Welcome to my test kitchen where you can see how I test each of my recipes and also get access to my completed recipes before they’re released on the blog. This time you can see me try my hand at cooking lobster tails in the Instant Pot. See all my successes and mishaps along the way and learn what it takes to make a perfect lobster tail in the Instant Pot.
I’ve been wanting to try cooking seafood in the Instant Pot for some time. My hubby does most of the seafood cooking in our home. Always on the stovetop or in the oven. These lobster tails are my first stab at cooking seafood in the Instant Pot.
initial Thoughts & Concerns
I’m a little concerned that the high pressure will overcook the lobster tails but I have seen others have success. So, I’m ready to give it a try.
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Final Round of testing
Date Tested: July 25, 2018
This recipe has completed testing. I’m currently scheduling the recipe to be published on the blog. You can use the ingredients list and steps I took to test this recipe for yourself. After trying these lobster tails in your Instant Pot, please let me know how they came out for you in the comments below.
Tools, Utensils & Appliances
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails (fully thawed)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter (melted)
Notes
Testing has completed with this round of successful results.
Steps & Instructions
Thaw
If frozen, allow the lobster tails to fully thaw before prepping.
Butterfly
Use a pair of heavy-duty kitchen shears to butterfly the lobster tails.
Add Salted Water
Dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt in one cup of water and add to the Instant Pot.
Add Garlic and Rosemary
Add four cloves of garlic and two sprigs of fresh rosemary to the Instant Pot.
Place Steamer Basket
Place a steamer basket inside the Instant Pot.
Adjust the Steamer Basket
Partially close the steamer basket so that the opening is just wide enough to place the lobster tails standing up inside.
Arrange the Lobster Tails
Arrange the lobster tails so that the they are standing up inside the basket.
Brush with Butter
Brush the lobster tails with melted butter.
Set Cook Time
For this second round, I am cooking the tails for 2 minutes at low pressure to prevent overcooking the lobster’s delicate meat.
Open the Pot
Once the cooking time had completed, I performed a quick pressure release before opening the pot.
Allow to Sit
I allowed the tails to sit for a couple of minutes in the pot. The lobster meat will continue to cook during this time.
Serve and Enjoy
Serve the tails warm and enjoy with a garlic butter sauce.
TestING Results & OBSERVATIONS
I am impressed with how well these lobster tails came out during this round of testing. The tails were cooked through yet not overcooked. I left them sitting in the Instant Pot for a couple of minutes before removing them. The longer you leave the tails sitting, the more they will continue to cook. So, don’t allow them to sit for more than a couple of minutes or they may overcook. I like this method because I can enjoy my lobster warm. The meat was so wonderful.
The alternative is to pressure cook them for longer (3 minutes) and plunge them into an ice bath after removing them from the pot to stop the cooking. However, this will give you cold lobster meat. I like my lobster warm, so I’m very happy with this 2-minute cook and 2-minute sit method.
This time I got the butterflying right! Check out my first round of testing below to see how I goofed on the butterflying 🙂 I had my hubby show me the tricks for this round of testing. You have to get your hands dirty but the lobster comes out so beautiful in the end.
Adding both the rosemary and garlic infused the lobster with an amazing, delicate aroma – it also made my kitchen smell great.
I also added salt to the water. I wanted to match the salinity of seawater so I added 1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt to the 1 cup of water. I made sure that the salt was fully dissolved in the water before adding to the pot.
The other thing I did differently in this round was brushing the lobster tails with salted butter before cooking them. This really complements and helps enhance the sweet flavor of the lobster meat.
You probably also noticed how I arranged the lobster tails in the steamer basket. This really was an ideal setup. It made brushing the tails with butter so much easier.
Again, I’m very happy with the way the lobster tails turned out and I have to conclude that this round of testing was a success and that this recipe is ready to be published on the blog.
Testing for This recipe is complete
With this second and final round of testing, I am satisfied with the results and this recipe is completed and ready for publishing on the blog. Please try following the steps I took in this final round of testing to make your own lobster tails and let me know how they came out in the comments below.
first round of testing
Date Tested: July 23, 2018
Round one of testing has been completed. Read below to see the full list of ingredients used for this test, the steps that were taken, mishaps and conclusions. If you have any insight to offer, please do so in the comments below.
Tools, Utensils & Appliances
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails (fully thawed)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup water
Notes
This test came out very close to perfect. Just a few minor adjustments and we should have lobster perfection!
Steps & Instructions
Thaw
Allow the lobster tails to fully thaw.
Butterfly
Using a pair of kitchen shears, butterfly the lobster tails.
Add Water
Add one cup of water to the Instant Pot.
Add Garlic
Add the four cloves of garlic to the Instant Pot.
Place Steamer Basket
Place a steamer basket inside the pot.
Place Lobster Tails
Place the lobster on the steamer basket. I laid them flat on thier back.
Set Cook Time
For this first round, I will try cooking the tails for 3 minutes at low pressure to prevent overcooking the lobster’s delicate meat.
Open Pot
Following the Instant Pot company’s guidelines, I performed a quick pressure release before opening the pot.
TestING Results & OBSERVATIONS
I was really happy with how these lobster tails turned out. They were fully cooked. Maybe even slightly overcooked, making them just a smidge tough but barely noticeable. I’m interested in trying to cook them for less time to see how they come out.
The Instant Pot company suggests 2-3 minutes at high pressure for fresh, fully thawed lobster tails. I’m a little worried that the high-pressure setting will be too hard on the delicate lobster meat. Plus considering the good results that I got from cooking on low pressure this time, I will try 2 minutes and remain at low pressure for the next test. I believe that may give me the perfect tender result but we shall see.
I am also interested in testing it at high pressure as well, just to see how it turns out.
The garlic cloves added a nice, delicate aroma to the tails. While I want to keep the ingredients simple so that nothing overpowers the delicately sweet flavor of the lobster meat, I’d like to try adding just one other aromatic herb that will complement the flavor of the lobster.
For my second fail, I didn’t use salted water. In the next round, I will be salting the water.
changes For the second round of testing
- Add another aromatic herb like rosemary or thyme
- Cook on low pressure for 2 minutes
- Add 1½ teaspoon of salt to the cup of water
- Butterfly the lobster correctly
Did you cook the lobster on manual low pressure or steam low pressure?
Hi Janice! I used Manual Low Pressure. Thanks for stopping by!
What was the weight of these tails? I would assume the cook time may differ depending on their weight.