Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (2024)

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (1)

Sweet, rich, and satisfying lobster can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Whether it's mixed with mayonnaise and served on a roll, stars in a creamy bisque, or is grilled and served with melted butter and lemon wedges, the crustacean is a summertime delicacy. In this collection of lobster recipes, we're highlighting a handful of the most beloved ways to cook and serve lobster. From beginners to long-time seafood lovers, there's something here for everyone.

Before you dive in, you'll want to know what to look for when buying lobster from your local market or fishmonger. You can buy live lobsters and steam them at home, or purchase lobster tails separately online or at the seafood counter. When buying a live lobster, look for one that feels heavy, has two long antennae, and has a hard shell without any cracks. It should be lively and alert when pulled from the tank. To ensure peak freshness, cook the shellfish within 24 hours of bringing it home.

One of the most popular ways to cook a live lobster is by boiling it. To do so, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and insert the lobsters headfirst and cook until the shells are bright, which takes about 11 minutes. You can also steam them by adding a steaming rack to a large pot and filling it with a couple of inches of water. For this method, let the lobsters cook for about 12 to 16 minutes. Once you've cooked the lobsters, it's time to deshell them—Martha has a fool-proof method for this.

Now that you know the basics, put your knowledge to use by making our favorite lobster recipes. From appetizers to mains, we're sharing a wide range of ways to use the delicacy.

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Lobster Salad with Tostones

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (2)

Give lobster a bright-spicy bite by mixing it with lime juice, jalapeño, cilantro, scallions, and olive oil. Then spoon it onto crispy, twice-fried plantains—they serve as the perfect salty vessel for this light seafood salad.

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Lobster Bisque

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (3)

This bisque has a double dose of lobster flavor. First, a homemade stock is made by simmering lobster tails in fish stock, wine, and water, which will serve as the base of your soup. Then you make the bisque by blending tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, paprika, cayenne, brandy, sherry, and the strained lobster stock in batches until smooth. Warm the blended soup and serve each bowl with a scoop of lobster meat that's been warmed up in a skillet with butter.

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Perfect Lobster Roll

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (4)

This New England staple is simply the best thing to happen to a split-top bun. Our favorite recipe includes regional takes on the lobster roll so you can give yours a Maryland, Connecticut, or California accent.

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Grilled Lobster

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (5)

Take your summer cookout to the next level by serving grilling lobster, which gives it a nice smoky edge. All this spectacular main dish needs for serving is a side of melted butter and some lemon wedges.

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Lobster Shepherd's Pies

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (6)

We've reimagined shepherd's pie, keeping the potato topping but swapping the usual ground meat for lobster meat in this elegant spin on the dish. The lobster filling starts with a rich base of lobster stock and meat, which are cooked alongside sweet leeks.

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Sea Ranch Lobster

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (7)

Split lobsters are grilled for this recipe, then drizzled with a mixed herb sauce for serving. The sensational condiment is simple to make, all you need to do is pulse blend of fresh herbs—parsley, fresh mint, oregano, and lemon-balm leaves—with garlic, chile, peppercorns, anchovies, and vinegar in the food processor.

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Easy Lobster Rolls

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (8)

One of the first things we think about when it comes to seafood and summer is these easy lobster rolls that come together in just 25 minutes. Mix the seafood with mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, chervil, Old Bay seasoning, and cayenne then spoon it into sliced pull-apart rolls.

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Lobster and Fennel Potpie

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (9)

Fennel and tarragon add their fragrant, licorice-like essence to the sweet lobster meat filling of this luxurious potpie. Buttered Pullman bread forms the crisp topping.

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Lobsters with Beurre Blanc

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (10)

Orange juice sweetens this version of beurre blanc, a French butter and white wine sauce. Drizzled over split lobster tails and broiled, it browns to a delicious finish.

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Open-Faced Lobster "Rolls" with Avocado Spread

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (11)

No mayo is required for this lighter take on lobster rolls that uses a lemon-avocado purée to flavor the meat. It's made by blending toasted fennel seeds, avocado, lemon juice, and scallions.

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Grilled Lobster with Sun-Dried Chile Butter and Corn on the Cob

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (12)

Two summer favorites—lobster and corn on the cob—team up to make one incredible main dish. After grilling both ingredients until they're lightly charred, spread them with our sun-dried chile butter; it's made by mixing melted and lightly browned butter with Aleppo pepper.

