3 Simple Ways To Cook Lobster: Roasting, Grilling, and Boiling
There’s no better way to impress others with your culinary skills than by cooking lobster. Lobster’s buttery flavor and tender texture make it as fine as a filet mignon. It’s perfect for a holiday feast! Just follow these simple instructions from our seafood experts to ensure your lobster turns out tender instead of tough.
Use Live Lobster
Have you ever taken a bite of lobster that’s rubbery instead of tender? This unpleasant texture is what you get when you reheat lobster. That’s why it’s best to cook live lobster or pick up freshly cooked lobster from your fish market to enjoy right away.
When you select live lobsters from your local seafood market, you should cook it immediately. If you can’t, you can store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours wrapped in wet newspaper. It will stay alive out of water for a day as long as the newspaper is moist enough.
Humanely Butcher the Lobster
The cruelty of boiling a lobster alive is justifiably off-putting for many people. Whether you plan to boil it, grill it, or bake it, you should finish the lobster off humanely first. The best way to humanely butcher a lobster is to put it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes to dull its senses. Then use a large kitchen knife to cut the skull in half.
How to Prep Lobster
Before you get started, make sure that you have a mallet or nutcrackers on hand to break open the claws. It’s also helpful to have kitchen shears and a large sharp knife.
How to Roast Lobster
Roasting lobster is the best method to prepare it during the cold winter months when you don’t want to get out the grill.
Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
Split the lobster in half separating the tail from the claws.
Use kitchen shears or a large knife to slice open the middle of the lobster exposing the meat.
Use a nutcracker or mallet to crack open the claws. Then remove the meat.
Place the tail and claw meat on a baking pan. Brush with melted butter.
(To take it up a notch, mix fresh thyme with the melted butter before brushing it on. Then fill the tail with lemon slices. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.)
Roast for 5 to 7 minutes. Then pull the pan out and baste the meat with additional butter.
Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the meat looks white instead of translucent.
How to Grill Lobster
Lobster tastes delicious fresh off the grill! To give it the best flavor, grill it over a mixture of charcoal and water-soaked wood chips.
Heat up the grill
Split the lobster in half separating the tail from the claws.
Use kitchen shears or a large knife to slice open the middle of the lobster exposing the meat.
Use a nutcracker or mallet to crack open the claws. Then remove the meat.
Place the tail and claw meat on the grill. Brush with melted butter.
Grill for 5 to 7 minutes then brush with additional butter. Flip over the tail.
Grill for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the claw meat looks white and the tail shell bubbles.
How to Boil Lobster
Boiling lobster is the simplest method though it’s not recommended by chefs. Any time you cook a protein like lobster in the water, you lose some of flavor. That’s why grilling and broiling are preferred methods. Many home chefs choose to boil lobster because it is so easy.
Fill a large pot about three-quarters full of salted water.
Bring the water to a gentle boil or simmer (don’t let it reach a rolling boil!). Then place the whole lobster in the water.
Let the water get back to a simmer, then turn down the heat. This will poach the lobster.
Once you notice that the tail has curled up, typically after 7 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the lobster, use tongs to pull the tail out of the water. Hang the tail on the edge of the pot to allow the claws to continue to cook in the water.
After 7 to 10 minutes, remove it from the water. The shell should be bright red. If it’s not, return it to the water for a few more minutes until it is.
How to Serve Lobster
Freshly cooked lobster can be enjoyed on its own or tossed into another recipe like mac n’ cheese. When lobster is the main course, it’s best served with a side of seasoned butter or Meyer lemon vinaigrette. Some people also enjoy it with a side of cocktail sauce.
You can find the best New England lobsters at City Fish Market. We have a 5,000-gallon lobster pound filled with Maine lobsters ranging from 1 pound to 10 pounds! Stop by to pick up lobster for your holiday feast!