Easy Boiled Lobster Tails

Name: Easy Boiled Lobster Tails
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 lobster tails (sizes vary** see note 1)

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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 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.

Lobster, like many other seafood proteins, is high in protein and low in fat. Lobster tails (and fish, like red snapper) are great for the Mediterranean diet or if you are tracking macros.

Ingredient Notes

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

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 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

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.

Storage

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

What To Serve With Lobster Tails

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

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