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 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
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
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 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 |
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.
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
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.
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.
Add salt to the water when boiling 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
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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
- 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. The cooking time depends on the weight of the tail. Remove the lobster tails to a paper towel lined plate.
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 |
Beth
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.
Lily
Thank you for the comment!!
Sandra
Lobster tails in ten minutes wow going to make these for a dinner party next week. They look delicious!!
Lily
Thank you so much!
Katherine
This is lobster tail perfection! Thanks for the detailed instructions.
Lily
Thanks!