28 Lobster Recipes That Anyone Can Make (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to cook lobsters? ›

Steaming lobsters is the most traditional method because it results in an excellent meal. There are several benefits to steaming lobsters, including: They cook faster because you can cook them at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You don't have to wait until the water boils.

lobster was so abundant and detested that it was considered a “poor man's meal”, reserved for prisoners, apprentices, and enslaved people.

Lobster

Lobster Newberg / Main ingredient

Boiling lobster tails is a great choice because if stored and thawed your lobster tails properly, this is the cooking technique we recommend to minimize your tails sticking to the shell! Boiling is always a safe bet and if you are a first-timer or old-timer, this is the technique you can count on.

Steaming lobsters is the preferred way to cook whole, live lobsters for a few reasons: you're less likely to overcook lobsters when steaming, the entire cook time is shorter and the process of cooking and removing the lobsters from the pot is a lot easier. Get a pot large enough to hold your lobsters.

Overcooked lobster becomes tough and chewy, no matter how you cook them. Avoid this by keeping a close eye on the cooking time, and when in doubt use a meat thermometer. Most experts agree lobster tail should be cooked to an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

Lobsters were considered the “poor man's chicken” and primarily used for fertilizer or fed to prisoners and slaves. Some indentures servants even revolted against being forced to eat the meat and the colony agreed that they would not be fed lobster meat more than three times a week.

A researcher in animal behaviour recommends people kill their lobsters before cooking them, after extensive research suggests crustaceans can feel pain. Robert Elwood, professor emeritus of animal behaviour at Queen's University in Northern Ireland, has spent more than a decade researching the issue.

However, you are more likely to get a foodborne illness from eating raw or undercooked lobster. Some of the most common disease-causing bacteria linked to improperly handled crustaceans — and raw seafood in general — are Vibrio species, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella species, and Shigella species ( 1 ).

The hard red substance is the roe or the eggs of the female lobster. It is also called coral because of its deep red color. The roe will be black and will appear gelatin-like if your lobster is undercooked. It is edible but can also be rinsed out.

Do you crack lobster tail before boiling? ›

Cleaning a lobster doesn't just mean rinsing it off, though. Before cooking things like lobster tails, if you aren't planning to boil them, require some rinsing under that exoskeleton.

The hands-down best way to cook lobster tails is on the grill. Cooked inside the shell, the meat stays tender and sweet (not fishy!) and takes on a slight smokiness.

Steaming lobster tails minimizes direct water contact, keeps the meat tender, and enhances flavor retention. Baking, broiling, and grilling lobster tails use dry heat to intensify flavors through the Maillard reaction.

For recipes that call for fully cooked and picked lobster meat, boiling is the best approach. Benefits of Steaming: In contrast, steaming is more gentle, yielding slightly more tender meat. Steaming preserves a little more flavor and it's more forgiving on the timing front.

Overall, I did feel that the steamed lobster had better texture and flavor, which makes me want to compare the preparations: The broiling method is just as easy and just as fast (helpful for those, like myself, who don't own a steamer pot).