Full Steam Ahead! How to Steam Lobsters
by Charlie ~ April 19th, 2009. Filed under: East Coast Recipes, Maine Lobster Recipes |
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Two popular ways to cook fresh lobsters is boiling and steaming. Charlie’s favorite way to cook lobsters is steaming. All you need is a good size pot, water, salt (preferably sea salt), unsalted butter, and the Maine ingredient-fresh lobsters.
Make sure you pick out a mad lobster. It’s easy to find one; it’s the lobster who will raise its claws and flap its tail. The mad, feisty lobster will be the freshest lobster! It’s best to cook lobsters the day your receive them. You can keep a good hard-shell lobster alive for a day or two in the coldest part of your refrigerator, usually the bottom shell.
Why steam lobsters, rather than boil them? Charlie prefers steaming lobster because he says it makes less of a mess and cooks up a more tender lobster than boiling. Steaming lobster preserves the ocean fresh taste of lobster. Since steaming cooks lobster a little slower, there is less of a chance of overcooking. It’s a good choice if your cooking lobster for the first time. Cooking for a big group? You can find out how to boil lobsters here.
If you are just cooking a couple of lobsters, a 3-4 gallon soup or pasta pot will do the job. If you are cooking a bunch of lobsters you can get a larger pot or steam your lobsters in batches. Just make sure the lid goes on tight to keep in the steam. A steamer rack is not a necessity. It just keeps the lobsters from getting charred on the bottom of the pot. You can use an vegetable steamer rack inside the pot or an upside colander.
Now for the all-important cooking times. The first rule of cooking lobsters-do not overcook. Second rule-do not overcook your lobsters. For soft-shell lobsters you might want to subtract a minute or two from the cooking times.
Directions for Steamed Lobsters
To steam live lobster: Fill pot so that water comes up sides about two inches. Add 2 tablespoons of salt for each quart of water. If you have sea salt-even better. Bring the water to a rolling boil, and put in lobsters, one at a time. ( Feel free to use a steaming rack to place the lobsters on or just add directly to the pot.) Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Place lobsters in the pot (head first), cover tightly, return to a boil as quickly as possible and start counting the time.
Steam a lobster for 8 minutes per pound, for the first pound. Add 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound thereafter. See chart below for approximate cooking times. Regulate the heat if the froth starts to bubble over.
Steaming Lobster-Cooking Times
Lobster Weight: Cooking Time
1-1/4 lbs. 7-8 minutes
1-1/2 lb. 8-10 minutes
2 lbs. 11-12 minutes
2-1/2-3 lb. 12-14 minutes
5 lb. 20-22 minutes
Lobsters are done when the outer shell is bright red and when the meat is white, not opaque. Again, DO NOT overcook your lobsters. Carefully remove lobsters from the pot with tongs. Be careful, they are very hot. Note: Your lobsters will continue to cook a little after you take them out of the pot. To stop the cooking process, place your steamed lobsters in a bowl of ice before cracking. Now just melt the butter. You can get fancy and whisk in a little lemon juice in your butter. Now dig in!
Be Sure to visit East Coast Gourmet for some real feisty live lobsters! Test the waters and get $10 off your first order! Enter code STLB at online checkout.
October 18th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Do you add the total of all the lobsters in one pot? like if you are going to cook say four 2 pounders would you cook the time for 8 pounds? I am guessing yes.?
October 18th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
That’s a great question! Actually no– the key is to regulate your lobster cooking temperature. So your lobster cooking time would be about the same as long as you maintain the boiling or steaming temperature. Again, you may need to add a couple of minutes to your cooking time if the temperature is not hot enough. A big mistake is in cooking more than one lobster in a pot, is add too many minutes to the cooking time. The result: tough and rubbery lobsters.
November 15th, 2009 at 12:47 am
I always steam lobsters, but there is a messy problem: once the liquid from the lobster gets into the boiling water is causes the whole thing to boil over. I have tried less water and more water and there is no difference. Is there any way to avoid this??
November 21st, 2009 at 8:20 pm
I gues I dont understand your answer. Is the cooking time per lobster or the sum of all.
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 am
It is per lobster. You do not want to add up the total weight of all the lobsters.
