Cooking Boiled Lobster Tails

Learning how to cook lobster tail could not be easier than preparing boiled lobster tails. Not only are they quick and easy to prepare, they are also elegant to serve.

A single lobster tail, or two, garnished with drawn butter, lemon wedges and a sprig of parsley, is a classic way to serve lobster tails. However, if you like to be more creative...

...once lobster tails are boiled, there are many other uses for them. Steamed or boiled lobster tail recipes, and lobster meat recipes such as...

Lobster Casserole Recipes (or Lazy Man's Lobster), Lobster Newburg Recipes, Lobster Bisque Recipes and Lobster Thermidor Recipes all call for cooked lobster meat. Meat from the tail tastes wonderful in all of these dishes.

Although you can use canned lobster meat for many lobster recipes, I always recommend using boiled or steamed lobster meat from either fresh lobster or frozen tails, as it is less salty and has a firmer texture than canned lobster meat.

How to Boil Lobster Tails

Before cooking frozen lobster tails, be sure they are thawed properly. Put the tails in the refrigerator twenty-four hours in advance of cooking, or...

...place the tails - in their unopened packaging - into a pan filled with cold water. Put the pan under a faucet and let cold water continually run into it. You will be able to tell by touch when the thawing process has started. As the tails begin to thaw further, place them in the refrigerator, either still in the pan of water or separately.

If you are really short on time...

Lobster tails can be thawed in a microwave using the Defrost setting. However, be very careful that the tails do not begin to cook while thawing.

To cook boiled lobster tails you will need a large lobster pot or a pot that is big enough to accommodate the number of tails you will be cooking.

1. Put enough water into a large pot to completely submerge your lobster tail.
2. For each quart of water add 1 teaspoon of salt.
3. Bring the water to a boil.
4. Place the lobster tail in the pot and return the water to a full boil.

How long do you boil lobster tails? The general guidelines say about 1 to 1-1/2 minute per ounce. This should be calculated by the average tail weight of ONE lobster tail, NOT that cumulative weight of all of the tails. Boiling lobster tails are cooked when their meat is opaque and the shells are an orange/red or crimson color.

Weight 4 ounces, boil 4-6 minutes
Weight 5 ounces, boil 5-7 minutes
Weight 6 ounces, boil 6-9 minutes
Weight 7 ounces, boil 7-10 minutes

If boiling several lobster tails at once, add additional cooking time, dependent on the size of the tail.

You may also be interested in:
Grilled Lobster Tails
How to Cook Lobster Tail
Types of Tails

Boiled Lobster Tails Tip: Don't be intimated if you are just learning how to cook lobster tails. If you plan to serve them for a special occasion and you feel nervous about it, why not splurge and cook one for yourself ahead of time!