If the thought of cooking lobster at home fills you with fear, you’re not alone!
Even the idea of eating lobster can feel intimidating; whether it’s the expense, the fancy five-star digs you’re most likely to find yourself ordering lobster in, or knowing how to break one apart while maintaining your dignity.
But, as luck would have it, arguably the most delicious part of the lobster is also the easiest part of the lobster to masterfully cook in the comfort of your own home: the tail.
Preparing a lobster tail at home is far less expensive than cooking a whole lobster and eliminates much hard work. But don’t rush out to the local market and grab the first lobster tail you come across because when it comes to quality, origin matters!
There’s a reason why Maine lobsters are so prized for their taste. The highest quality lobster tails come from cold water lobsters. As anyone who’s ever tried swimming off the coast of Maine will attest, the water there is C-O-L-D! Relaxing in the Caribbean’s warm waters may be lovely for beach holidays, but such a cushy life makes for softer lobsters that are difficult to firm up properly and can be a bit grainy.
On the other hand, their cold-water brethren grew more slowly, resulting in firmer, whiter meat that’s tastier and more tender. When you imagine the quintessential lobster dinner, you’re thinking of the sweet, clean taste and dense texture of Maine lobsters, which are the only kind of tails Steakchop ships.
The next key to excellent tasting lobster tails at home is preparation. There are several different methods to choose from, including grilling, boiling, steaming, and roasting, each of which has its advantages, and all of which yield delicious results:
Grilling: If you love to grill, you’ll be happy to know lobster lends itself well to grilling and adds a bit of smokiness and char to the meat. You can also cook butterflied lobster tails on a cedar plank for extra flavor.
Steaming: Steaming is as easy as boiling water and placing the tails in the steamer basket, and quickly delivers a clean flavor palette for those who love their toppings!
Boiling: Similar to how you steam lobster tails, there’s not much effort beyond boiling water, tossing in the tails, and not overcooking. The high heat has the added benefit of releasing meat from the shell, making it easier to remove what’s left inside, but the flavor may not be as savory.
Roasting/Broiling: Baking works too and produces a delicate texture, but the extra blast of high heat you get from roasting or broiling will give the meat a sweeter, more in-depth flavor.
Cooking time depends slightly on which method you choose but doesn’t vary much. Steakchop’s lobster tails are 6 to 7 ounces, so they’ll take approximately 6 to 8 minutes to cook. Whatever method you choose, be careful not to overcook. You’ll want the meat to be opaque throughout and firm. If the meat is still translucent, give it another minute of heat. It’s that simple!
Finally, choose the type of sauce or sauces you want to enjoy with your tails and dig in! For some, no sauce is all the sauce they need, preferring the unadulterated taste of lobster meat to cross their palettes. Melted butter or cocktail sauce is traditional, of course. We’re also fans of flavored butters (think: lemon and butter, shallot, tarragon, and butter, and so on), bearnaise, hollandaise, truffled mayo, our own classic garlic aioli…we could go on and on.