After you put all your lobsters in the pot and bring the water back to a rolling boil you start timing. You want enough water in the pot so the temperature doesn’t drop much below the boil when you put your lobster in. Your lobster will cook faster the more water you have boiling (surface area and mass to heat ratio rules apply here). If you cannot maintain your boiling temperature, you will need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:57 am
Roger, are you talking about boiling lobster or steaming lobster? If you steam lobster it should not have a boil over.
Boil overs are common when boiling lobster. You really have to keep an eye on the stove and regular the heat. Make sure you do not have water all the way to the brim of the pot. In the final few minutes you can also crack the lid to allow the steam to escape.
December 3rd, 2009 at 3:27 am
Hello could you explain the prepping to crack, post steaming? Do I leave them whole and is there a vein to remove ( like prawns)
Thank you
Lisa in Alaska
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:40 am
First question— what is your favorite Crab from Alaska? Here are some basics for enjoying your cooked lobster. Don’t forget the melted butter!
Crackin’ Into and Eating Your Cooked Lobster
1. Remove lobsters with tongs and place in a colander to drain.
2. The head and intestines are not edible. Now twist off the claws, crack each claw and knuckle with a nut cracker. Remove the meat.
3. Separate the tail from the body and break off the tail flippers. Extract the meat from each flipper then insert a fork and push the tail meat out in one piece. Remove and discard the black vein that runs the entire length of the tail meat.
4. Separate the shell of the body from the underside by pulling them apart. The green substance is called the tomalley, the green tomalley is the liver of the lobster, some consider it a delicacy: it is used in sauces.
5. Open the underside of the body by cracking it apart in the middle, with the small walking legs on either side. Extract the meat from the leg joints and the legs themselves
December 27th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
[...] may help. How to Steam Lobster like a Real Mainer-Steaming Lobsters 101 | East Coast Gourmet Blog If I'm doing a clambake (8-10 people), I have a 15 gallon pot I take out back and fill with [...]
April 20th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Hi, I have a question.
I only have a 12 quart stockpot, and I want to cook about 6 lobsters (1.5 lbs each). Do you think I can cook 3 of them at once, and do it twice? Or will that already be too crowded? And how much do you think the cooking time should be? Please help me…
Thank you!
Jane
April 20th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
You will be fine with cooking 3 lobsters at a time in your pot. For hard-shell lobsters we suggest about 10-12 minutes for each batch. Once the first batch is cooked — drain. plate and cover with tin foil to keep warm (note-your lobsters will continue to cook) & serve with your second batch. Happy cracking!
April 21st, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Wow! Thanks for such a quick + helpful response! One last question… Can I steam? Or would it be safer to just boil them? I heard it is difficult to steam when lobsters are on top of each other. Is that true…?
Thanks!
Jane
May 13th, 2010 at 1:21 am
Can I steam 2 ( up to 2 lbs. each ) lobsters in a 5 quart pot at the same time?
Thanks,
Laura
May 29th, 2010 at 4:45 am
I am cooking 12 lobsters. I am having them shipped from Maine to Montana. I will be picking them up a few hours before I am going to cook them. Will I need to refridgerate them or can I just keep them in their packaged box until cooking?
Also, I want to steam my lobsters. How big of a pot do I need to get? I am thinking of going to the local school to borrow a big pot. What do you suggest? I am used to cooking lobsters on the back shore in Maine over a fire so this is going to be odd cooking indoor on a stove.
Thanks for your help!
Lori
May 29th, 2010 at 5:10 am
First, we wish you would have had your live lobsters shipped from us. Live Lobsters from East Coast Gourmet. In any case, we are here to help!
First, if lobsters are kept in the box too long, they may not survive for an extended period of time. They need to breath.
If you have room in your refrigerator– unpack your order and put your lobsters in brown paper bags with the wet newspaper or seaweed they were packed in. NOT plastic bags (again you do not want to suffocate your live lobsters). Keep them in the lower shelves of your refrigerator because that’s the coldest.
If you do not no have room in your refrigerator you can simply open your lobster box and remove the lid. Put a bag of ice on top being careful not to crush or damage the lobsters. Note — keep the ice in the bag! You can even double bag it. Lobsters do not like fresh water. Keep your lobster box(s) in a cool place.
