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    Home » Recipes » Side Dish

    Easy Boiled Lobster Tails

    By Lily・Published:Dec 6, 2022・Updated: Jan 28, 2023・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    easy boiled lobster tails.

    These boiled lobster tails are easy and take just about ten minutes to make. Serve these luscious lobster tails with a side of 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!

    What You Will Love

    This lobster tail recipe is easy, quick, and fail-proof. Within just a few minutes, you will have succulent, tender meat.

    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 mixed together.
    • Use larger lobster tails (than what's shown in the recipe photos). Adjust the cook time as per the chart in the recipe card.

    Storage

    Store cooked lobster meat in the fridge for up to 3 days. Prepare thawed uncooked lobster tails in the same day.

    FAQs

    How long do you boil a 4-ounce lobster tail?

    The amount of time it takes to boil the lobster tail depends on the tail size. It takes about 45 seconds per ounce to cook a lobster tail. So if you have a 4 ounce lobster tail, it should take about 3 minutes.

    Do you split lobster tails before boiling?

    It's optional to split lobster tails before boiling. To split lobster tails, cut the top of the lobster shell until the top of the fin using kitchen shears.

    What do you add to the water when boiling lobster tails?

    Add salt to the water when boiling lobster tails.

    Is it better to steam or boil lobster tails?

    Both methods for cooking lobster tails are great. Steaming lobster tails is a gentler way of cooking the tail, resulting in tender meat.

    Watch How To Make It

    What To Serve With Lobster Tails

    • Homemade Garlic Butter Sauce
    • Perfectly Steamed Shrimp Cocktail
    • Homemade Garlic Bread Baguette
    • Italian Fried Calamari (Calamari Fritti)

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    lobster meat sitting outside of the shell.

    Easy Boiled Lobster Tails

    Author: Lily
    Course: Main Dish, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
    Prep: 5 mins
    Cook: 5 mins
    Total: 10 mins
    5 from 4 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.
      thawing frozen lobster tails.
    • Cut the top of the lobster shell
      cut the top of the lobster shell using kitchen scissors or shears.
    • 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.
      place the lobster tail into the boiling water.
    • Boil the lobster tails for the time indicated in the notes section. The cooking time depends on the weight of the tail. Remove the lobster tails to a paper towel lined plate.
      remove the lobster tails from the boiling water.

    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

    Nutrition

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

    More Amazing Side Dishes

    • Butterflied Steamed Lobster Tails
    • Roasted Butternut Squash Halves
    • Baked White Mac and Cheese
    • Homemade Lasagna Noodles

    About Lily

    Howdy! My name 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 on the beach, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. 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
    2. 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
    3. 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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    Howdy, I'm Lily!

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