cold-water and warm-water lobster tails check out our blog for more information.
If you aren't sure which method to use, we strongly recommend boiling frozen lobster tails because this is your best bet to avoid your tails sticking to the shell. Please read our following section to make sure your lobster tails are stored and thawed properly to ensure the best results.
How Long To Cook Lobster Tails
Cook times for lobster tails range from 3 minutes to 30 minutes. This will vary based on the method of cooking you choose and the size of the lobster tails you’re cooking. Boiling and steaming are faster processes, whereas baking and grilling take a bit longer. More detailed instructions can be found on the specific cooking method pages linked to above and at the bottom of this page. Start with the low range of these recommendations. Overcooking your lobster tails will leave them dry.
Specific cook times by cooking method can be found by clicking the links below:
- Cook times for boiling - Fastest method of cooking lobster tails
- Cook times for baking - this method takes the longest
- Cook times for steaming
- Cook times for grilling
Get Ingredients For Your Lobster Tail Dinner
We offer the freshest Maine lobster tails and seafood ranging in size from small lobster tails to jumbo lobster tails. Click here to shop for your next lobster tail dinner!
