Q&A for How to Boil Lobster Tails

If any food - lobster tails, meat, fish - smells of ammonia, do not buy it or eat it. No fresh food should smell of ammonia. If it does, it is old and has been treated.

No, because the amount of tails you boil won't require more time to cook; the same goes for rice.

Boiling a tail frozen will cause the meat to be tough. Put the frozen tail(s) in a pan filled with water and allow the water to run into it for 5 minutes or so. Presto, thawed lobster ready for the hot pot.

15-18 minutes is all it takes to boil a 19-ounce lobster tail. Overcooking will make it tough and chewy.

With the underside of the lobster up and facing you, use a large cleaver or knife and cut straight down the tail.

Melt butter in a small pot on the stove, then remove it from the heat and let it cool. Then simply skim off the milk solids that rise to the top.

Pour about 1 inch of water in the bottom of a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add salt and place a steamer insert inside the pot so that it is just above the water level. Put the lobster tail(s) on the rack and cover the pot. Steam for 8 minutes.

About the same amount of time as for boiling: 5 - 12 minutes, depending on size. A whole lobster will take approximately 7 minutes per pound.

You could, but it is not recommended to boil a lobster tail that is frozen, because the meat will turn hard and chewy.

As long as it doesn’t smell like ammonia yet, you should be fine. When lobster smells like ammonia it is indicative of being old or treated in some way. It won’t kill you to eat that, but it won’t be enjoyable either!

Yes! Boil approximately 1 minute per ounce. For example, if you have two 5 oz. tails, you boil 5 minutes. One 10 oz. tail, you boil 10 minutes.