Lobster tail is a versatile piece of food – you can cook it numerous ways, pair it with almost any side dish, and even season it with virtually any spice. Quite honestly, there’s little that doesn’t go well with lobster tail, and the tail itself is delicious when prepared the right way. But, you may be wondering what is the best method of cooking lobster tails?
This is a common question for people who enjoy eating lobster tails in restaurants but are not sure they can prepare one with the same quality at home. In this guide, we’ll share how you can boil, steam, grill, bake, broil or even poach a lobster tail – the techniques are quite similar and usually involve less than 10 minutes of actual cooking.
So, let’s get started on the best methods for cooking lobster tails. Learn more about each one, how to prepare the lobster tail beforehand, and what mistakes to be aware of before you start the cooking.
Why Learn How to Cook Lobster Tails
Lobster meat is delicious, but what’s even more impressive is how the tail looks when cooked. It seems so high-end that serving it when hosting your friends or family at home would instantly make you seem like a great chef.
Lobster meat is also a recommended part of anyone’s diet because it contains vitamins and minerals. It contains a great amount of iodine, zinc, copper, and selenium, which means it can boost your immune system. It’s also a great source of protein that should be consumed at least once a week.
Lobster meat can also support brain health and improve thyroid function, making it a win-win for anyone who eats it frequently. Whether it’s just the tail or the whole lobster, you can greatly benefit from including it in your diet.
How to Prepare a Lobster Tail for Cooking
Lobster tail can be purchased in two ways – either fresh and ready for cooking, or frozen. In both instances, you follow a few similar steps, with the latter involving the process of thawing as well. These simple steps will enhance the lobster tail’s taste and prepare it for any type of cooking. Here’s more on how to prepare the tail for cooking:
Thawing
Thawing is necessary only when you have a frozen piece of lobster to cook. If you plan on cooking a fresh lobster tail, you can move on to the next step.
We don’t recommend rushing when unfreezing a lobster tail. It’s best to start the night before you plan to cook it. Take the lobster tail out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw. If you don’t have enough time before cooking, submerge the frozen lobster tail in cold water and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes. That will prepare it for the next step.
Even though you may want to put the frozen lobster tail in warm water to thaw quickly, we don’t recommend that. Thawing with warm water can affect the quality and taste. So, it’s best to thaw overnight or in cold water for about an hour.
Cleaning
After you thaw the lobster tail, you can proceed to clean it. This step is crucial even when you get fresh lobster since you never know where that lobster tail has been and whether it has been thoroughly cleaned yet or not. So, it’s best to clean it yourself.
The cleaning process is not difficult. Simply rinse the tail with cold water and scrub it nicely to ensure all the debris comes off. Similarly, remove all shell fragments you see on the tail, as those can cause problems when preparing the tail for eating.
Preparing the Shell
Once your lobster tail is completely clean, it’s time to prepare the shell. Typically, you don’t cook the tail with the shell – you need to first cut the shell and lift the meat to ensure it cooks well.
For this step, you will need a pair of sharp kitchen shears that can cut through the lobster’s shell. Cut it from the thick part onto the fin, but stop before reaching the tail’s end. This will allow you to see the meat and prepare for the next and final step.
Deveining
Removing the lobster tail’s vein is not mandatory but we recommend doing it because the vein can make the tail taste worse than it should. To do this step, expose the meat enough to see the central part and find the vein.
You will differentiate the vein from the rest of the meat because of its darker color. Use your fingers to remove it, but if you can’t remove it that way, use a knife to try and pull it out. Be thorough and ensure you don’t leave any of the dark parts on the meat.
How to Cook Lobster Tails: Top 6 Methods
There are many ways to prepare a good lobster tail. We’ve come up with an answer to what is the best method of cooking lobster tails, but we simply cannot select just one method. Steaming or grilling is perfect for hot summer days and family lunches, while broiling is a fantastic option for dinner dates. Overall, the best cooking method would depend on your personal preference.
However, to determine which method you like and which you don’t, you can try them all. We’ve found six of the best ways to cook lobster tail and bring out the natural flavor with simple ingredients and a quick cooking process.
Here’s more on each of the six lobster tail cooking methods we recommend:
Boiling
Boiling lobster tail is the best method for those who want to bring out the meat’s tenderness while still keeping its sweetness. For this process, you will need:
- A stockpot
- Salt
- Water
- Heat source
The cooking process for boiling lobster tail is quite simple. Follow the preparation method above to get the tail ready for boiling and then follow these basic cooking instructions:
- Add cold water to a stock pot and then place the pot over a heat source. Let it warm up and then add a tablespoon of salt to the water.
- When the water starts boiling, add the lobster tail. If the heat is set to high, reduce it.
- Lobster tail only needs a short time to boil. A good ratio to follow is 1 minute per ounce. So, depending on the size of the lobster tail, determine how long you need to keep it boiling.
- Once it’s done, remove the lobster tail from the water and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
Broiling
Broiling is another easy method you can try if you have an oven available. It’s ideal for making crispy yet tender lobster tail meat. For this process, you will need:
- A broiling oven pan
- A baking sheet
- Butter
- Seasoning
- An oven
Once you have your lobster tail cleaned and ready, here’s how to approach the broiling process:
- Preheat the oven by setting it to around 500°F.
- Line the broiling pan with a baking sheet.
- Spread open the lobster shell to ensure the meat comes out and can cook in the heat. Add melted butter and seasoning to it, but you can also keep it simple and add only salt and pepper, depending on the flavor you want to achieve.
- When your lobster tail’s ready, place it on the baking sheet and inside the oven. Let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes, but ensure it is at least 4 inches removed from the heat source.
