How to boil and steam lobsters

A lobster dinner with a wedge of lemon. Shallow DOF, focus on lobster's head. (iStock)

Lobster is one of the most mouthwatering meals from the ocean. Nothing quite enhances a seafood lovers dining experience like a delicious lobster dish. Whether preparing an appetizer or an entree, you can cook a lobster easily and quickly. Here are two of the most common methods for cooking lobster.

Boil a lobster

Boiling a lobster is quicker than steaming. It cooks the lobster more thoroughly than steaming does. This is perfect for meals that require fully cooked lobsters.

1. First, fill a pot two-thirds full with water. To infuse the water with flavor and create a broth, you can add bay leaves, thyme and/or lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Rinse the lobster in cold water.
3. You need to be careful with this step. Clip the rubber bands off the claws of the live lobster.
4. Pick the lobster up and place it into the boiling water head first.
5. Cover the pot tightly so that the lobster boils as quickly as possible. Depending on the weight of the lobster, cooking times can vary. A 1-pound lobster should take around 15 minutes, whereas a 6-pound lobster can take up to 30 minutes.
6. Your lobster is finished cooking when it turns bright red and the tail curls in.
7. The lobster is finished when it is bright red and the tail curls under the shell.
8. Remove the lobster from the water and place it on paper towels to drain.

Steam a lobster

Steaming a lobster takes longer than boiling. But it can be worth the wait because this process preserves more of the lobster's natural flavor. Since steaming is a gentler cooking process, it's much harder to overcook the lobster as well.

1. Fill a pot 1 or 2 inches with salt water.
2. Heat the pot.
3. Rinse the lobster in cold water.
4. Remove the rubber bands from the claws.
5. Put the lobster in the pot, head first.
6. Cover the pot with a lid and allow the lobster to steam. As with boiling, steaming times may vary from 13 minutes for a 1-pound lobster to a little less than an hour for a 6-pound lobster.