How to Take the Tail From a Frozen Lobster

Lobster comes frozen, thawed or live.

Often the tail is the only portion of the lobster on the plate. That's because there are many ways of serving lobster tail. It can be stuffed, cut into smaller pieces to mix in other food, or left as is. When starting with a frozen lobster, a process must be completed prior to removing the tail. This takes more time than removing the tail from a thawed lobster, though the process itself is not difficult. Does this Spark an idea?

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Refrigerator
Large sauce pot
Water
Stovetop
Cutting board
Large knife
Kitchen shears

Instructions

Prepare the Lobster for Tail Removal
- 1
  
  Let the lobster defrost by placing it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. A thawed lobster should still be cold. Letting the lobster get too warm can cause it to spoil.
- 2
  
  Cook the lobster. Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pot on the stove top. Place the lobster in the boiling water for 8 to 12 minutes.
- 3
  
  Remove the lobster from the boiling water with a pair of tongs or a strainer with a long handle.
- 4
  
  Let the lobster cool slightly so it is no longer too hot to touch.
Take the Tail from the Lobster
- 5
  
  Grip the body of the lobster in one hand and the tail of the lobster in the other hand. Twist the tail from the body until the body detaches from the tail.
- 6
  
  Cut the tail from the body with a kitchen knife. Place the lobster on a cutting board. Slice along the width of the tail where it connects to the body. Pull the tail meat from the shell with your hands if you wish.
- 7
  
  Cut the tail from the body and remove the meat with kitchen shears. Slice the tail the long way through all of the meat. Bend the tail upward to the top of the lobster if you want to allow the tail meat to detach from the shell.