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    Home » Recipes » Side Dish

    Easy Boiled Lobster Tails

    By Lily・Published: Dec 6, 2022・Updated: Mar 17, 2025・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    These boiled lobster tails are easy and take about ten minutes to make. Serve these luscious lobster tails with garlic butter sauce or lemon wedges.

    lobster and lemons.

    Lobster tails are great for a special occasion, date night, or just because! They make a great side dish for grilled steaks or even as the main course. Other ways to use lobster tail meat are lobster bisque, lobster rolls, and lobster mac and cheese.

    There are a few different ways to cook lobster: baked, steamed lobster, boiled, grilled, and sauteed. Boiling is one of the quickest ways to cook lobster!

    Ingredient Notes

    frozen lobster tails in a bowl.

    Lobster tails come in a variety of sizes ranging from 3 ounces to over 24 ounces! All lobster tail sizes are suitable for this recipe, just use the chart at the bottom to determine cooking times. Use fresh or frozen lobster tails. Thaw frozen lobster tails before boiling them.

    Quick Overview

    how to boil small lobster tails, a step-by-step infographic.

    Steps 1 & 2: Prepare and thaw lobster tails.

    Step 3: Cut the center of hard top shells.

    Steps 4 & 5: Boil the whole tails in a large pot of water.

    Step 6: Serve with lemon slices.

    How To Make Boiled Lobster Tails

    thawing frozen lobster tails.

    If the lobster tails are frozen, thaw them in a large bowl of water. The tails are completely thawed once you can easily curl the tail.

    cut the top of the lobster shell using kitchen scissors or shears.

    Cut the top of the shell using kitchen scissors or kitchen shears to the tip of the fin. You can skip this step if desired. Cutting the shell makes it easier to eat the boiled lobster, but it's not necessary.

    place the lobster tail into the boiling water.

    Bring heavily salted water to a boil in a large pot on high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Place lobster tails in the water (up to 6 at a time) so as not to overcrowd the pot.

    remove the lobster tails from the boiling water.

    Gently boil the lobster tails for the length of time in the chart below. So if you have four-ounce lobster tails, boil them for about four minutes. Place the cooked lobster tails onto paper towels.

    boiled lobster tails with the lobster meat outside of the shell.

    Serve the cooked meat with your sauce of choice: lemon garlic butter sauce, homemade cocktail sauce, or melted butter.

    Boiled Lobster Cook Times

    The size of the tails determines the cooking time. See the chart below.

    Lobster Tail SizeBoil Time
    3 oz to 6 oz (85 gr to 170 gr)3 mins to 5 mins
    6 oz to 7 oz (170 gr to 200 gr)5 mins to 6 mins
    7 oz to 10 oz (200 gr to 280 gr)6 mins to 8 mins
    10 oz to 20 oz (280 gr to 560 gr)8 mins to 10 mins
    20 oz to 28 oz (560 gr to 800 gr)10 mins to 13 mins

    Tips and Tricks

    Add a wooden skewer through the tail to keep the lobster tail from curling. I learned this after shooting this recipe. The lobster tails curl while they are boiling, making it difficult for them to lie flat on the plate. If you skewer the lobster straight lengthways, it will keep the lobster tails straight. Remove the skewer once the lobster is boiled.

    Use fresh lobster tails or frozen lobster tails. Make sure the lobster tails are completely thawed.

    4 ounce boiled lobster tails on a plate with fresh lemon.

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Boil a whole lobster rather than just the lobster tails.
    • Butterfly the lobster tails with a knife. If you don't have kitchen shears on hand, cut the lobster tail in half long ways using a sharp knife. Butterflied lobster tails are great for steaming.
    • Serve the lobster tails with melted butter and lemon juice mixture.
    • Use larger lobster tails (than what's shown in the recipe photos). Adjust the cooking time as per the chart in the recipe card.

    What To Serve With Lobster Tails

    For more ideas on what to serve with lobster, check out some of my favorite lobster side dishes!

    • steamed shrimp and garlic butter sauce
      Homemade Garlic Butter Sauce
    • steamed shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce.
      Steamed Shrimp Cocktail
    • homemade garlic butter bread slice.
      Homemade Garlic Bread Baguette
    • homemade fried calamari using fresh squid
      Italian Fried Calamari (Calamari Fritti)

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    📋 Recipe

    lobster meat sitting outside of the shell.

    Easy Boiled Lobster Tails

    Author: Lily
    Course: Main Dish, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
    Prep: 5 minutes mins
    Cook: 5 minutes mins
    Total: 10 minutes mins
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 2
    These boiled lobster tails are so easy and take less than 10 minutes. Serve the lobster tails as a side dish, main dish, or ingredient for lobster mac and cheese, lobster rolls, or lobster bisque.

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    • 4 lobster tails sizes vary** see note 1

    Instructions

    • Thaw the lobster tails in water. Cut the top of the lobster shell with kitchen shears (so the meat is easy to remove once cooked).
    • In a large pot on high heat, bring heavily salted water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Place lobster tails in the gently boiling water and cover with a lid.
    • Boil the lobster tails for the time indicated in the notes section (see note 1). The cooking time depends on the weight of the tail. Remove the lobster tails to a paper towel lined plate.

