How to Cook Lobster Meat: 8 Easy Ways

Learn how to cook lobster meat like a pro each time at home. This post breaks down 8 ways to prepare the delicate shellfish, shows you how to perfectly season it, and answers what’s the best way to cook lobster meat.

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Lobster is definitely a treat with its sweet taste and tender texture. This yummy shellfish reminds me of two things: summer and Christmas.

I know, I know. Polar opposites. But we almost always get fresh lobster at the beach in the summer, and we often have lobster as part of our Christmas Eve feast along with this Christmas Eve shrimp scampi.

But you can enjoy lobster at home! No need for a special occasion or a trip to the beach. Lobster meat is shockingly easy to cook and so versatile. 

And so I present to you… every possible way you could cook lobster meat.

How to Thaw Frozen Lobster Tails

Thawing frozen lobster tails is so easy. To thaw, just pop frozen tails in the fridge overnight. 

Need them faster? No sweat!

Put the tails in a bowl full of cold water. Small tails should thaw in about 30 minutes.

For larger tails, drain the water after 30 minutes and fill again. Let them sit for another 30 minutes.

How to Butterfly Lobster Tails

For most cooking methods, you need to prepare your lobster tail before starting. Most of the time, this means butterflying the tails. To do this:

1. Cut a slit down the center of tail lengthwise. Kitchen sheers make this an easy process.

2. Pull the shell open where you’ve cut and gently pull the meat out of the shell, through the slit. Leave the tail connected to the shell unless you need to discard it for the recipe.

3. Set the lobster meat on top of the tail and gently push the shell together.

That’s it! 

What’s the stuff in the middle of the tail?

That delightful stuff is the lobster’s digestive tract. Use a pairing knife to remove it, similar to the way you would devein a shrimp.

How to cook lobster meat

Boil

Boiling it is one of the easier methods to cook lobster meat. You can also partially boil lobster and then finish off by broiling, grilling, or sauteing.

To boil lobster meat, fill a large pot up with water.

Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.

Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the lobster tails and let them boil until the shells are bright red, about a minute per ounce. 

Pros:

• Easy, no butterflying necessary.
• The meat will be moist.
• Hard to overcook.

Cons:

• Boiling can result in less flavorful, watery lobster.

Steaming

Like boiling, steaming lobster meat is very easy.

Start by butterflying the lobster.

Next, fill a deep skillet or large pot with an inch of water. Make sure the skillet or the pot has a tightly fitting lid.

Bring it to a boil. Then set the lobster, cut side up, in a steamer basket and set the steamer basket over the water.

Cover the pot and let steam for 5 to 6 minutes. The lobster meat will be opaque and slightly plump when done.

Pros:

• Easy method to cook lobster meat.
• Hard to overcook.
• Will be moist unless you cook it for too long.

Cons:

• More work than boiling with a similar flavor.
• Can result in a less flavorful lobster meat.

Baking lobster meat

Baking is a little more complicated than boiling – but not much.

Before you bake lobster meat, you’ll generally need to either cut the shell in half legnthwise or butterfly the tails.

Once cut, spread them on a lined baking sheet.

Season them lightly with sea salt and pepper and then squeeze a lemon wedge and place a couple of tablespoons of butter on top of the tail.

Cover with foil and bake the lobster at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes. 

This is how I make it for brown butter lobster pasta. 

Pros:

• Better tasting than boiled lobster.
• Great way to add other flavors like white wine, lemon, or butter.
• Easy.
• Don’t have to be hands on or actively involved while the lobster is baking leaving you free to put together a side dish, like parmesan brussel sprouts, or, you know, sit down with a glass of wine.

Cons:

• Slightly more prep.
• Can overcook and dry out if you aren’t careful.

Broil lobster tails

Broiling is similar to baking lobster in the preparation.

You need to butterfly the tail, but this gives you the opportunity to add some extra flavor if you want to the lobster meat as it cooks.

However, instead of covering the tails with foil, leave them uncovered and place them on a baking sheet.

Move the rack up to the top slot and put the tray in. Turn the broiler on and broil for about a minute an ounce. 

TIP: WATCH THE LOBSTER TAILS VERY CAREFULLY. THEY WILL OVERCOOK AND DRY OUT QUICKLY.

Pros:

• Delicious.
• Broiling slightly browns the tails and adds a new depth of flavor.

Cons:

• Can go from yum to rubbery, tough, and dry or just plain burned very quickly if you don’t watch them carefully.
• This is not a set and forget metho of cooking lobster meat, it requires close attention.

Saute

Sauteing lobster meat gives you results similar to shrimp scampi. You can saute raw lobster tails in butter until cooked, or you can finish off cooked lobster by sauteing in butter or wine.  

To do it, butterfly the tails.

Next, heat 2 tablespoons butter or oil in a skillet over medium to medium high heat.

Put the lobster cut side down on the pan, for around 2 minutes to let the edges get golden and then flip the tails over.

Cover the skillet and cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until shells are bright red and meat is opaque.

Feel free to add a splash of white wine, crushed garlic, or lemon juice to your pan when you cook the lobster tails.

If you prefer, you can sautee lobster meat out of the tail too. To cook lobster meat out of the shell, cut the shell open and remove the meat entirely.

