6 Easy Lobster Recipes for Cooked Lobster

Choose from six ways to serve cooked lobster: with dipping sauces, as a cocktail, with herb and garlic butter, with lemon browned butter, with salsa verde, or in lobster rolls. Keep the lobster simple and do not cook it again, so it is less likely to dry out.

If the lobster is frozen, thaw it overnight in a bowl or tray with sides to catch liquid, then drain well. Remove the shell when you are ready to serve; the shell helps protect the meat and keep it juicy.

What you'll need

Lobster

• whole cooked lobster or crayfish

Seafood sauces for lobster, choose one

• Marie Rose sauce, also called Thousand Island

• tartare sauce

• seafood cocktail sauce, use sparingly; it has the most intense flavour

• family favourite seafood sauce

Thaw

1. If the lobster is frozen, thaw it overnight in a bowl or tray with sides to catch liquid. Drain well before using.

Remove the shell

1. Insert a small knife at a 45-degree angle into the gap between the tail and head. Cut along the top and sides through to the middle; there is no need to cut underneath.

   

2. Twist the tail to separate it from the head. Meat from the head will come away with it.

   

3. Scrape or trim off any yellow or black residue on the end that came out of the head.

4. Cut down both sides of the soft shell on the underside of the tail. Peel the shell back to reveal the lobster flesh.

   

5. Carefully remove the flesh; it should come away from the shell cleanly.

   

6. If you see a black string down the back of the tail meat, carefully pull out the vein. Stretch the meat straight to remove it in one piece if possible. Otherwise, pick it out while slicing the meat.

7. Some meat may remain in the head and can be used. The yellow material, called tomalley, has a strong lobster flavour and is an acquired taste.

8. Serve the tail meat whole, sliced, or diced, depending on how you plan to use it. Avoid shredding it, as it can lose juiciness.

Lobster with seafood sauces

1. Prepare a dipping sauce.

2. Serve the sauce alongside the lobster. Cut the lobster into bite-size pieces, or serve it whole for guests to cut themselves. Arrange on individual plates or a sharing platter.

Lobster cocktail

Ingredients

• prawn cocktail, substitute lobster cut into small bite-size pieces for the prawns

Method

1. Make a prawn cocktail, substituting lobster cut into small bite-size pieces for the prawns.

Lobster with herb and garlic butter

Ingredients

• 50 g (3 tbsp) salted butter, cut into 1.5 cm cubes; or use unsalted butter plus 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 garlic clove, very finely minced

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus more

• lemon wedges, for serving

• ½ cup parsley leaves, for serving

• crusty bread, for mopping up the plate

Method

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once it is foamy, add the garlic and cook until light golden. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the lemon juice and parsley.

2. Pour the butter into a serving bowl and serve alongside the lobster. Garnish with parsley leaves and lemon wedges.

3. Serve the lobster in bite-size pieces for dipping, or drizzle it with the butter. Plate it individually or on a sharing platter, with crusty bread for mopping up the plate.

Lobster with lemon browned butter

Ingredients

• lemon butter sauce

• ¼ tsp salt

• lemon wedges, for serving

• ½ cup parsley leaves, for serving

• crusty bread, for mopping up the plate

Method

1. Prepare the lemon browned butter sauce.

2. Slice the lobster into bite-size pieces and arrange it on a platter or individual plates. Sprinkle with salt.

3. Drizzle some browned butter over the lobster and serve extra on the side. Garnish with parsley leaves and lemon wedges.

4. Serve with crusty bread for mopping up the plate.

Lobster with salsa verde

Ingredients

• 1 cup parsley, lightly packed and chopped; up to 1/4 cup stems may be included

• 1 tbsp whole capers

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 garlic clove, chopped

• 2 tsp red or white wine vinegar

• 1–2 anchovies, large, or 2 small; chopped

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• ⅛ tsp black pepper

Method

1. Blend the salsa verde ingredients in a small food processor until they form a paste. Keep a little texture; do not blend until completely smooth.

2. Slice the lobster into bite-size pieces and arrange on individual plates or a sharing platter. Add small dollops of salsa verde, as its flavour is strong.

3. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley leaves, then serve.

Lobster rolls

Ingredients

• 160 g (1 cup) cooked lobster meat, cut into 1 cm cubes; from 1 whole lobster weighing 600 g

• 2½ tbsp mayonnaise, Kewpie or Hellmann's

• 2½ tbsp celery, finely chopped, about 1 stalk

• 1½ tbsp green onions, very finely sliced

• 2 tsp chives, finely chopped

• 2 tsp lemon juice

• ¼ tsp salt

• black pepper, a pinch

• butter, softened, for buttering the buns

• 3 mini brioche buns or rolls, or other very soft rolls

• plain potato chips, for serving

• paprika, optional garnish, a pinch

• chives, optional garnish, chopped

• lemon wedges, optional garnish

Method

1. Put the lobster in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, celery, green onions, salt, and pepper. Toss gently to coat.

2. Split the buns or rolls and butter them generously. Fill generously with the lobster mixture. Makes two mini brioche buns or three round rolls.

Tips

For lobster rolls, the filling should be generous so the lobster remains the focus. The recipe makes two mini brioche buns or three round rolls.

Leftover salsa verde can be frozen and thawed overnight in the refrigerator. It can also be served with fish or other seafood.

If you wish to warm cooked lobster, steam it for a few minutes until warmed through. Avoid microwave steaming, which can cook the lobster further.