How Do I Prepare Frozen Lobster?

Delicious and a bit exotic, lobster is one of the most expensive types of seafood. If you know how to properly prepare frozen lobster, you can protect both your wallet and your taste buds. Many chefs prefer to serve fresh lobster, but frozen lobster may be the closest thing to fresh you can find in your local supermarket. The most delicious lobster comes from high-quality shellfish, so start your preparation at the store by picking out the best lobster available.

Most stores sell frozen lobster tails rather than freezing the whole lobster. Purchase frozen lobsters with shells that are free of bruising and appear uniform in color. Lobster shells typically have a brown or gray-colored shell, which turns bright red when cooked. The meaty part of this shellfish is a translucent white-gray color when raw, and it turns opaque white with bright red or orange edges after cooking.

You should never cook frozen lobster without completely thawing it first. Cooking frozen lobster results in tough, chewy meat, which will most likely diminish your enjoyment of this expensive delicacy. For best results, thaw your frozen lobster overnight in the refrigerator. This should be sufficient, since defrosting takes approximately 20 hours.

Put the lobster in a plastic bag for easy, mess-free thawing. You can also place your lobster in a bowl of water in the refrigerator for nine or 10 hours if you need to thaw it out faster. It is possible to thaw frozen lobster tails in the microwave, but this is not recommended because the lobster may begin cooking.

Preparing lobster for cooking should be simple but may require specific steps if you are following a particular seafood recipe. Once the frozen lobster is completely thawed, it should be kept cold until you are ready for cooking. Lobster can be broiled, grilled, steamed, or baked. Steaming works quite well for preparing lobster tails and whole lobsters. Broiling and grilling are best suited for cooking with lobster tails.

Purchase large lobster tails when you are going to grill them, because the grill demands sturdier pieces of shellfish. Smaller tails can be broiled or steamed and served with melted butter for a delicious special-occasion seafood meal. Cooking times vary, depending on the size of the lobster. You will know the lobster is cooked when the meat has turned white and is completely opaque. Overcooking can cause the lobster to be tough, so take care not to broil, grill, or steam your lobster more than needed.