Once you remove the lobster meat, you can slice it into bite-sized chunks and then add it to 2 tablespoons of butter.

As the lobster meat sautes, you will want to use a spatula or spoon to mix it around the pan so it cooks evenly.

The lobster meat is done when it turns opaque in color. You can add crushed garlic, more butter, or lemon juice as the lobster meat cooks to give it more flavor.

Cooking the lobster meat out of the shell allows you to easily add it to a scampi or other recipe.

Pros:

• SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS.
• Lots of opportunity to add moisture.
• Easy to add flavor, like garlic, white wine, or lemon juice.
• Tough to burn.
• Fast and simple.

Cons:

• You need oil or butter, so if you don’t want to splurge on calories, this isn’t for you.
• It’s not a good idea to walk away during the cooking process or you could over-cook the lobster meat.
• This method of cooking lobster meat might not be for you if you want a more hands off method.

Grilling lobster meat

Grilling lobster tail gives the meat a lovely smokey flavor and slightly caramelizes it.

To grill lobster meat, you will need to cut the shell. You can either cut the tail in half lengthwise or you can just cut the shell down the center to expose the flesh the way you would if you were butterflying it.

Just don’t pull the meat out the way you would if you were butterflying. This can lead to burned or dried out lobster meat.

Before grilling, brush the tails liberally with melted butter or olive oil and season them with a little salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon if desired.

Place the lobster tails with the cut side down over medium to medium high heat for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, the shells should be bright red. Flip the tails over and grill for another 4 minutes or so or until the meat turns opaque.

Pros:

• Lots of flavor
• Fantastic method to cook lobster meat during summer cook out

Cons:

• A little prep work
• Might want to put a skewer through the tail in order to grill it
• One of the easier ways to burn it or unevenly cook it depending on the type of grill you have

Cooking lobster meat in the Instant Pot

Some people swear by the Instant Pot for cooking everything including shellfish.

To make a pressure cooker lobster tail, start with thawed tails.

Butterfly them as described above and put them on the trivet.

Put the loaded trivet into the inner pot of the Instant Pot and pour a cup of water into the basket.

Place a few lemon slices and peeled garlic cloves over the lobster tails.

Secure the lid and make sure the vent is set to sealing.

Pressure cook them on HIGH pressure, manual for 2 minutes.

When the Pot beeps, do a quick release.

Once the pressure releases, open the lid and let the tails sit in the pot with the lid off for another 2 minutes to make sure the lobster meat gets fully cooked.

Pros:

• If you’re an Instant Pot fan, you can use the Pot to make lobster.
• Generally fast, easy method to cook lobster meat.
• You do not have to monitor the cooking process and can focuse on making sides as it cooks.

Cons:

• Lobster is super delicate so you have to be very careful not to let it sit too long in the Pot after you cook the lobster meat. 
• The Instant Pot tends to dilute flavors a bit similar to steaming or boiling. This can result in less flavorful meat.
• The ring of your Pot might hold the scent of shellfish. You can buy replacement rings here.

Air Fryer

Air fryers are another hugely popular kitchen gadget.

Air fryer lobster will taste much closer to baked or broiled lobster tail than it will to steamed or boiled lobster.

To cook lobster meat in the air fryer, butterfly the tails and brush them liberally with lemon garlic butter.

Put them in the air fryer basket and set the basket in your fryer.

Cook the lobster meat for 4 minutes.

Take the basket out and flip them after 4 minutes.

Return the basket and let them cook for another 2 to 4 minutes depending on the size of the tails. The meat will be opaque when done.

Pros:

• A tasty quick way to cook lobster meat
• Don’t have to heat up the oven if you want that baked taste during hotter weather

Cons:

• Might leave a lingering scent in your air fryer
• Harder to monitor unless you have a fryer with a clear door to allow you to see in

How to Season Lobster Meat

If you’ve been following this blog for awhile or made any of my recipes, you know I am a huge fan of adding lots of layers of flavor and seasoning to my food.

BUT…

This is a case where less is more. I will pair sweet, delicate lobster meat with:

• butter
• garlic (but just a clove- not my normal truckload)
• white wine
• sea salt and maybe pepper
• lemon
• possibly parsley

For everything but butter, I keep the seasoning to a minimum to let the delicate flavor of the meat shine through.

What to Serve with Lobster

This is the fun part! You can serve it with any side dish you want. Classic sides for lobster include:

• Corn on the cob
• Potato salad
• Coleslaw
• Mac and cheese

If you want to fancy it up you could pair it with:

• roasted brussel sprouts
• asparagus
• Air Fryer Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese
• Garlic and Herb Roasted Carrots

Oh and don’t forget about using cooked lobster in recipes like Brown Butter Lobster Pasta, Lobster Risotto, Easy Lobster Scampi Linguine scampi, lobster mac and cheese, lobster rolls or lobster mashed potatoes. All of those get a big yum!

The next time you want to enjoy delicious seafood right at home, don’t fret! Use this guide on how to cook lobster meat to prepare yours like a gourmet chef each and every time.

Did you make lobster using my post? Let me know how it turned out and leave me a comment below or find me on Facebook or Instagram @seasonedsprinkles.