Cooking Frozen Lobster Tail

If you love lobster tail, or enjoy serving it to your guests, a simple and easy ways to cook this decadent treat is by cooking frozen lobster tail.

And, there certainly can be advantages to using frozen tails, rather than fresh tails...

...you can have them in your freezer well in advance - making it easy to prepare spontaneous special occasion dinners, they are usually less costly than fresh tails, and since the tail does not have claws and legs, it is much less messy to prepare.

You can often buy frozen lobster tails at a local grocery store, at specialty seafood markets, and certainly you can buy lobster online or by phone order. Many seafood retailers have websites where they sell both frozen rock lobster tails and frozen Maine lobster tails...

...otherwise known as warm water lobster tails and cold water lobster tails.

Once you have your tails in hand and are ready to begin, keep in mind...

...you really won't be cooking frozen lobster tail, instead you will be preparing thawed, frozen lobster tails! Yes, you can cook frozen tails. However, when tails are thawed properly, cooking time is much easier to regulate and the integrity and taste of the lobster meat is often be much better.

Thawing Frozen Lobster Tails

For the best thawing methods, plan ahead. Twenty-four hours in advance of cooking frozen lobster tails place them in the refrigerator in their unopened packaging.

Prior to refrigerating and to promote quicker thawing...

You can place the lobster tails (still in their unopened package) into a pan filled with cold water. Place the pan under the 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 separate.

If you are really running short on time...

It is possible to thaw lobster tails in a microwave using the Defrost setting. If you use this shortcut, be very careful that the tails do not begin to cook while thawing.

Cooking Frozen Lobster Tails (Thawed)

Once thawed, you can boil lobster tails or steam lobster tails. The two methods are much the same, the biggest difference is that boiling lobster tails requires more water than steaming lobster tails, and when steaming, a steaming basket or steaming rack is required.

When cooking frozen lobster tails be careful not to overcook, as their meat tends to be a little tougher than that of a fresh live lobster and can turn rubbery more quickly.

Boiled Lobster Tails

You will need a large lobster pot, or another 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.

Steaming Lobster Tails

You will need a large lobster pot, or another pot that is big enough to accommodate the number of tails you will be cooking AND one that has a steamer basket or rack that will keep the lobster tails out of the water.

1. Cover the bottom of a pan with 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water.
2. Bring the water to a boil.
3. Place the lobster tail in the steaming basket.
4. Cover the pot with a well secured lid.

How long do you steam lobster tails? Steaming lobster tails are cooked when their meat is opaque and the shells are an orange/red or crimson color - approximately 1 minute per ounce of cooking time. This should be calculated by the average tail weight of ONE lobster tail, NOT that cumulative weight of all of the tails.

Weight 4 ounces, steam 4 minutes
Weight 5 ounces, steam 5 minutes
Weight 6 ounces, steam 6 minutes
Weight 7 ounces, steam 7 minutes

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

You may also be interested in:
How to Cook Lobster Tail, Types of Lobsters, Types of Lobster Tails, Ways to Cook Lobster

Recipe Frozen Lobster Tail

After cooking frozen lobster tails let them cool for a minute or two before serving, and then...

One of the most popular and elegant ways to serve lobster tails is to either arrange them on a platter or individual serving plates, drizzled with clarified butter and garnished with a lemon wedge and parsley sprig.

Other popular frozen lobster tail recipes call for lemon or lime juice, Old Bay Seasoning, or finely chopped parsley -for a bit of color - mixed into the melted butter.

When cooking frozen lobster tails, think simple and elegant. Adding too many seasonings, or ones with a strong taste, will quickly diminish the exquisite taste of the lobster meat.