You can clean, cut, and butterfly a lobster tail before cooking it. It’s easier than you think! We show you step-by-step how to get lobster tails ready for a quick, easy, and tasty lobster dinner whether you bake, broil, air fry, or grill them.
Be sure to watch our butterfly lobster video tutorial to see the steps in action. Its a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!.
Lobster tails are a delicious seafood treat that can seem intimidating for home cooks to prepare. Knowing whether or not to rinse the lobster tail before cooking is an important first step to mastering cooking lobster at home. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about rinsing lobster tails before cooking them.
Why Rinsing Lobster Tails is Recommended
Rinsing lobster tails before cooking is generally recommended for a few key reasons:
Removing Impurities
Lobster tails you buy at the grocery store, even if sold fresh, were previously frozen. Rinsing helps remove any impurities or residue on the lobster from processing and freezing This helps ensure you have the freshest, cleanest lobster for cooking
Reducing Smell
Lobster naturally contains compounds like iodine that can give it a strong “fishy” odor. Rinsing helps wash away these compounds, leaving you with sweet, fresh-tasting lobster meat This is especially important when cooking lobster tail whole in the shell
Preventing Cross-Contamination
Rinsing lobster under cold running water can help remove bacteria on the surface that could cross-contaminate other ingredients when cooking. This is especially important if you plan to eat the lobster meat out of the shell.
How to Rinse Lobster Tails
Rinsing lobster tails is thankfully quick and easy. Here are the basic steps:
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Remove Frozen Lobster from Packaging: Take frozen tails out of packaging and let thaw slightly in the refrigerator overnight.
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Submerge in Cold Water: Place the lobster tails in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak for 10-20 minutes.
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Rinse Under Tap: Drain the water and rinse the lobster tails under cold running tap water for 5-10 minutes. Rinse the interior and exterior of shells.
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Repeat If Needed: For stronger odors, you can soak and rinse multiple times. Change the water in between.
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Pat Dry: Use paper towels to pat the lobster tails completely dry, inside and out. They are now ready for cooking prep!
The key is to use very cold water and rinse thoroughly inside the shells and around the exterior. Take your time rinsing if needed to fully remove odors or residue.
Do You Need to Rinse Live Lobster?
If you are one of the lucky home cooks starting with a live lobster rather than just the tails, do you still need to rinse it?
The answer is yes! Rinsing a live lobster serves the same important purposes of removing bacteria, odors, and residue. Follow the same cold water soaking and rinsing method.
Pay special attention to rinsing inside the body cavity, legs, and claws. You want to fully rinse away any impurities since you will likely be eating meat from the body and claws.
Should You Rinse After Cutting Lobster Tails?
Many recipes call for cutting open lobster tail shells before cooking in order to butterflly or stuff them. Should you rinse the tails again after cutting but before cooking?
We recommend giving them one final quick rinse after cutting open the shells. This removes any small pieces of shell or residue that may have gotten inside during the process.
Simply place the cut tails back in cold water for 1-2 minutes, rinse, and pat dry again. Then they are ready for your final recipe prep and cooking!
Can You Cook Lobster Tails Without Rinsing?
If you are in a real time pinch, is it absolutely necessary to rinse lobster tails before cooking? Or is it okay to skip right to cooking them?
While rinsing is highly recommended for the reasons above, you can cook lobster tails without rinsing if needed. The tails may have a slightly stronger fishy odor and flavor. But they will still be safe to eat.
Certain cooking methods like boiling may also help draw out some of the impurities and odors from the shells. However, for the best quality lobster, take the time to rinse whenever possible.
Rinsing Extra Lobster Pieces
If you have dissected a whole lobster and have extra pieces like the claws, knuckles, or body meat, be sure to give these a good rinse too. These pieces will need rinsing just like the tails.
Pay extra attention to rinsing and scrubbing the legs, joints, underside of body, and inside the claws where residue can collect. Rinse all pieces well before using lobster meat for pasta, tacos, or other recipes.
Storing Rinsed Lobster Tails
Once your raw lobster tails are fully rinsed and patted dry, store them properly in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Here are some storage tips:
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Place tails on a paper towel lined plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap. This prevents drying out.
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Only store 1-2 days maximum in the fridge before cooking.
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Do not refreeze thawed lobster tails after rinsing. Cook within 1-2 days.
Proper storage keeps your freshly rinsed lobster in optimal condition for cooking and eating!
