How to cook lobster tails perfectly every time

If The Sims were your childhood, you would know what lobster tender is. You know it in the context of the popular RPG (role-playing game). It is the last meal that your simulated character will learn after learning the culinary arts over a few days. The Sims is just like real life. The more you cook and read more cookbooks, the quicker your character can go from spaghetti to tri-tip steak to lobster thermidor.

Always Lobster Thermidor is the goal.

How does that relate to perfectly cooked lobsters? Lobster thermidor, for one, is a dish that I would love to eat every day. You will also need lobster tail meat to enjoy the sweet, succulent flavor and tender texture of the lobster. You can bear with me as I share the love of lobster thermidor for a while longer. I will then discuss how to thaw frozen lobster tails (which is much easier if you don’t live in Maine) and how to prepare lobster tails.

To satisfy my curiosity and save you time and money, I tried four different ways to cook lobster tails: steamed (broiled), boiled, grilled, and broiled. First, let’s get back to the lobster thermidor.

What is Lobster Thermidor?

This gratin dish is a classic gratin from the 1960s and 1970s. It consists of lobster tail meat being folded into a creamy mixture of egg yolks (egg yolks), brandy, mustard and Gruyere cheese. It is rich and delicious, and almost no one makes it anymore.

Why? Because lobster is costly. Fresh lobster would be available to me 24/7 if I lived in Maine. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury, so I only enjoy fresh lobster at home on special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, birthday, or Wednesday nights.

If you cannot find whole, live lobsters from your local fishmonger, I suggest heading to Whole Foods or Costco to purchase frozen lobster tails.

Be aware that the two are very different. You can find uncooked (previously frozen) individual lobster tails at the Whole Foods fish counter for about $10. These are the sweet, flavorful, small, fleshy lobster tails that look like Maine. Although Costco lobster tails are more affordable per pound than American ones, you will notice that they are a different breed from American lobster tails. They are large and spiny and come from Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica. They are also a bit less flavorful than I thought, but that’s my opinion. However, lobster is too expensive and difficult to find, so stock up – that’s the beauty in pre-frozen products anyway.

Make sure they are properly thawed before you cook, no matter what you get.

How to Thaw Frozen Lobster Tails

Place your frozen lobster tails in cold water for 30 minutes or until they are fully thawed. Although you could freeze them, the water method is much faster.

Next, choose how you want to cook your lobster. Broiled? Grilled? Here’s how it turned out:

How to Cook Lobster Tail

What you’ll need

• Lobster tails (4 to 5 ounces each).
• Butter melted
• Flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper.
• For serving, lemon wedges

1. Get steaming

• Steaming lobster tails was the easiest method. However, it was only because my mother had a fancy steamer pan. The water was boiled, then the steam basket was added to the top. I placed one lobster tail into the middle of the steam basket and covered it. Some recipes for steaming lobster tails online call for a cooking time of 8 minutes. Others require a cooking time of 10 minutes. However, I noticed that the shell turned reddish, and the flesh became opaque in 4 minutes. So I removed the lobster tail and rinsed it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Overcooking lobster tails can result in hard, chewy meat. Be sure to watch them as they cook. Once the shell turns into a classic fire truck red color and the meat becomes opaque, remove it from the water.
• Verdict This lobster tail was super soft and sweet when seasoned with butter, lemon juice and flaky sea salt. It was delicious! The steaming method is recommended if you require unadulterated lobster meat to make a lobster roll. I mean, it takes only 4 minutes!

1. Top Shell Split, Broiled

• According to the internet, lobster tails are most popular when cooked in the broiler. This makes sense. The broiler works well with fresh seafood, so I didn’t bother to test the oven-baked version. In just minutes, oiled lobster tails are caramelized on the outside and inside. My lobster tails were done in the oven for 5 minutes.
• How you prepare the lobster tail is what matters. There are two ways I have seen people prepare it. You’ll see it in chains like Red Lobster. The top shell is split, and the lobster meat bulges out. You can achieve this by using a pair of kitchen shears to cut through the top shell from the fleshy end to the tail. Next, use your fingers to separate the shell from the meat gently. Then brush the shell with butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Verdict: Good. Surprisingly the flavor was very similar to the steamed lobster tail. It may have been a bit more muddied. I felt that the steamed lobster had a better texture and flavor. Broiling has no benefits to me, but it does make the lobster look beautiful.

1. Broiled Bottom Shell Split

• Similar cooking method (broil for five minutes), but I exposed the lobster tail’s meat to make it. Flip the lobster tail upside down (belly and legs facing up). Next, use a pair of kitchen shears to cut along the sides where the soft undershell meets the hard outer shell. Then, move the attached side perpendicularly to the tail. This will remove the bottom shell completely. Spread the butter on the meat, then salt and pepper. Place flesh side down on a baking sheet and broil.
• Verdict, My father was convinced that this lobster tail tasted better (taste is in your mouth). What about ease? It was much easier to remove the meat from its shell than the previous two. This should not be a problem if you plan to serve the lobster in its tail. It is beautiful and very pretty to do. It comes down to 1) whether or not you use an oven and 2) how your lobster tail looks. It’s an aesthetic matter.

1. Grilled

• This is how I decided to experiment with summer. To make sure the flesh could reach the fire, I cut the tails in half by cutting the middle of the shell in half. The meat was brushed with butter and salt and then placed on the grill for 4 minutes at high heat. After that, I turned it over and cooked another 3-4 minutes. Paula Disbrow, a grilling expert, recommends using a lower heat (medium) and cooking for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. The second side should take 4 to 5 minutes. As someone who prefers lobster undercooked to overcooked, I cooked mine a bit sooner than usual, and it was delicious.
• Although I was tempted to dislike this recipe (because not everyone can grill), it was my favorite lobster tail recipe. While the other recipes were good, this one had an extra flavor: smoke. The grill can give lobster so much depth, but only if it is not overcooked.

1. Lobster Thermidor-Ed

• This dish has been made several times for my mother, who loves cream sauces. It’s a great way for lobster meat to go further. The mushrooms, cheese and cream give everything a much richer feel than a simple salted buttery tail.
• There are many other ways to complete a lobster tail meal. My family was roasted asparagus, and I prepared a fresh Corn Salad. Everyone was stuffed. We all enjoyed the lobster as it was, a vehicle for butter. Who doesn’t love butter!

Summary

• I had only four lobster tails to test, one for each family member. Therefore, I had to decide which method to try. If I had the time and resources to cook it, I would have a pan-seared or boiled one. I would steam them with the top and bottom shells separated.