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You’ve gone and done it. You placed your order for the Maine-event and your live lobster is on the way. While there are several options on how you can cook your whole lobster, have you considered the idea to broil lobster?
Steaming lobster and boiling lobster might be popular cooking methods, but something magic happens to the sweet, succulent meat of lobster as it basks under the heat of the broiler. Read on to learn both how to broil lobster, and also why this method might be right for you.
Why Broil Lobster?
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Unlike steaming or boiling where the whole lobsters are cooked in their shells, broiling lobster allows you to expose the meat to high heat. This lightly caramelizes the meat creating that almost grilled crisp bite and concentrating the flavor. This is a great method to utilize if you want that grilled flavor but either don’t own a grill, or weather has other plans of your lobster grilling adventures. In addition this method is also faster as it cooks the lobster at a higher temperature.
This is also a great option to make the work a little easier on yourself and those feasting on this delicacy of the sea. While it is fun to turn cracking open lobsters into an event, there are times when you want your lobsters already split, cleaned, and ready to serve directly from oven to table.
If you only have one or two lobsters this might be an option to consider. Besides your oven the only equipment required is a large sheet pan or roasting pan. However if you are cooking multiple lobsters, or have whole lobsters that are larger than 2 pounds recommend that you either boil or steam your lobster. Larger lobsters will singe before the meat is cooked all the way through.
Just like baking lobster, broiling lobster allows you to add flavor at the very beginning of the cooking process. You can keep it simple by brushing the exposed flesh with olive oil and seasoning with your favorite seasonings, or you can brush a flavor infused melted butter. We love lemon butter with broiled lobster. The flavor combinations are endless!
If you’re looking for ideas on how to broil lobster tails, here’s a sassy and spicy one we love: Turn the Heat Up: Broiled Lobster Tails with Jalapeno Butter.
What you Need to Broil Whole Lobster
One of the great things about broiling lobster is that you don’t need anything special. Even if you’re like the rest of us and lost the broiling pan that came with your oven a long time ago, this is still a fuss free way to cook lobster.
- Sheet pan, roasting pan, or broiling pan that will accommodate your split lobster without crowding it.
- Sharp knife to split the lobster
- Mallet to crack the claws
See all the lobster tools of the trade for cooking up live lobsters.
Cooking Times
| Lobster Size | Cooking Times | Lobster Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 -2 pounds | 10-15 minutes | 135-140 degrees |
If you plan on cooking larger lobsters, please refer to either our guide on How to Boil Lobster or How to Stream Lobster.
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How to Broil Lobster
With just a little prep at the beginning to break down your whole lobster, broiling lobster is fast and easy method to cook lobster.
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4 Live Whole Lobster from 1.5 to 2 lbs.
- Fresh Lemon
- Butter or Olive Oil
- Favorite rub or spice blend
Instructions
- Break Down the Lobster. After humanely dispatching your lobster, lay it on its back. With a very sharp knife starting at the head, cut through the entire length of the body and tail, splitting it in half.
- Prep Your Meat. Now that the flesh is exposed and you’re left with two halves, you can remove the black roe and tomalley. This is the greenish intestinal tract. Rinse both halves of the lobster and then thoroughly pat them dry.
- Roast the Claws.To allow the claw meat to roast evenly as well as make the shell easy to remove once cooked, us a mallet to crack the claw shells. You want to see a crack form.
- Brush with Butter. Brushing the meat with melted butter helps keep it moist.Rub or brush the exposed flesh with olive oil or melted butter. Be careful not to add anything that will burn at a high temperature such as small pieces of butter. Place the lobster halves on a baking sheet, flesh side up, shell side down.
- Preheat Oven for Broil. Slide your baking sheet in, 7 to 9 inches from the heat source. The process to broil lobster happens fast so you will want to keep an eye on it.
- Check Time and Temperature. For 1.5-to-2-pound lobsters we recommend that your broil them for 10-15 minutes. The flesh will turn while and then golden. Make sure to check the internal temperature. You want to pull these out when they reach 135-140 degrees.
- Serve Broiled Lobster. Serve your lobster with melted butter and lemon wedges. Bon appetite!
Notes
For a delicious butter sauce add fresh chopped herbs and seasonings to the butter like chopped tarragon mixed with chives. To make a simple lemon butter simply squeeze in some fresh lemon juice into melted butter.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Broil
- Cuisine: American
Frequently Asked Questions about How to Broil Lobster
We recommend this method of cooking for lobsters that are between on and two pounds.
You will want to watch the color of your lobster. The flesh will turn white and golden. It should take 10-15 minutes.
Because of carry over cooking we recommend you cook your lobster to 135-140 degrees.
Broiling lightly caramelizes the meat while intensifying the natural flavors. In addition the cleaning and prep is done at the front half of cooking making this a great oven to table option.
A sheet pan, roasting pan, or the broiler pan that came with your oven is all you need to broil lobster.
Diving In
However you decide to cook your lobster, every successful lobster dish starts with the freshest ocean to table lobster. The live lobsters from Lobster Anywhere are pulled up from the icy waters off the coast of Maine daily and delivered within 24 hours of your order. In addition you can also pick your delivery date giving you plenty of time to prepare and plan for your epic and decadent lobster feast!
Looking for More Ways to Cook Lobster at Home?
Checkout our recipe How to cook Lobster Tails; we have guides for different ways of cooking live lobsters as well. There are lots of ways to prepare live lobster at home. See our succinct overview of all the best ways to cook Maine lobster.
- Cooking Lobster
- How to Bake Lobster: The Ultimate Sheet Pan Dinner
- How to Boil Lobster: Get into Some Hot Water!
- How to Broil Live Lobsters
- How to Cook Lobster In an Air Fryer
- How to Cook Lobsters on the Grill Without Ruining Them
- How to Microwave Lobster: Yes it really works in a pinch!
- How to Sous Vide Lobster – Recipes for Lobster Tails and Meat
- How to Steam Live Lobster: Full Steam Ahead!
- How to Fry Lobster Tails – Easy Dinner Recipe