Ready to Cook Perfect Lobster Tails
Hopefully you now feel ready to take on cooking lobster tails at home with confidence! Taking the time to properly rinse and prep raw lobster tails means your hard work will pay off with delicious, restaurant-quality seafood.
Some tasty ways to cook your prepped lobster tails include broiling, baking, grilling, sautéing, or adding to pasta. Lobster tails also pair nicely with drawn butter, lemon wedges, or even kicked up spice mixes.
The possibilities are endless once you’ve mastered the prep work. Don’t be intimidated by lobster anymore and give rinsing and cooking tender lobster tails at home a try! Your family and friends will be impressed.
Cut through the shell
Cut through the hard shell from the top, where the body would have been attached, all the way down to the tail with kitchen shears. Cut through the shell lengthwise down to the end of the body.
You can also butterfly a lobster tail by cutting into the meat and partially splitting the tail meat. To butterfly a lobster tail better helps it lay flat on the shell when serving it. Stop right before you get to the fin and do not cut into it.
With clean fingers, gently open and pull the shell apart until the lobster meat is slightly exposed. If the grocery store didn’t do it already, cut out the intestinal vein that runs down the middle of the tail.
To get the meat out of the shell, gently pull the tail meat away from each inside side of the lobster tail with your thumb.
How to Buy Lobster Tails
Make sure you buy good lobster tails at the store if you’re going to take the time and effort to cook one. Things to consider:
- Size: Lobster tails come in different sizes. Most grocery stores sell them in 3 to 6 ounce packages, but you can find them in 8 to 9 ounce packages at specialty stores. No matter what size you choose, it should work for the recipe. You may need to change the cooking time a bit.
- How fresh it is: Look for lobster tail shell that is firm and looks wet. Avoid tails that are discolored or smell like ammonia; these are signs that they are going bad.
- Where it comes from: The best lobster comes from cold water areas near Maine or eastern Canada. Some lobster tails come from other countries, so it’s best to look for tails that come from sources that are good for the environment. The color of the raw lobster tail depends on the type of lobster you buy. Some will be red, while others will be brown. Either way, they are both tasty and will cook to a red color.
- Package: Lobster tails are usually sold frozen at grocery stores. If you see them defrosted in the fish section of your local store, they were probably frozen and then defrosted. Before you buy frozen tails, make sure they are well-packed and haven’t been frozen too long.
- How much does lobster tail cost? You should compare prices at different grocery stores or wait for sales to buy them. They often go on sale before holidays or important events like Valentine’s Day.
It’s really easy to cut a lobster tail, but make sure you use kitchen shears instead of a sharp knife.
Cutting with a knife isn’t as easy as cutting with kitchen scissors, and you don’t want to cut into the lobster tail meat by accident.
No matter what kind of cooking you want to do, getting lobster tails ready starts with one simple thing. The lobster tail!.
When you start with good seafood, all it needs is a little butter and simple seasoning.
- lobster tail (3 oz – 8 oz) size
- salt and pepper
- other ideas- butter, fresh lemon juice
Even though lobster tail naturally has iodine in it, many people like to wash the lobster in cold water first to get rid of the extra. This is an optional step but good to do if you have extra time.
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Place the lobsters in the bowl and let them soak for 15-30 minutes.
Drain the water and pat the lobster tails with paper towels before cutting lobster tails.
How To Clean and Prep Lobster Tails l Cleaning Lobster Tails For Grilling or Cooking l Awww Licious
How long does it take to cook lobster tails?
The method itself is super simple. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season it, and then add your lobster tails. To prevent the tails from curling up, I pressed a wooden skewer from the top of the tail through the bottom. They cooked, uncovered, in the boiling water for about 4 to 5 minutes. The cooking time may vary depending on the size of the lobster tails.
How do you cook lobster tails by steaming?
To cook lobster tails by steaming, bring a small amount of water to a boil and add butterflied tails (prepared the same as for baking) in a steamer insert to the pot, ensuring the lobster is above the water line. The steam and heat in the pot cook the meat, but not the water directly.
How do you clean frozen lobster tails?
This cleaning process should be done with frozen lobster tails, no matter how you prefer to cook them. You will notice that the nasty smell to them is now gone, once they are properly cleaned. Place them onto paper towels to drain and soak up any excess water, for at least 10 minutes.
How do you defrost lobster tails?
First, remove lobster tails from the freezer and allow the package to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Once they are fully thawed, you can begin. Then open the package and transfer them to a pot or bowl, and run cold water over them for about 10 minutes to remove the iodine. Keep them in cold water for about 20 to 30 minutes.