Cook Frozen Lobster

Eating whole lobster is a delicacy in many areas of the world. Sometimes you may purchase the lobster frozen. Cooking frozen lobster is not that difficult of a process, and there are different approaches you can use to make sure the meat tastes delicious.

Steps

Picking the Best Lobster

1. Buy frozen lobster that has never been thawed. Check that it was blanched before freezer storage and stored at extremely low temperatures, around 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius).
   • Sometimes you won’t want to cook the lobster immediately. Store the frozen lobster in an airtight freezer bag. If vacuum-sealed, it can be stored in a freezer for up to one year.
   • Of course, you can also purchase lobster that is not frozen. Cooking a live lobster involves a different process in some ways, though.
2. Choose quality frozen lobster. You can buy two different kinds of lobster tails, either warm-water or cold-water tails. The different tails vary in taste and quality. You can buy either frozen lobster tails or claws.
   • Warm-water lobster tails are not as tasty because the meat can become mushy. These tails originate from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Florida. The tails from the Caribbean have yellow spots and tails with yellow bands.
   • The meat in cold water tails is more desirable. It’s whiter and tenderer. However, it can also be more expensive. Cold-water lobsters come from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, generally. If the store doesn’t know whether the tails came from cold water, they are probably the less expensive warm-water variety.
   • Frozen lobster claws contain less meat and are not as desired as tails. You can find them in the frozen food section of many grocery stores.
   • Avoid buying any lobster tails with black spots or gray tails. The lobster probably died during the processing in those cases.
3. Buy enough lobster. It’s important to know how many people a lobster will serve to make sure that you have enough food for everyone. Lobster tails in particular are full of meat.
   • You should also be aware that different cultures will have different preferences when it comes to cooking lobster. For example, in Canada lobster tends to be cooked longer than it is in France.
   • Generally speaking, you will want 1 to 1 ½ pounds of lobster for every person you are serving. You can cook lobster tails or frozen lobster claws.

Preparing the Lobster for Cooking

1. Thaw the lobster tails. It’s absolutely essential that you thaw the tails (or claws) before you cook them. If you don’t, you are likely to end up with meat that tastes very tough.
   • It’s a good idea to thaw the lobster for about 24 hours in the refrigerator before you cook it or at least overnight. A good way to thaw the lobster faster is to put it in a plastic bag. Then, put the plastic bag in a pot full of water, and put that in the refrigerator. You may need to change the water at least once.
   • If you are in a great hurry, it’s possible to defrost the tails a bit in a microwave before cooking them. Although this is a better idea than cooking frozen tails, it’s not as ideal as thawing the lobster more slowly. It’s a bad idea to thaw lobster in warm water or room temperature. Lobster claws also need to be defrosted completely before cooking.
2. Cut the shell of the lobster tail. Once you’ve thawed the frozen lobster, before you cook it, cut the shell down the middle of the tail’s back, using scissors.
   • To do this, put the point of kitchen shears or scissors between the lobster meat and the shell. Leave the tail fan in place. Lift the meat through the slit you’ve created in the top of the shell. You’ve now created what is called a “piggyback lobster tail.”
   • Another method is to start at the tail, and peel back the soft under shell of the lobster. Then, discard the undershell. Bend the tail backwards. If you crack some of the overshell joints, it will stop the lobster from curling while you cook it.

Choosing your Cooking Method

1. Boil the thawed lobster tails. Boiling lobster is one of the most common ways to cook it. Start by boiling water in a large pot. You want to make sure you have enough water in the pot to cover the lobster tails completely.
   • For each quart of water, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Place the thawed tails into the water, and cover the kettle, and let the water simmer for 5 minutes for each 4-ounce tail (and one extra minute for each additional ounce of lobster that you are cooking.)
   • Remove the lobster from the hot water, and place it in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the lobster. It’s not ready to serve. You can tell the lobster is done when the shells are bright red and the meat tender if you poke at it with a fork.
2. Broil Lobster Tails tails. Set your oven on broil. Be aware that broiling is a very fast process, so keep a close eye on the lobster to make sure you don’t burn it.
   • Arrange the lobster tails on a broiler pan. Place them on the pan shell side up, and then broil it for only about 4 minutes. You want to keep the lobster meat about 5 inches away from the heat.
   • If you are broiling very large lobster tails, you might want to split them lengthwise to make two servings from each. Turn them over. Brush with butter. Broil the other side 5 minutes more. Serve the tails.
3. Steam Lobster. One healthy way to cook lobster is to steam it. You want to start by putting a half inch of water in the pot with a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of vinegar.
   • Now, put the lobsters in the pot. Cover the pot, and let them steam for 15 minutes for a 1-pound lobster. For every extra pound of lobster, add 5 minutes.
   • You can also steam lobsters by placing them on a rack. Boil about two inches of water in a pot that is below the rack holding the lobster. Steam the lobster for 10 minutes for every pound of lobster.
4. Poach the lobster. Poaching the lobster allows the flavor to come out, especially when you add herbs and other seasonings into the poaching water.
   • To poach a lobster, prepare a poaching liquid in a pan by adding lemon, chives, onion and celery to a little water. Simmer this concoction.
   • In a second pan, boil water fully. Place the lobster into the boiling water for a minute or two. Then, take the lobster out of the boiling water. Put it in the poaching liquid. Cover the plan tightly. Simmer the lobster but don’t boil.
   • You will know it’s done if an antenna or small leg pulls away easily when you tug on it.
5. Grill the lobster. To grill the lobster, find the cross that is located on the back of its head. Pierce it with a heavy knife. Cut down the back of the tail, splitting the lobster lengthwise..
   • Place the lobster on the grill. You will want to place the flesh side of the lobster down on the grill, and leave it there for about 8 to 10 minutes. There is no need to turn the lobster over.
   • Before you grill it, brush it with butter or olive oil. You could also put a metal skewer through the tails before grilling them.
6. Bake lobster claws. If you are cooking once frozen lobster claws instead of tails, it’s possible to bake them. First, heat your oven to 400 degrees.
   • Bundle the claws together. Wrap them in a pocket of aluminum foil, and place them on a cookie sheet. You will bake them for about 10 minutes.
   • You can tell the lobster claws are done when they look pink. Many grocery stores have lobster claws in the frozen food section.

Tips

• Cooking lobster is a pretty fast process and should only take you about 30 minutes. Thawing it takes time, though, so plan ahead.
• Using sea salt in the boiling water rather than regular table salt will give the lobster more flavor.
• The quickest and easiest way to cook frozen lobster is the boiling method.

Things You'll Need

• Stockpot or kettle
• Freezer bags
• Water
• Tongs and kitchen shears
• Colander
• Grill, stovetop, or oven

Related Articles

• Grill Lobster Tails
• Prepare a New England Lobster Bake
• Make Lobster Sushi
• Make Lobster a La Newberg

Sources and Citations

See also

• Get a Lobster Tail out of Its Shell
• Cook a Lobster
• Clean a Lobster
• Cook Lobster Tails
• Safely Free Dive for Lobster
• Broil Lobster
• Boil Lobster Tails
• Grill Lobster Tails
• Cook Frozen Lobster Tails
• Bake Lobster Tails