As far as cooking your lobsters, it is not necessary to have a giant cooking pot. You can cook your lobster in two smaller pots or cook them in two batches. Lobsters cook quickly. Be sure to check our post on how to boil live lobsters. Have a great Memorial Day lobster bake!
May 29th, 2010 at 5:50 am
It will be a little tight. You might want to go with an 8 quart pot to be on the safe side. You want the lobsters to fit in the pot and have a little room. Again, to steam lobsters, you only need to add about 2-3 inches of water to your pot. When boiling lobster, allow 2 1/2 quarts of water for each lobster.
June 17th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
I plan on steaming 4 lobster for my family. I have a pot big enough and they are about 1 pound each. I should steam them for about 12 minutes, right? Should I remove the elastic band around the claws before cooking?
Thank you in advance
July 5th, 2010 at 5:50 am
Roger, I had the same boil over (really its frothing over) problem. I put 1 inch of water at the bottom of a pot that is 8 inches high. I placed in the steaming aperatus (probably pushed the water up another half inch). After the water boils and I put one lobster in, if covered it froths over. The only remedy I found for this was to reduce the stove temperature to medium heat and open the lid every 30 seconds to reduce the water bubbles (also loses all the steam). This seemed to still cook the lobsters ok, but it a pretty intensive process. Reducing the heat to simmer seams to help reduce the froth, but I was pretty uncomfortable cooking my lobsters at simmer…
July 11th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Yes, this can happen! We found with steaming or boiling lobster that there is nothing wrong with lowering the heat and adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time. Jasper White in his book Lobster at Home, suggest longer cooking times.
We recently cooked up a 5.5 pound monster lobster. We used a rectangular Chafer pan on two gas burners, added water, some Maine sea salt and brought it to a rolling boil. Next, we added the lobster and waited until the water came back to a boil (about 5 minutes), covered with aluminum foil and started timing. After exactly 20 minutes we pulled the lobster out. We inserted a meat thermometer into the tail and one in the crusher claw. It read 120ยบ. We cracked the lobster and tasted the meat– perfect!
July 17th, 2010 at 1:11 am
Help!!!!
I am going to steam 60 1 1/2 pound lobsters. If I had a 15 gallon pot, how many can I steam at one time???
July 22nd, 2010 at 1:39 am
Don’t forget to remove the claw straps before you put the babies in the pot!
August 4th, 2010 at 3:53 am
Again, remember folks– when you put your lobsters in your steaming pot– do not start timing until you bring it back to a steam. 12 minutes should do it for the 1 pound lobsters.
August 4th, 2010 at 3:56 am
You can take the rubber bands off if you like. Be careful. We don’t bother. We have always cooked lobsters with the bands on. In fact, tests conducted at the University of Maine showed there was no taste difference between lobsters cooked with rubber bands on the claws and those cooked with no band.
August 4th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
8 -1 1/2LB, STEAM 30MIN AFTER COMING TO BAIL?
THANK YOU
August 5th, 2010 at 1:51 am
Nope that’s too long. Bring your water to a steam. Put your lobsters in. Now bring it back to a boil and start timing. About 14 minutes.
August 6th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
[...] Should you boil or steam lobsters? It depends. Charlie prefers to boil lobsters if he has to cook a bunch of lobsters at a time. Second, boiling lobsters cooks them more evenly and quicker than steaming. But watch out and keep an eye on your cooking times to make sure you do not overcook your lobsters. Finally, boiling lobsters makes it easier to remove the meat out of the shell. The high, intense heat of boiling cooks the meat quickly, causing it to pull away from the shell. If you are just cooking a few lobsters (1-4) see the advantages of steaming lobsters. [...]
August 23rd, 2010 at 7:04 am
I am having a lobster bake with 35 ppl. That means I will be cooking nearly 40 1.25lb chicks. Have you ever heard of steaming the lobster in aluminum trash cans? Also, I was told to steam them with white wine?
August 23rd, 2010 at 7:39 am
Yes, we have had friends cook up lobsters in aluminum trash cans. We will see if we can get you some instructions. People often add a little beer when steaming lobsters. Wine? We would skip, unless your planning on adding mussels or clams to the lobster bake. Your best bet is to just add a little sea salt to the boil.