    Equipment

    Large Pot
    mixing bowls.
    Ice Bath Bowl

    Video

    Notes

    1. This recipe uses lobster tails weighing 3 ounces to 6 ounces in size. But any size of lobster tail can be used ranging from 3 ounces to 28 ounces. The cook time differs based on weight. Here's the chart to use:
    Lobster Tail Size Boil Time
    3 oz to 6 oz (85 gr to 170 gr) 3 mins to 5 mins
    6 oz to 7 oz (170 gr to 200 gr) 5 mins to 6 mins
    7 oz to 10 oz (200 gr to 280 gr) 6 mins to 8 mins
    10 oz to 20 oz (280 gr to 560 gr) 8 mins to 10 mins
    20 oz to 28 oz (560 gr to 800 gr) 10 mins to 13 mins
    2. Store cooked lobster meat in the fridge for up to 3 days. Prepare thawed uncooked lobster tails on the same day.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8 ounces | Calories: 97 kcal | Carbohydrates: 0 g | Protein: 21 g | Fat: 1 g | Saturated Fat: 0.2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3 g | Trans Fat: 0.01 g | Cholesterol: 161 mg | Sodium: 535 mg | Potassium: 253 mg | Vitamin A: 5 IU | Calcium: 106 mg | Iron: 0.3 mg

    More Amazing Side Dishes

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      Lebanese Vermicelli Rice Pilaf
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      Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Dip
    • close up view of baked mac and cheese.
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    About Lily

    Howdy! My name is Lilian, but my friends call me Lily. I'm the founder and one of the recipe authors here at The Matbakh. I enjoy sunsets, long walks to the fridge, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 13 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Andy Anderson

      November 17, 2023 at 10:33 pm

      5 stars
      I've always grilled lobster tails but it's pouring rain in Oregon tonite. I tried your recipe and it turned out great. Served 2 tails on a bed of angel hair pasta drizzled with garlic butter and olive oil. My wife loved it. Thank you so much.

      Reply
      • Lily

        November 17, 2023 at 10:55 pm

        Thank you for the comment Andy! So glad you and your wife enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
    2. Jim

      September 03, 2023 at 2:41 pm

      I’ve read these directions along with many other sites. I’m sorry there is just something I’m not understanding. If I boil 3 lobster tails that are 4 Oz EACH, am I boing them for a TOTAL of 4 minutes ? Or am I boing them for a TOTAL of 12 minutes ?

      Reply
      • Lily

        September 03, 2023 at 6:10 pm

        Hi Jim, sorry for the confusion. You would boil for 4 minutes. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    3. Jan

      March 08, 2023 at 5:23 pm

      5 stars
      Simple, clear instructions which resulted in the most succulent Lobster tails. These were a hit with everyone, I served them during a lunch-do I had.

      Reply
      • Lily

        March 08, 2023 at 5:51 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    4. Sandra

      February 15, 2023 at 11:35 am

      5 stars
      Looks delicious going to make this for a valentine dinner!! Lobster tails in 10 minutes sounds amazing!!

      Reply
      • Lily

        February 15, 2023 at 2:06 pm

        These are great for valentine's day or any date night! Thanks for the comment Sandra

        Reply
    5. Wanda

      February 15, 2023 at 10:30 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for the pictures and all the great tips and tricks in this recipe. I'm picking up some lobster tails this weekend and making this recipe!

      Reply
      • Lily

        February 15, 2023 at 2:05 pm

        Hope you enjoy them!

        Reply
    6. Kushigalu

      February 15, 2023 at 10:06 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for the tips and tricks here. I will try this boiled lobster tails soon.

      Reply
      • Lily

        February 15, 2023 at 2:05 pm

        Hope you like it!

        Reply
    7. Dana

      February 15, 2023 at 9:54 am

      5 stars
      So perfect and simple. Turned out beautifully! Thanks for including the different times for different tail sizes!

      Reply
      • Lily

        February 15, 2023 at 2:05 pm

        Thanks for the comment!

        Reply
    8. Tayler

      February 15, 2023 at 9:37 am

      5 stars
      I used this lobster recipe for Valentine's Day dinner last night and they turned out perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

      Reply
      • Lily

        February 15, 2023 at 2:05 pm

        SO happy to hear that, thanks for the comment Tayler!

        Reply
    9. Beth

      January 24, 2023 at 11:34 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe. You can do all kinds of fancy things with lobster, but sometimes, simple is the best way to go. You can really taste the lobster flavor when you make them like this.

      Reply
      • Lily

        January 24, 2023 at 2:11 pm

        Thank you for the comment!!

        Reply
    10. Sandra

      January 20, 2023 at 11:07 am

      5 stars
      Lobster tails in ten minutes wow going to make these for a dinner party next week. They look delicious!!

      Reply
      • Lily

        January 24, 2023 at 2:12 pm

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
    11. Katherine

      January 04, 2023 at 9:54 am

      5 stars
      This is lobster tail perfection! Thanks for the detailed instructions.

      Reply
      • Lily

        January 24, 2023 at 2:12 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply

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    lily at the matbakh

    I'm Lily

    I'm an American Lebanese living in Texas. My kitchen, or matbakh, is a hodgepodge of recipes from the U.S. and Mediterranean region.

    ABOUT ME

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