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Seafood Mac and Cheese

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (13)

Kid-friendly and easy to make, what's not to love? Our creamy mac and cheese is studded with lobster meat for an elevated bite. Balance out the smoothness with a sprinkling of panko, which creates a crispy, golden-brown topping when baked in the oven.

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Inside-Out Lobster Roll

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (14)

The flavor of lobster is on full display here. We keep it simple by dressing the meat in a lemon-butter sauce that's equal parts tangy and rich. Serve it with a few brioche croutons and you have a deconstructed lobster roll.

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Boiled Lobsters with Corn and Potatoes

Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (15)

One of the easiest and most favorite ways to prepare lobster is by boiling it with fresh corn and new potatoes, like we do here. Serve with melted butter and crackers to complete the seafood feast.

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Our Favorite Lobster Recipes Will Take Your Summer Seafood Feast to the Next Level (2024)

FAQs

What is a famous lobster dish? ›

Lobster roll is a Maine specialty consisting of cooked lobster meat that is, ideally, drizzled with melted butter and placed into long hot dog rolls. Additionally, the sandwich might include lettuce, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Traditional accompaniments include potato chips or french fries on the side.

What's the best way to cook lobster? ›

Bring water to a heavy boil. Using gloves or tongs, place the Maine lobsters into the pot, cover tightly. When the water returns to a heavy boil, turn the heat down to a rolling boil and start the timer. Steam lobsters for 9 minutes for the first pound, and add 4 minutes for each additional pound.

What salad goes well with lobster? ›

Coleslaw is an old favorite with lobster, but if you're looking for something different, try a green bean salad to balance the richness of the seafood. Baby glazed carrots with a touch of brown sugar are a fantastic root vegetable to serve with lobsters.

What did slaves eat lobster? ›

Lobsters were considered the “poor man's chicken” and primarily used for fertilizer or fed to prisoners and slaves. Some indentures servants even revolted against being forced to eat the meat and the colony agreed that they would not be fed lobster meat more than three times a week.

What is the most delicious lobster in the world? ›

Maine Lobster is the sweetest, most flavorful and tender lobster you can eat. Hand-caught by a community of lobstermen committed to sustainable fishing for generations. If it's not from Maine—it's not lobster.

How many lobster tails per person? ›

Most lobster tails in the grocery store are from spiny lobsters, which have no claws and meatier tails than Maine lobsters. They're generally marketed as rock lobster tails and come fresh or frozen. Plan on one (about 8-ounce) tail per person.

Why do you soak lobster in milk? ›

Techniques for freezing lobster meat varied: soak it in milk to reduce freezer burn, wrap it tightly so there was no air left in the packaging and so forth.

What sauce goes well with lobster? ›

The Number One Sauce for Lobster: Garlic Butter Sauce

Garlic and lobster go very well together, as do garlic and butter. Blend them together for a tasty and simple dish. Other flavored butter can work here, too. Try butter flavored with other herbs, spices, and ingredients you love, like ginger or chili pepper.

How do you serve lobster at a dinner party? ›

Remove the lobsters from the pot using tongs, and place them on a large platter. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve the lobster with melted butter, lemon wedges, and any other desired condiments or sides, such as steamed vegetables or a salad.

How long does it take to boil lobster? ›

7 to 10 minutes for a 1-pound lobster, 8 to 12 minutes for a 1 1/4-pound lobster, and 10 to 14 minutes for a 1 1/2-pound lobster. Add 2 minutes for every additional 1/2 pound. The lobsters should be a bright vivid red color when done.

What is the most popular type of lobster? ›

While warm water lobsters have their own unique qualities and are enjoyed by locals in various regions, Maine lobsters remain unrivaled in their size, meatiness, and flavor. Their cold-water environment gives them a distinctive taste and texture that has made them a beloved delicacy around the world.

What is the most luxurious lobster? ›

Tropical rock lobsters, or pearl lobsters, as they're better known, are one of the rarest and most expensive lobster varieties. The colorful crustaceans are so valuable that there have even been international smuggling attempts of its larvae.

Where is lobster famous in USA? ›

There's no better place in the world to enjoy fresh lobster than the state of Maine. Thousands of scrappy, independent lobstermen ply Maine's cold coastal waters, trapping millions of pounds of the coveted crustacean annually.

What is poor man's lobster called? ›

Monkfish is groundfish, meaning it swims and feeds along the bottom of the ocean. It's known to some as "the poor man's lobster" because of its firm, sweet, and delicious taste similar to lobster tails, and to some as "all mouth", because most of the fish is taken up by the head and most of the head is mouth.

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