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Upscale Paleo – Steam Your Own Lobster

Does the thought of buying and cooking lobster terrify you?

It’s such an expensive food, and if you mess it up, then that’s tons of money down the drain!

I used to think that way too – I even hated ordering it in restaurants because it was so ridiculously expensive and I was always afraid it wouldn’t be cooked just perfect!

So, what made me change my mind?

1. Not that expensive. I realized that buying and cooking your own lobster wasn’t all that expensive! Costco sells a pack of 4 lobster tails frozen for $24. You can actually buy it for a tiny bit cheaper from certain Costcos in their fresh seafood department. I’m clearly not saying this is a cheap meat, but 1 lobster tail per meal per person ($6) is generally enough with a little bit of other meats and vegetables.
2. Seriously nutritious! It really shocked me when I looked up the nutritional data of lobsters. I knew I liked eating lobster, but I didn’t realize just how spot on my taste buds were! In 100g of lobster meat (which is probably just more than one of those lobster tails from Costco), there is 52% of your Daily Value of Vitamin B12 (that’s the crucial vitamin found only in meat and which is essential in maintaining proper brain function).And that’s not all, that same lobster tail also has 91% of your Daily Value of copper as well as a ton of other vitamins and minerals (check it out for yourself here).PLUS, and this is probably the best part of lobster’s nutrition profile…its omega-3 to omega-6 fat ratio is insanely good (86mg to 5mg per 100g)! Now that’s a ton of the nutrients we are often missing from our diets.
3. Super fast to cook. Like just about all seafood, lobster cooks really quickly, which means your dinner is ready faster than ever.

How do you cook lobster without messing it up?

Timing Is Essential

The essential part to cooking good lobster is not overcooking it. So, below is a detailed but very simple recipe for steaming all 4 lobster tails (after it’s been defrosted). It’s simple as long as you have a timer!

Extra Tip

Make a long slit in the underbelly of the lobster before cooking it. Use a good paring knife for this. This just makes it much easier to remove the meat from the lobster after it is cooked.

The Exact Cooking Time For Lobster

Timing will differ depending on how much lobster you’re steaming in one go (which depends on how many lobster tails (or whole lobsters) and how much each lobster tail weighs). The following is a general rule (I usually cook around 4 lobster tails in the steamer in one go, which comes to around 1 lb). Note all these weights include the lobster shell. 1 lb lobster (with shell) – 8-9 minutes if cooking a fresh one, 10 minutes if cooking one that’s been defrosted (I’m just really paranoid about undercooking foods!) For larger amounts – Increase the cooking time by 2 minutes for each extra 1/4 lb over 1 lb.

Upscale Paleo – Steam Your Own Lobster

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• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 4 lobster tails (approx. 1 lb with shell)
• Equipment – a steamer
• seasoning/ghee (optional – I like my lobster plain)

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Instructions

1. Defrost the lobster tails if they’re frozen.
2. Fill the pot halfway with water. Place the steamer attachment on top of the pot and put the lid on top of the steamer attachment. Now heat the pot on high heat until the water is boiling.
3. After the water is boiling, carefully place the lobster tails (ideally with tongs so you don’t burn yourself) onto the steamer attachment – remember to put the lid back on.
4. Set a timer for exactly 10 minutes, and remove the lobster tails immediately when the timer goes off. If you’re using fresh lobster, you can steam it for 8-9 minutes. Note that the time changes depending on how much lobster you’re steaming! Check the post for more timing options.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 lobster tail