20 Dreamy Lobster Recipes to Learn
From loaded lobster rolls to creamy bisque, these lobster recipes offer all kinds of delicious ways to cook with the crustacean. Make an impressive (and quick) lobster risotto for a weeknight dinner; for a mix of seafood, try Chilled Lobster Tails with Green Goddess Aïoli, which not only includes lobster, but shrimp and crab, too. And you can't go wrong with Lobster Mac and Cheese. Sound up your alley? Read on for even more lobster recipes to try.
Butter-Poached Lobster Rolls with Spicy Sauce
To make these luxurious lobster rolls, chef Geoffrey Zakarian boils the lobsters, then poaches the meat in butter. To balance all of that richness, he tops the rolls with a spicy mustard mayo.
Lobster Gnudi
This elegant lobster gnudi dish from chef Scott Conant gets a springy spin with bright green peas and ramp leaves.
Lobster Mac and Cheese
This decadent lobster mac and cheese has it all. A generous amount of lobster meat and a rich three-cheese sauce made with Fontina, Gruyère, and mascarpone are mixed with pasta and baked under a crunchy topping of panko and Parmesan. The cheese sauce has a secret flavor booster: The lobster shells are separated from the meat and cooked with aromatics, wine, milk, and cream to infuse the sauce with a surprising depth of flavor.
Chilled Lobster Tails with Green Goddess Aïoli
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Karin Olsen
A vibrant green goddess–inspired dipping sauce is the perfect match for gently steamed, chilled lobster tails. You can steam them yourself as the recipe calls for, or buy them already cooked. Be sure to get Maine lobsters rather than warm-water Caribbean lobsters, as their textures and flavors are quite different. To make dipping easier, carefully remove the lobster meat from the shell and cut it into bite-size pieces, then return it to the shell for serving.
New England Lobster Dip
Food & Wine culinary director at large Justin Chapple transforms the ingredients of a classic lobster roll into a genius dip. We like it best scooped up with crunchy kettle-cooked potato chips, but toasted slices of brioche are just as delicious.
Lobster and Corn Fritters
© Cedric Angeles
These crisp, light fritters taste like nothing but fresh lobster and sweet corn — making for a delicious hors d'oeuvre that's ideal paired with sparkling wine or perfect for any cocktail hour.
Steamed Lobster and Corn for a Crowd
When making this recipe, keep in mind that lobsters are about 30% meat by weight, so go for the slightly larger one-and-a-half-pounders and plan for about two lobsters per person. Look for lobsters from Maine, which are harvested sustainably.
Lobster Bisque
Lobster shells from the tail, claws, knuckles, and legs are full of flavor and, when very gently simmered in water, yield a clean-tasting, briny stock. Seasoned with mirepoix, sherry, and herbs, this classic bisque is thickened with fragrant jasmine rice. Serve it hot or cold for a knockout lunch or simple supper.
Maine-Style Lobster Rolls
Former F&W senior food editor Mary-Frances Heck refers to these lobster rolls as "knuckle sandwiches" because they showcase the knuckles — the segments that connect the claws to the carapace — which are the sweetest, most tender meat on a lobster. Dressed simply with mayo, the cold salad sits in a hot buttered bun. Her tip for tackling the admittedly tedious work of cracking the shells? Do it with a friend and a cold beer.
Grilled Lobster Tails with Stelline and Lemon
"Paired with smoky grilled lemon halves, the lobster is exceptionally delicious over small, pebbly pasta like stelline (star-shaped pasta typically served in broths), which provides a tender contrast that's fun to eat and soaks up the buttery juices," cookbook author Paula Disbrowe says.
Pan-Roasted Lobster with Chive Beurre Blanc
"Be sure to serve the lobsters on a warmed large platter so the beurre blanc stays hot," says Mary-Frances Heck. "I love to line the platter with hot cooked linguine before topping it with the roasted lobsters and lemony sauce. While you could certainly opt for crusty bread or hot jasmine rice alongside, the pasta soaks up some of the sauce and makes for a decadent second course once all the lobsters have been eaten."
Lobster BLTs on Potato Rolls
These next-level BLTs combine tender, sweet lobster meat with smoky, salty bacon, juicy tomatoes, and pillowy potato buns, lightly toasted in bacon drippings.
Auntie Monica's Seafood Mac and Cheese
Loaded with fresh shrimp, crab, and lobster and layered with a rich mixture of cheeses, this macaroni and cheese gets an extra boost of spice from liquid shrimp-and-crab boil. The boil seasoning lends its long-cooked flavor to the casserole without overcooking the delicate seafood.
Lobster Thermidor
This classic lobster thermidor stuffs gently cooked lobster meat back in its shell with a wine-based sauce and a touch of cheese before it goes under the broiler. The natural sweetness of lobster still shines through the rich, but not heavy, cremini mushroom and dry sherry-laced cream sauce. A touch of cayenne adds warmth, not spice, that brightens the whole dish, while Parmesan cheese gets bubbly and brown under the broiler to finish each impressive stuffed lobster tail.
Lobster Risotto
A small pinch of saffron goes a long way in imparting a vibrant golden hue and floral fragrance to this creamy lobster risotto. Pre-cooked lobster and bottled clam juice deliver robust layers of flavor with a minimal amount of effort, making this an ideal weeknight supper. Try pairing it with a bottle of white Bordeaux.
Lobster Frites
Sommelier Derrick Westbrook turns the classic moules frites into one showstopping meal by replacing the mussels with garlic-butter drenched lobster. The double-fry method ensures that the fries will be perfectly cooked — creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The first fry will cook them through, and the second will turn the outside brown and crisp. Adding Old Bay to the aïoli is a genius move. Serve the meal with a bright, crisp, minerally Chablis.
Lobster Tournedos with Cornbread
This recipe combines classic French cooking techniques with Southern ingredients, a signature of chef Erick Williams' cooking at Virtue in Chicago. The mild sweetness of the lobster meat and cornbread is intensified with the buttery, tart wine sauce, turning this into a decadent meal perfect for a special occasion.
Green Curry Lobster Stew with Sweet Potato and Mushrooms
"Lobster stew is one of the pillars of Maine cooking," according to chefs Mike Wiley and Andrew Taylor, of Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, Maine. For this green curry–laced version, they took cues from tom kha, a coconut milk–based Thai soup, and enriched it with umami-heavy Golden Mountain sauce and mushroom confit to create a richly aromatic lobster stew. Sweet potato, curry paste, heavy cream, and coconut milk come together in a well-balanced broth that highlights the lobster's sweetness.
Turmeric-Poached Eggs with Chive Biscuits and Lobster Gravy
This decadent brunch dish is reminiscent of crawfish étouffée, but with the West Coast vibes found all over the menu at chef Brooke Williamson's beachside restaurant complex, Playa Provisions. Lobster lends the gravy rich flavor, while the turmeric eggs add a sunny pop of color. Prepare the lobster gravy the day beforehand and reheat it gently to make brunch an easier lift.
Jerk-Grilled Lobster
After trying every item that can be basted or drizzled in the flavors of jerk, from shrimp to chicken to whole fish and even cocktails, hands down Gail Simmons' favorite incarnation is lobster, where the jerk paste is stirred into butter and used to baste the crustacean while it cooks over the flames. Her streamlined version is one that you can make all year round, but grilling the lobsters outside, beer in hand, is always encouraged.
