Update: The pricing on this page was last updated on 12/8/2020
Fresh lobster tails are easy to find at online retailers, but knowing their quality can be tough. If you’re in the market to buy lobster tails, consider purchasing from any of the following providers. These companies have been vetted for quality and customer service, ensuring you get a great lobster tail.
Our Picks for Best Lobster Tails
| Category | Company | Most Popular Size | Average $/Tail | Customer Ratings | Go To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for Medium Tails | Lobster Anywhere | 6-9oz. | $29.95 | 5.0 | |
| Best for Large Tails | Crab Place | 10-12oz. | $31.68 | 4.5 | |
| Best for Jumbo Tails | Cameron’s Seafood | 12-14 oz. | $79.99 | 4.7 | |
| Best for Small Tails | Fulton Fish Market | 4-6oz. | $25.99 | 4.6 | |
| Most Frequent Discounts | Get Maine Lobster | 6-9oz. | $41.24 | 4.6 | |
| Most Size Variety | Global Seafoods | 18-20oz. | $61.90 | 4.6 |
*Estimated cost for one tail of the provider’s most popular size.
How to Choose a Company for Fresh Lobster Tails
Lobster tails are more widely available for purchase than live lobster. As a result, you’ll have to choose between a wider array of providers. With so many options, it can be difficult to know how to choose. Consider these three questions before making your final decision.
- What are you ordering? If lobster tails are only part of your seafood order, you’ll want to prioritize companies that offer a wider range of products. Some companies only sell live lobsters and lobster meat. Others also sell frozen fish, other crustaceans, and accessories. Pick a provider that can fulfill most (if not all) of your needs.
- How much do you need? Some lobster companies will only sell frozen lobster tails in bulk, while others sell them individually. Additionally, you’ll want to figure out how big of a tail you want to purchase. You can find more information about lobster tail sizes here.
- How much do you care about quality? Often, the best fresh lobster tails come from smaller companies that only process lobster. These providers catch the lobster themselves and process the crustaceans in their own facility, ensuring a faster transfer to your doorstep. Prioritize these companies to get the best quality tail.
What Are Fresh Lobster Tails?
The word “fresh” can be a bit confusing when it comes to shipped seafood. In all cases except live lobster, seafood is shipped frozen. But how can something be both “fresh” and “frozen”? Did we learn nothing from those Wendy’s commercials?
For seafood, the term “fresh” typically indicates a lot of product turnover. In other words, even though you are buying frozen seafood, you won’t be sold a month-old lobster tail. These companies pride themselves on shortening the time between the lobster being caught and getting to your doorstep. Even if they’re frozen in the process, you’ll still receive a lobster tail that hasn’t been frozen for very long.
How are Fresh Lobster Tails Processed?
Unlike frozen fish and live lobster, the process behind freezing fresh lobster tails can be a bit confusing. Providers are not often very forthcoming about their frozen lobster processing techniques, typically because it doesn’t often matter to customers. That said, if you’re reading this, quality is likely at the front of your mind, and you want to ensure you’re getting the best possible product for your money.
Lobster are almost always processed while still alive because the meat begins to degrade as soon as a lobster dies. In fact, you can tell if a lobster was dead during its processing if the tail has a grayish color. As a result, high-quality lobster tails will include flash-freezing the lobster, then cutting the body into sellable parts. Lobster tails are cut off and preserved in their shells, while other meat is deshelled and sold by the pound as frozen lobster meat. While this might not sound pleasant, rest assured that the flash freezing ensures both the lobster’s comfort and a higher quality product.
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