Lobster Tacos

Want an incredibly easy dinner? These buttery lobster tacos are the epitome of delicious eating. Less than 20 minutes to make.

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Make them with fresh or frozen lobster that’s been thawed. Once the lobster is cooked and removed from the shells, they takes less than 10 minutes to put together.

Even though this dish is elegant enough to impress your guests it also fits into the incredibly easy weeknight meal for the family category. Have you ever seen a more impressive Taco Tuesday taco?

Made with succulent lobster and a hint of smokiness from the chipotle sauce, and the creaminess of the aioli, this recipe just can’t be beat.

We cheated and used a good-quality mayonnaise for the sauce. Don’t use sweet salad dressings. If you’d like to make your own aioli, that is incredibly easy as well.

What you need

For chipotle aioli

• Mayonnaise: Use a good quality mayonnaise, not salad dressing. It will overpower the sweetness of the lobster.
• Chipotle Hot Sauce: You can substitute your favorite hot sauce but we love the smokiness of the chipotle hot sauce.
• Lime Juice or Lemon Juice: Either is fine. The juice adds so acidity to the sauce.
• Kosher Salt: You can substitute sea salt or any other salt, really.
• Black Pepper: Freshly ground is always best.

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For the tacos

• Lobster: Fresh lobster or frozen cooked lobster can be used. If using frozen lobster, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight first. Use either claw meat, knuckles or lobster tail meat. Buy fresh Maine lobster or Massachusetts lobster for the best flavor. Cook it as desired, steamed, boiled, or grilled. Remove the meat from the shells. Eat within 2 days or freeze for longer storage. You can substitute shrimp if you don’t have lobster.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter for the best flavor. You can substitute olive oil if you’d like.
• Onion: We love red onion with these tacos.
• Cumin: ground
• Freshly minced garlic or garlic powder
• Chili powder or cayenne pepper, even chipotle powder, is delicious, if you can find it.
• Lime juice or lemon juice. We prefer lime juice.
• Tortillas: Use flour tortillas or corn tortillas. We prefer corn.
• Olive oil for frying tortillas: or warm tortillas in the microwave or above your gas burner.

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How to make them

How to cook the lobster

There are several methods for cooking a whole lobster. They can be steamed, boiled, grilled, baked or broiled. Most experts agree that the lobster tastes best steamed. Steaming a 1 ½-pound lobster will take approximately nine minutes. For more information on cooking lobster, visit Maine Lobster Now.

For the lobster filling

Chop cooked lobster into bite-sized pieces. Prepare your desired toppings.

Immediately remove the lobster from the heat when it is warmed through.

Prepare tortillas in your preferred method. See suggestions in recipe notes below.

Assemble tacos. Add a few tablespoons of lobster meat to the inside of the taco. Drizzle with lime juice.

Add your favorite toppings, drizzle with the chilled aioli, and enjoy!

Suggested toppings

We like to keep it simple with lobster tacos and just use lettuce and tomato so that the flavor of the lobster shines, but other toppings can work as well.

• finely shredded cabbage slaw
• finely shredded lettuce
• chopped tomatoes
• queso fresco
• sour cream
• cilantro or chopped parsley
• thinly sliced avocado or guacamole
• pickled red onion
• pickled radishes
• drizzle of fresh lime juice
• black olives
• candied jalapenos
• pickled red onion
• sour cream or Mexican creme
• your favorite salsa

Pro tips for your success

• If you’re par-cooking your own lobster for freezing and using it later, don’t cook it all the way through; that way, it won’t overcook when reheated.
• Don’t overcook the lobster. Simply stir it into the hot butter and spices, then remove it from the heat immediately.
• After removing the meat from your lobsters, don’t throw away the body and leg joints. They make delicious seafood stock that is great in bisque, soups and more.

More lobster recipes

• Lobsteries – lobster pastry appetizers
• Lobster Mac and Cheese
• Lobster Pizza
• Seafood fra Diavolo

More tacos

• Venison Tacos
• Instant pot Chicken Tacos
• Rabbit Tacos
• Pheasant Tacos
• Brisket Tacos
• Chorizo Tacos
• Pork Carnitas Tacos

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Helpful tools

• lobster pot
• pigtail flipper – makes removing the lobster from the pan easy and safe
• saucepan
• chef’s knife
• extra large bamboo cutting board

These lobster tacos with chipotle aioli are an incredibly delicious treat for special occasions or any old day.

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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.

Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

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Originally published August 15, 2022. Updated June 15, 2025.

• Recipe Name: Lobster Tacos
• Type: Main course or entrée
• Main Ingredients: Cooked lobster meat, red onion, garlic, cumin, cayenne, chipotle aioli, corn or flour tortillas
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4 tacos
• Sauce: Chipotle aioli made with mayo, hot sauce, lime juice, salt, and pepper
• Flavor Profile: Buttery, smoky, slightly spicy seafood tacos with creamy aioli
• Best Toppings: Lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, pickled onion, candied jalapeños, sour cream, salsa
• Reheat Tips: Briefly warm precooked lobster to avoid overcooking
• Leftovers: Store lobster filling in the fridge for up to 3 days
• Special Features: Step-by-step photos included; ready in under 30 minutes; suitable for quick dinners or date nights