Knowing how to cut a lobster tail is important if you want to cook it. The tail is the undeniable king of all parts of the lobster, being featured in almost every lobster recipe you'll ever see. Knowing how to cut open a lobster tail will open up all kinds of new ways to cook it for you.

Collage of images cutting lobster tails.

This thick, delectable part of the lobster is sought after by all seafood lovers, and it can be grilled, baked, smoked, poached, and even fried.

No matter how you decide to cook lobster, it tastes great with tasty side dishes such as instant pot asparagus and volcano potatoes.

If you enjoy this recipe you might also enjoy these other seafood recipes.

How to Buy Lobster Tails

You can find lobster tails in the fish department or the freezer of your local market but it’s also easy to purchase lobsters online. I’ve done it myself and it’s easier than you’d think.

Also, generally speaking, plan on one 8-ounce tail per person. If frozen, thaw the tails in the refrigerator before cutting the lobster tails and cooking them.

Why You Need to Know How to Cut a Lobster Tail

The thick, meaty nature of the lobster tail is why people love it. It's also why you need to know how to cut it open.

Allows heat inside: Cooking a lobster tail without venting, you likely will end up with a tail that's tough and rubbery on the outside and barely cooked on the inside. Cutting the tail open allows the heat to penetrate the lobster meat uniformly, delivering a perfectly cooked tail every time.
Easy to add to dishes: Cut them all the way through to place them on the grill or a pan or butterfly them to allow for uniform heat distribution or to stuff them with other ingredients. It's all about options!

Lobster Tail Cooking Methods

There are a few ways of cooking lobster tails, and they all have their places. It's a good idea to know what your options are when you're thinking about cooking up this delicious part of the lobster.

Broiling, Baking, and Grilling

When cooking lobster tails with these methods, you'll end up browning both the tail and the shell. This is great because what some people don't know is that the shell of the tail actually imparts even more flavor to the meat.

Sauteing or Frying

These two methods involve cooking the tail meat in a skillet. If you do this with the shell on, you'll get an incredibly deep lobster flavor. If you do it with the shell off, the flavor will be less intense, but you'll be able to season the tail meat more.

Boiling

Boiling is best reserved for cooking a whole lobster. When you boil the tail on its own, it will cook quickly, but it will also lose a lot of its flavor.

Once you master the art of butterflying a lobster tail I can almost guarantee you’ll never buy a whole lobster again.

Lobster tails require so much less work to eat than a whole lobster and are much less messy. The meat to shell ratio is also the best in the tail section too.

How to Butterfly a Lobster Tail

Prepping and cutting lobster tails isn't hard, it just takes a bit of practice. Following these steps will help ensure that you have a great head start.

It's important to note here that if you want to know how to cut open a lobster tail properly, you'll need to know what utensil cuts best, as well. A good pair of heavy-duty kitchen shears are recommended. You should never use a knife to cut lobster tails if at all possible.

Prep

Before cutting your lobster tail, you'll have to do your prep work.

First things first. If you're cooking with frozen lobster tails, you'll have to defrost them fully. Place them in the refrigerator overnight to defrost them. Never try to defrost them quickly with hot water.

After the tail is defrosted, prep is the same for both frozen and fresh tails.

One thing to note here, as well, is that if you buy a lobster tail on its own, even if it's not frozen when you buy it, it was frozen at some point. That's why it's important to rinse and soak them.

Rinse and Soak

Place the lobster tails in a bowl and run cold water over them continuously for about 10 minutes to remove the bulk of any iodine that may be in them. Then, soak them in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes.

Discard the water and give them another good rinse. Then place them on paper towels to drain.

Trim the Fins

Cut off all the attached fins on the sides and ends of the tail including the large one at the end of the tail, depending on what you're doing with your lobster.

Tip: Some love to leave the fins for presentation purposes. My husband always leaves them on. Many don't as these fins are generally considered the smelly part of the tail.

Discovering how to butterfly a lobster tail is much easier than you think and I am excited to show you.

You’ll be freeing the thick, lobster tail meat from the shell so it can cook in two parts and most importantly cook evenly. The tail meat will puff up as it cooks into juicy, tender, drool-worthy lobster meat.

Step 1 - Get your Lobster Ready

Hold a lobster tail in one hand or place it on a cutting board with the top of the hard shell facing up.

Step 2 - Cut the Tail

No matter which kind of lobster you have, get ready to cut the shell.

Ideally, using a strong pair of kitchen shears cut through the top of the shell with the bottom blade right above the bottom shell. Don't cut through the bottom of the tail shell, the wide end of the tail, or the tail fan. Just through the top shell and the meat.

Kitchen shears being used to cut the back of a lobster tail.

Using your kitchen shears, cut the back of the tail down the center of the shell, starting at the thickest part and working your way back to the tail fins section.

Overhead shot of kitchen shear cutting down the back of a raw lobster tail

This can be done with a sharp knife but again, I don’t recommend it.

Step 3 - Separate the Tail

Using your thumbs and fingers, gently pry and spread the halves of the tails apart, keeping the meat attached near the end of the tail. The lobster tail meat will be visible.

Closeup shot of hand holding raw lobster tail with the shell cut down the center

Step 4 - Remove Intestinal Vein

If you're butterflying the tail, once the tail shell is cut use a sharp knife to cut down about one-quarter of the way into the tail. This should expose the intestinal vein. Pull it out and discard it.

Closeup shot of finger spread a butterflied lobster tail to remove the vein

Step 3 - Lift Meat Out

Gently separate the meat from the shell, keeping the flesh attached only at the tail, and lift the meat over the shell as you let the shell close up underneath the meat. That’s it.

Fingers lifting the lobster meat up from the lobster tail but still attached at the back.

Once you've cut through the meat and removed the vein, gently pull the meat up from the bottom of the shell without removing it entirely.

The meat of the tail should remain attached to the fin portion of the tail. At this point, the meat should be slightly exposed. You've butterflied your lobster tail!

Closeup shot of raw butteflied lobster tail

Other Cuts for Lobster Tail

If you don't want to butterfly, there are a couple of other ways you can prep your lobster to use in recipes.

Fully Halving the Tail

If you're cutting the tail completely in half, cut the bottom of the shell in the same way that you cut the top.

Kitchen shears being used to cut the bottom shell of lobster tail

Then, using a sharp knife, cut the tail in half between the two sides of the shell.

Kitchen shears being used to cut the bottom of a lobster tail

Completely Removing the Shell

If you opt to completely remove the shell, follow the instructions for cutting the tail in half, cutting down the length of both the top and bottom of the tail.

Then, devein the tail. Finally, gently pull the cut portions of the shell away from the tail meat, being careful not to mangle the meat.

When the shells have been removed, use a sharp knife to cut the meat away from the base of the tail.

Overhead shot of seasoned lobster tail removed from shell completely

Final Soak

When you've finished cutting open your lobster tail, whether you've butterflied it, cut it completely in half, or removed it from the shell entirely, give it a final rinse, then place the tail or tail halves back onto a plate with a paper towel to drain. At this point, you're ready to cook your lobster.

Expert Tips

Use kitchen shears not a knife to cut through the shell. It's safer and you have more control.
Defrost lobster tails in the refrigerator overnight, not in hot water.
Rinse the lobster tails several times as indicated in the recipe to remove all the iodine.
Save boiling lobster for whole lobsters, not lobster tails.

Once you've mastered these methods of cutting lobster tails and the deveining process, you'll have opened up a world of possibilities when it comes to cooking these prized portions of the lobster.

From grilling to frying and everything in between, cooking lobster tails is easy when you know how to cut open a lobster tail correctly.

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