The 2 Best Ways to Cook Lobster in the Oven

With some foods, taste and health are competing goals. When your meal includes lobster, however, you get both. Replace liquid butter with a squirt of lemon juice and lobster becomes a meal with less fat than beef, pork or chicken.

Factor in lobster's omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, a number of B vitamins and the minerals potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorous, iron and magnesium, and both taste and health benefits are yours.

Oven baking is an easy preparation method both for frozen tails and for a parboiled, whole lobster. Here's what you need to know about cooking lobster in the oven.

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and add one frozen lobster tail for each person you plan to serve.
2. Set the bowl in your refrigerator and let the lobster tails thaw in the water for 8 to 10 hours.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
   
4. Cut the hard shell open down its center with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors, starting at the top center of the shell, stopping when you come to the tail fan.
5. Loosen the meat from the shell by running a butter knife or your finger between the shell and the meat.
6. Pull the meat through the slit you cut and set it on top of the shell.
7. Arrange the lobster tails on a baking pan and baste each tail with 1 teaspoon of oil or margarine to prevent the meat from drying as it bakes.
8. Bake the tails for about 15 minutes, checking the temperature of the meat with a food thermometer after 10 minutes of cooking.
9. Remove the tails from your oven as soon as the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid overcooking.
10. Transfer the lobster to a serving platter with tongs and serve with fresh lemon wedges.

1. Fill a large pot three-fourths full with water and bring it to a boil on your stove top over high heat.
2. Set the lobster into the pot, head first, and boil the lobster for about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer the partially cooked lobster to a bowl of ice water with tongs and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
5. Transfer the lobster to a cutting board with tongs.
6. Cut the lobster shell lengthwise in half with a sharp kitchen scissors. Start by inserting the tip of your scissors just under the head and cutting down to the end of the tail.
7. Pull the shell away from the body and pull out the "innards," leaving the meat intact.
8. Score the claws and knuckles by running the tip of a sharp kitchen knife along each claw and knuckle, cutting about a quarter inch deep.
9. Pull the claw and knuckle apart to expose the meat.
10. Set the lobster on a baking sheet, meat side up and brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or margarine.
11. Bake the lobster for about 15 minutes.
12. Remove the tails from your oven as soon as the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid overcooking.