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Lobster is one of my favorite foods and I love the shellfish in all forms – as meat pulled directly from the claws and tails and dipped in melted butter, in lobster rolls or in pasta. This recipe is for a traditional New England lobster boil also known as a lobster bake, using whole lobsters, kielbasa, red potatoes, sweet corn, and clams seasoned with salt and herbs. When breaking down lobsters I learned from the best – my Nana. I’ve never seen someone enjoy eating a whole lobster (even the green part – tomalley) more.
The ingredients are added at separate times to avoid overcooking. After boiling drain and pour the contents of the boil onto the table so that everyone can just go at it! If you have leftover lobster you can check out my top 10 recipes for using leftover lobster! I recommend making New England-style lobster rolls or summer corn and lobster rigatoni.
Place empty bowls on the table for shells when serving. You might also want some lobster bibs as things tend to get messy!
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Prepare the cooking liquid.
Fill a very large stockpot (may need to use multiple pots depending on sizing) with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Next, add the salt, stirring until dissolved followed by the thyme and garlic. It should taste like sea water.
Step 2: Add potatoes.
Add the potatoes and cook for about 6 minutes.
Step 3: Add lobsters and sausage.
Next, add the kielbasa then add the live lobsters, one at at time, claw first. Set the timer for 12 minutes.
Step 4: Add clams.
At the 7 minute mark add the clams to the pot.
Step 5: Add corn.
When there are 4 minutes to go on the timer, add the corn.
Step 7: Serve.
Drain the water from the pot and spread the contents from the seafood boil on a large covered table or add the contents into a large platter or serving bowl. Serve with grilled bread, lemon wedges and plenty of melted butter for dipping.
Even if you are cooking multiple lobsters at once the cooking time is still the same as if you were cooking one lobster. Make sure you use a large stock pot so there is plenty of room. Cook the lobsters for 12 to 18 minutes in boiling water depending on the size.
Keep live lobsters cold, moist and well-ventilated in the refrigerator. It’s best to keep them in an open container with damp seaweed, ice packs or damp newspaper. I recommend cooking them within 24 hours.
If cooking the lobsters live then rubber bands are added to protect you from getting inadvertently pinched. I typically leave them on for boiling then cut the rubber bands off when they are done cooking.
Plan for 1 lobster per adult (about 1.25 – 1.5 lbs. each). If you want leftovers, I recommend adding an extra lobster for every 5 people.
Cook the lobsters for 12 to 18 minutes in boiling water depending on the size. Plan on roughly 7 to 10 min for the first pound, +3 min per extra pound.
The shells turn bright red and the tail should spring back when bent. Check the meat near the tail–body. It should be opaque, not translucent.
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