How to Roast a Lobster (5 Steps)

Lobster meat comes in its own serving container, cooks quickly and has a delicate taste and texture. Although it can successfully be steamed, grilled or roasted, you can preserve more of its one-of-a-kind texture and flavor by separating the tail and claws from the body before roasting it. A lobster's carapace, or body, houses the sand sac, roe, brain sac and liver, all inedible organs. The liver, or tomalley, secretes enzymes in the minutes after you dispatch the lobster, which change the flavor and texture of the meat. Removing the tail and claws before roasting prevents this and results in a cleaner flavor.

Things You'll Need

Heavy knife
Wooden skewers

Meat thermometer

Instructions

Position the tip of a heavy knife behind the eyes of the lobster and press down firmly all the way through to the work surface upon which the lobster rests. If the lobster moves around too much to kill it cleanly, or if its squirming around creeps you out, chill it in the freezer for 30 minutes to render it unconscious.
Twist or cut off the claws below the first knuckle. Grasp the lobster tail in one hand and the carapace, or body, in the other. Reserve the head and carapace in the freezer for stock, if desired.
Flatten the lobster tail on the work surface. Insert two wooden skewers, one at a time, about 1 inch apart, between the shell and the meat at the top of the tail, from end to end. The skewers keep the tail from curling in the oven.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the lobster tail and claws on a roasting pan and slide it in the oven.
Roast the claws for about 7 minutes, then remove them. Roast the tail for about 15 minutes, then remove it. Lobster tail and claws have the freshest taste and softest texture when cooked to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

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