If you get a lot of Lobster and want to freeze them for eating them at a later date can you just cut the tail?

Question

if you get a lot of Lobster and want to freeze them for eating them at a later date can you just cut the tail off while they are alive and freeze them or do you have to boil each one of them whole then freeze them. We plan on buying several dozen of them but are limited to the space we have in the small freezer. All we want to do is to store the tails only. How do the markets prepare and sell only the tails ?? Are they already cooked or raw??

I should clarify that when I mean a later date I mean within 12 days. We will be out to sea and will be eating lobster off and on within the 12 days. Would it be better to refigerate them rather than freeze them. I only want to save the tails so I need to know how to prepare for this task

Answer 1

Hey Joe F.....

Freezing lobster so that it keeps a long while is pretty tough. First of all nothing lasts a long while in the typical household freezer compartment, especially if you freeze it there. Commercially they use extremely powerful "blast freezers" that freeze completely in a matter of minutes and then they store at -40. Home freezers don't reach anything close to that and take overnight to freeze something. That encourages premature freezer burn and low shelf life. Lobster is available commercially in "tail only" form and frankly I'd encourage you to go ahead and buy those, you really don't need to store them at your house, they are available year round and although the price is high, it is at least very consistent from month to month....you aren't saving anything really.

If however, you have a specific lobster you want to freeze, having done this as a Chef for many years in resorts myself, I'd suggest the following. Put the poor thing out of it's misery with a blade of a knife to the back of it's head through the shelf...through the brain, it's the most humane way....boiling a live lobster is terrible! I would reserve the liquid and freeze that with the tentacles, head and anything else that you think is unusable (except the "innards") it will make a great lobster stock! Pull the claws and tail off and lay them raw on a sheet pan or tray of some kind and freeze them in the open air in the freezer. The next morning when they are frozen take them out and wrap each one separately and WELL in TWO layers of plastic warp AND tin foil. Then place the tails and claws in separate plastic bags, label and seal securely.

Don’t expect to get the kind of product you could broil and be satisfied with...it won’t be that at all....but it would be great meat for a Thermador or something like that....

Good Luck with it!


RE: Additional Details.....

That's great.....they will be in good shape....no freezer burn...go ahead and just kill them as humanely as possible and separate the tails and freeze. When you detach the tails grb the tail very cole to the shell with one hand and the shell very close to the tail with the other and gently, but firmly wiggle back and forth until they come apart. No need for a knife. The goal is to get all the meat that extends back into the shell away from the shell with the tail, its sometimes a sizeable chunk! Sounds like a great lobster fest on the sea...Have fun!!

Answer 2

Freeze Live Lobster

Answer 3

Steam them off and cut the tail off. You can removve the meat from the claws and legs and put them in a pastic bag and save them to. IT is great to make lobster cakes out of it.

Answer 4

Freezing anything does not breed salmonella. I think any stir fry can be frozen and safely eaten. I wouldn't thaw it I would put in a pan with a bit of water and start heating it from the frozen state.heat until heated throughout and the extra water is cooked down.

Answer 5

Don't cut it's tail off while it's still alive, oh my god that's horrific!!! At least kill it first.