- You can tell when the lobster tail is ready by its color — the shell should be golden brown, while the inside should be white. Let the meat rest before serving it.
Steaming
Steamed lobster tail is delicious, but this technique requires a special steamer basket for the best taste. So, ensure you have a steamer basket before you try this method. Here are some of the other things you will need:
- A heat source
- A large pot with a lid
- Water
- Seasoning
- A steamer basket
- An instant-read thermometer
Once you gather all of your ingredients and tools, you can get to steaming quickly:
- Put water into a pot and set it on a heat source. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs as desired.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat and place the steaming basket inside the pot.
- Next, put the lobster tail in the basket and let it steam, placing a lid on top to trap the heat. For the best results, ensure the meat is pulled from the shell.
- Depending on the size of the lobster tail, the entire process should take no longer than 10 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to determine when it is ready. The ideal temperature is around 140°F.
Grilling
Who doesn’t like the taste of grilled meat on a hot summer day? Or any day?! It’s the perfect lunch or dinner idea, regardless of the type of meat you have – and especially if you have a lobster tail. Here’s what you will need for this method:
- A grill
- A skewer
- Olive oil
- Seasoning
- An instant-read thermometer
Here’s how to perfectly grill lobster tails:
- Preheat the grill, ensuring you have enough heat to cook the lobster tail.
- Consider adding a skewer across the lobster tail to prevent it from curling while you grill it. This is especially helpful with large lobster tails, as it will help you easily rotate them while cooking.
- Once you add the skewer, spread olive oil and use seasoning generously on the lobster meat. As an alternative to olive oil, you can use melted butter if you prefer.
- Place the lobster tails on the grill to cook. One side takes about 5 minutes to cook, and then the meat should be turned to cook on the other side. To ensure it’s ready, use a thermometer and check if the inside temperature is around 140°F.
Baking
Baked lobster tails can be infused with many flavors to make them unique, but we recommend cooking them with lemon zest or garlic cloves to get the best results. When baking lobster tail meat, you need the following:
- An oven and a baking dish
- Melter butter
- Water/White wine
- Seasoning, lemon juice, garlic
- A thermometer
This is one of the longer cooking processes, but the wait is worth it! Here are the steps for baking lobster tails:
- Preheat the oven and prepare the lobster by cutting the shell and pulling the meat.
- Season the meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any herb you like. For extra flavor, we recommend also using lemon juice.
- Melt the butter and mix it with lemon juice and white wine or water. After seasoning the meat, spread the mixture on the meat before putting it onto the baking dish.
- Put the baking dish in the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the lobster tail. Remove it when the temperature is 140°F or when the shell adopts a bright red color and the meat turns white.
Poaching
Here’s how to poach lobster tails – it’s a process different from any other cooking method we’ve explained so far. For this process, you will need:
- A heat source
- A saucepan
- Butter and seasoning
Poaching lobster tails in butter is delicate, so take your time and avoid cooking at high heat. Here’s what we recommend you do:
- Turn the heat source to low heat and put the saucepan on the heat source.
- Add some butter to the pan and let it simmer. Once it has completely melted, mix in some seasoning and combine well.
- Remove the lobster tail meat from the shell and put it into the pan. Cook it for about 10 minutes, spreading the melted butter and seasoning on top of the meat. Wait until the meat turns glossy white to remove it from the heat source.
Extra Tips for Cooking Lobster Tails
Even if this is not the first time you’ve cooked lobster tails, there are still some helpful tips we’d like to mention before wrapping up this guide. Here’s what you should always keep in mind:
- Cook the lobster tail using the right cooking tools. Don’t cut the shell with a dull knife or break it by hand. Use special kitchen shears to cut the shell easily.
- Do not cook the lobster tail as it is – cut the shell, pull the meat, and devein the tail to ensure you get the best taste possible.
- Underseasoning the lobster tail will leave you with bland meat – at least use salt and pepper. Lobster pairs well with many herbs, so try different seasoning variants whenever you cook tails.
- Poaching lobster at high temperatures or grilling at low temperatures will affect the meat’s taste. Ensure you have the right cooking temperature, but also check that the meat’s temperature is around 140°F.
- Rest the lobster after cooking it. This only takes about 5 minutes but will improve the taste significantly.
FAQs
How do I know when lobster tails are done cooking?
Knowing when your lobster tail is done cooking is key to preventing overcooking. To know when it’s done, check that the shell is bright red and the meat is white. If you have a meat thermometer, ensure the temperature is between 135 and 140°F.
What is the healthiest way to cook lobster tails?
The healthiest way to cook lobster tails is by using less butter and seasoning. Any cooking method can be healthy if you avoid adding too much fat or heavy sauces. However, we recommend steaming or poaching the lobster tail in water to keep it as healthy as possible.
What side dishes go well with lobster tails?
You can pair your lobster tail with various side dishes, from steamed vegetables to potatoes or a simple salad. It depends on how you cook the tail and what your taste buds crave. From Brussels sprouts to corn and asparagus, you can pair anything with a tasty lobster tail.
What is the Best Method of Cooking Lobster Tails: Final Thoughts
There you have it – six of the best methods for cooking lobster tails and recipes you can try at home. Whether it is grilled, poached, or baked lobster tail you crave, use this guide to prepare it. Always season the lobster tail, use the right cooking temperature, and let the meat cook only as long as needed to prevent under or overcooking.
Now you know more about what is the best method of cooking lobster tails. If you have any other concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at Cook Room Kitchen. We have all the cooking tips you need — from the best brisket recipes to detailed explanations of the best ways to cook chicken — so visit our website today!