August 31st, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Hi! I’ve gotta admit, I suffer girlie squeamishness when it comes to dropping live animals into a cauldron of boiling water or steam. If I kill the lobster first with a swift plunge of the chef’s knife down the head, will it affect the quality of the finished plate?
September 9th, 2010 at 1:21 am
It shouldn’t affect the quality of the lobster meat if you kill it right before you drop it in the pot. Lobsters decay quickly after death, so they need to be cooked immediately. Take a sharp knife and bring it straight down on the head a little bit behind the eyes. Lobsters decay quickly after death, so they need to be cooked immediately.
December 20th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
How much should I reduce the steaming time if I just want to cook it long enough to easily remove the meat from the shell. I intend to refrigerate and saute the lobster meat the next day. Thanks
December 23rd, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Hi Murray,
In that case I would par boil them in boiling water for two minutes. Then take the lobster out and immediately put in a large pot or bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Then you can refrigerate the lobster until you’re ready to prepare the next day.
December 25th, 2010 at 7:46 am
Thanks to your information we enjoyed our first home cooked lobster, in Indiana. I would rather be in NH
December 30th, 2010 at 1:07 am
I have a 6 LB lobster I want to steam but I don’t have a pot big enough. Some body suggested a aluminum turkey pan. Will that work?
December 30th, 2010 at 2:25 am
That’s a pretty big lobster! Yes, you can use an aluminum turkey pan in a pinch and create your own steamer. You’ll need about an inch and a half to two inches of water in the pan to start. Bring that to a rolling boil and add in the lobster. Then tent the pan completely with aluminum foil and follow the cooking directions in the original post at the top of this page. If the pan is sturdy enough do it on the stove, if not, you can put the oven at 350 and check to see when the water gets boiling.
January 1st, 2011 at 11:11 pm
We had a New Years lobster fest at a friends home last night. They had 9 – 2lb lobsters that they steamed in two different large lobster pots. One of the mavens said they had to be cooked for 15 minutes after the water came back to a boil. I found the cooked lobster meat to be too tough. How much shorter time could they have been cooked and still be considered done?
January 3rd, 2011 at 4:34 am
Were the lobsters steamed or boiled? I would say the lobsters may have been in the pot for 2-3 minutes too long. It’s easy to overcook seafood. The other thing to remember is that your lobsters will continue to cook once out of the pot– unless you immerse them in a bath of ice. Your always better off pulling them out a little earlier, since you can always put them back in the pot!
January 3rd, 2011 at 6:50 am
This is the best advice I have ever seen (and followed), in ten years of cooking lobsters. Was always a boiler before, but am now hooked on steaming, thank you.
January 3rd, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Thanks for the comment! Glad you found some useful info here.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
I’m planning on ordering a 6 lbs. lobster and steaming it. What are your thoughts on steaming it in beer? I have a very large pot, but I don’t think there’s a steaming rack. Do I need some sort of wrap to avoid burning the bottom of the lobster? Thank you.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Yes, lobster steamed in beer is a great option. We usually put in half a bottle of beer to give it a little flavor. All beer and no water is not the best flavor. So make sure you put in some water. It’s nice to have a steaming rack, but not required. The lobsters on the bottom of pot will singe a little, but this is normal.
Be sure to check out our live lobster selection from East Coast Gourmet. Our lobsters are plucked from icy cold Atlantic waters, packed in refrigerated shipping containers and delivered fresh overnight. Ready to steam, boil, or grill at the peak of freshness.
March 8th, 2011 at 12:09 am
Hello,
I recently went away for a weekend trip to Newport, RI. I brought my husband back a lobster as a “souvenir”
The only problem is (not that this is really a problem in any way), the lobster is 10.5 lbs. How long should I cook it?
March 8th, 2011 at 12:57 am
Hello- great catch! The only issues with the big lobsters is finding a pot big enough. You can also use a roasting pan. We suggest you steam the lobster about 25-28 minutes. Be sure the water comes to a boil/steam after you put the lobster in and then start timing. Again, a big mistake with cooking lobsters is overcooking. That’s why some people claim the big lobsters meat cooks up tough. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
April 21st, 2011 at 1:39 am
I notice you say boiling is faster than steaming but the times you have published for both methods indicate steaming is faster. For instance, the time for boiling a 1.5 pounder is 10-12 minutes while steaming is listed as only 8-10 minutes. Are the published times incorrect (swapped maybe) or is steaming actually faster?
