Easy Boiled Lobster Tails
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!
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. Make sure the lobster tails are completely thawed before cooking for the best results!
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 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.
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.
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.
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 |
Recipe Tips
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.
📋 Recipe
Easy Boiled Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 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
Video
Notes
- 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 |
- 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.
- Use larger lobster tails (than what's shown in the recipe photos). Adjust the cooking time as per the chart in the recipe card.
Nutrition
What To Serve With Lobster Tails
For more ideas on what to serve with lobster, check out some of my favorite lobster side dishes!
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.
Thank you for the comment Andy! So glad you and your wife enjoyed the recipe!
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 ?
Hi Jim, sorry for the confusion. You would boil for 4 minutes. Hope that helps!
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.
Thanks!
Looks delicious going to make this for a valentine dinner!! Lobster tails in 10 minutes sounds amazing!!
These are great for valentine's day or any date night! Thanks for the comment Sandra
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!
Hope you enjoy them!
Thanks for the tips and tricks here. I will try this boiled lobster tails soon.
Hope you like it!
So perfect and simple. Turned out beautifully! Thanks for including the different times for different tail sizes!
Thanks for the comment!
I used this lobster recipe for Valentine's Day dinner last night and they turned out perfectly! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
SO happy to hear that, thanks for the comment Tayler!
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.
Thank you for the comment!!
Lobster tails in ten minutes wow going to make these for a dinner party next week. They look delicious!!
Thank you so much!
This is lobster tail perfection! Thanks for the detailed instructions.
Thanks!