Boiled Lobster Tails with Garlic Lemon Butter

If you don't know how to cook lobster tails, I'm going to show you the easiest, best way to cook lobster tails today!

Cooking lobster tails can be super intimidating. They are expensive, they are in strong shells, and they overcook quickly. I avoided making them at home for years due to all of these barriers to entry.

Then, out of desperation when a friend requested lobster for a special meal, I decided to give boiling a try. I'd assumed boiling lobster tail would leave it rubbery and flavorless, but I was wrong. Now it is the only lobster tail recipe I use!

Before you cook lobster tails, you need to do a small amount of prep by cutting the tail shell.

how to cut lobster tail

Simply cut along the top part of the shell, down to the fans of the tail. Watch for sharp edges and use heavy duty kitchen shears to make this as simple and safe task as possible.

how to boil lobster tails

Boiling lobster tails couldn't be simpler: add the tails to a pot of salted boiling water, and remove after they have turned red and the meat is cooked through.

Scroll down to see a complete list of cooking times for the size of your lobster.

Lobster Tail Boil Time

This chart tells you how long to boil lobster tails based on the number of ounces of the individual tail.

Essentially you want to boil a lobster tail for one minute per ounce of tail. Here's how that shakes out, in case math isn't your thing.

• 3 ounce tail -> Boil for 3 minutes
• 3.5 ounce tail -> Boil for 3 minutes 30 seconds
• 4 ounce tail -> Boil for 4 minutes
• 5 ounce tail -> Boil for 5 minutes
• 6 ounce tail -> Boil for 6 minutes

You get the idea!

Other easy seafood recipes you might love:

• Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
• White Wine Baked Cod
• Berbere Shrimp Alfredo

How to Boil Lobster Tails

This is a foolproof method for cooking perfectly tender lobster tails.

4.7 from 60 votes

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lobster tails, seafood

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Total Time: 9 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 127kcal

Author: Marianne

Ingredients

For the Lobster Tails:

• 4 lobster tails
• 8 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt

Lemon Garlic Butter Dipping sauce:

• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons finely minced parsley
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

To make the lobster tails:

• In a large pot, bring the 8 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil.
• Cut the lobster tails along the top of the shell, from the edge of the tail straight down the middle lengthwise to the bottom of the tail.
• Carefully place the lobster tails in the boiling water, and boil for 1 minute per ounce of tail. For 4 ounce tails, boil for 4 minutes.

To make the lemon garlic butter dipping sauce:

• In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium to medium low heat. Stir in the garlic and black pepper and cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful to not let the butter brown ( turn down the heat if necessary).
• Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley and lemon juice, and serve.

Nutrition Facts

How to Boil Lobster Tails

Amount Per Serving

Calories 127

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

The calories listed are for one 4 ounce lobster tail, without the sauce included.  The calories in lobster tail will vary based on the size of the tails, but here are a few popular sizes:

Lobster Tail Calories:

3.5 ounce tail  89 calories

4 ounce tail 127 calories

6 ounce tail 160 calories

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