-Jerry
April 21st, 2011 at 7:18 am
Your right! Boiling is faster– the times are a little off. Figure 2-3 minutes less on boiling times. Boiling is more precise to time, but keep an eye on your timer.
May 4th, 2011 at 4:57 am
HELP!
I need 6 2lb live lobsters for a Sat nite party in Sutton, WV and it doesn’t look like UPS or FedEx has Sat delivery there. Can I get them shipped Friday and cook them Saturday? How to keep them alive and happy?
May 4th, 2011 at 6:11 am
Hello– your right. Looks like Charleston, WV 25311 is the closest FedEX location. You can do a hold at this location for Saturday pick-up. But might be too far. Our lobsters are very hearty and always hard-shell. So yes, properly refrigerated, our live lobsters will be more than fine held over an extra day for your party on Saturday. East Coast Gourmet will ship your lobsters your lobsters Priority Overnight delivery on Thursday night for delivery on Friday. Checkout our live lobster menu.
June 19th, 2011 at 8:13 am
Just remember that it is so hard to undercook a lobster. follow the previous advice and get them out of the pot ASAP. Pound and a quarter are the sweetest. Over Two pounds you have bragging rights but the meat is much tougher. Beer is great to add but the sweetest lobster meat comes from the water with cut celery stalks, basil, dill, and salt. (this is the old Long Island way) , And the fresh corn on the cob, (should be fresh, young and small cournals) to be the sweetest, just drop the ears in the boiling pot of salted water for three minutes and you”ll have the sweetest New England dinner ever. Now lets talk about Oysters with the Fisher.
June 20th, 2011 at 4:26 am
Great suggestions! Some of our lobstering friends will submerge the lobsters in a batch of ice water to stop the cooking process. We’ve cooked up plenty of sweet and tender jumbo lobsters– and also have had a couple tough pound and a quarters!
June 29th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
HELP!
I am doing a series of Parties for 25 people over the 4th weekend on a remote Island outside NYC. One of the nights I have gotten a request for Lobster. I normally take the cheaters way out and buy just the tail ready to serve…now i have to steam and serve them on site!!! Something i have never done…25 biguns that need to be kept hot….and don’t even know what to serve with them…i usually make mine as a salad and that just wont fly here….
PLEASE HELP!
June 29th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Lobsters cook pretty quickly– so you could do this 1/2 hour before dinner. You can wrap them in foil to keep them hot. Again, lobsters will continue to cook if you do not chill them. You could also par boil them (cook them for 3-4 minutes and right before the event simply give them a quick steam to finish them. What to serve? Here are some side suggestions:
* Macaroni and Cheese (Upscale version of course)
* Potato Salad
* Corn on the cob on the grill
* Mixed Green Salad
* Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
* Coleslaw
* Corn Bread
* Steamer Clams
and don’t forget everyone’s favorite: New England Clams Chowder!
August 3rd, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Thanks for such an informative site. Your response to Murray (parboiling to prep lobster meat for another day) is exactly the tip I needed to deal with today’s surprise Maine lobster delivery!
October 28th, 2011 at 2:29 am
Hey there. I’m a trucker and just picked up 2 1/2 doz lobsters. I’m driving to va with them about a 12 hr trip. If a lobster dies in route how long or is it safe after they die do you have to get them in the pot?
October 28th, 2011 at 2:43 am
How were the lobsters packed? If they were packed in an insulated cooler with frozen gel packs and wet newspaper or seaweed you should have no problem. We ship lobsters overnight for delivery with the same time in transit.
The key to transporting lobsters is that they should be kept cool and moist. If any of the lobsters have perished and are warm to touch and should discard them. If the lobsters are cool to touch you should cook them up asap. thanks for visiting!
October 28th, 2011 at 3:02 am
They are packed in the styrofoam 12 pack tail down boxes w/ wet newspaper with packs. Thanks for the quick get back !!