Lobster substitute

Best substitute

Monkfish

Use the same amount by weight as the lobster you are replacing

Best for lobster tails

Different taste

What lobster contributes is a sweet, firm, faintly briny protein, so match the texture and the dish rather than the name. Monkfish is the classic stand-in for tails and thermidor at 1:1 by weight. Langostino tails are almost identical in sweetness and snap for a fraction of the price and are the best swap for rolls, mac and cheese and pasta. Large shrimp are the easiest thing to actually buy and work everywhere. One important exception: in a bisque the flavor comes from the shells, not the meat, so replace lobster shells with toasted shrimp or crab shells, not with a piece of fish.

Other lobster substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Langostino tails
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
Sold frozen and already cooked in most large supermarkets.
What changes
Thaw, pat very dry, and fold in during the last minute of cooking so they only warm through.
Best for
lobster rolls, mac and cheese, pasta, lobster salad, dips
In sweetness and snap this is the nearest thing to lobster you can buy cheaply, and in a creamy or mayonnaise-bound dish most people will not question it. The giveaway is size, because langostino pieces are small, so a lobster roll made with them reads more like a shrimp roll. Do not simmer them, since they are cooked already and turn cottony fast.
3Large shrimp (16/20 or bigger)
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight
Peel, leave them whole or halve lengthwise, and cook just until they curl and turn opaque.
What changes
The single most available swap and a genuinely good one.
Best for
lobster rolls, mac and cheese, pasta, bisque garnish, grilling
You keep the sweetness and most of the firmness, but the bite is softer and the flavor is unmistakably shrimp rather than lobster: a bit more mineral, a bit less clean. Buying the largest shrimp you can and halving them lengthwise gives you chunks nearer to lobster in size, which matters a lot in a roll.
4Sea scallops
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight
Pat dry, sear hard in butter for about 90 seconds a side, then quarter them into the dish.
What changes
Best where the lobster was going to be seared or served in a rich sauce.
Best for
pan-seared dishes, pasta, risotto, gratins
Even sweeter and more delicate than lobster and, seared properly, luxurious in a comparable way. The problem is heat tolerance: scallops go from firm to soft in a minute or two, so they collapse in a long-simmered bisque or a baked casserole. Add them at the very end or sear separately and fold in.
5Crab meat (lump or Dungeness)
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight
Fold in gently at the end so the pieces stay whole.
What changes
Excellent wherever lobster was going to be bound with mayonnaise or cheese.
Best for
lobster rolls, dips, mac and cheese, salads, ravioli filling
Sweeter and considerably more delicate. Crab shreds into soft threads instead of tearing into firm chunks, so the dish comes out fluffier and less substantial in the mouth, and the sweetness reads as more floral. Season a touch more aggressively with lemon and pepper, because crab's flavor is softer than lobster's.
6Halibut or cod loin, cut in chunks
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight
Cut into 1-inch cubes, salt lightly, and add in the last few minutes of cooking so the pieces set without breaking down.
What changes
Best for
thermidor, gratins, chowder, pot pie, stews
Mild, sweet and cheap, and under a rich sauce it does a respectable impression. What it cannot do is hold together: halibut and cod flake, so by the time the dish reaches the table the chunks will have partly fallen apart and the eating experience is soft rather than snappy. Cut the pieces larger than you think you need.

What is Lobster?

Lobster is Lobster is a large marine crustacean sold live, or as frozen lobster tails and picked lobster meat, prized for tail and claw flesh that is firm and slightly snappy with a clean sweetness and a light salty brine.

Cooking tips

For lobster bisque, the flavor lives in the shells, not the meat. Toast a pound of shrimp shells or crab shells in butter until they smell nutty, deglaze with brandy or sherry, then simmer with tomato paste and stock. No fish substitute will make a bisque taste of lobster; shells will.
Lobster is more forgiving than most swaps because it stays firm. Shrimp, scallops and langostino all overcook in a minute or two, so add them at the end of the recipe rather than at the point the recipe adds lobster.
A lot of what people love in a lobster roll is butter, lemon, celery and a soft toasted bun. Get those right and shrimp or langostino will satisfy almost everyone at the table.
If you are buying frozen lobster tails as the cheaper route, cold-water tails from Maine or Canada are sweeter and firmer than warm-water rock lobster tails, which can be softer and more prone to mushiness.
Chilled lobster served plain with drawn butter has no substitute, because the whole dish is the texture and the sweetness of the meat. If that was the plan and lobster is not available, serve seared scallops or a shrimp cocktail as a different dish rather than a pretend one.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest substitute for lobster?

Frozen langostino tails, which cost a small fraction of lobster and are remarkably close in sweetness and snap. Large shrimp are next and are available everywhere. For hot dishes where the sauce carries the flavor, monkfish or cod chunks are cheaper still.

Can I use imitation lobster or imitation crab instead?

In a cold salad or a dip, yes, at 1:1, though it is sweeter and springier with a starchy chew, so cut back any sugar in the dressing and add lemon. In a hot buttery dish it does poorly, because it is already fully cooked and turns rubbery when it is heated hard.

Can I just leave the lobster out?

In a mac and cheese, chowder or pot pie, yes, and the dish is still good; you are removing the luxury, not the structure. In a lobster roll or thermidor the lobster is the dish, so swap to langostino, shrimp or monkfish rather than omitting.

Does monkfish really taste like lobster?

It eats like lobster more than it tastes like it. The flesh is dense, firm and slightly springy in the same way, which is why it earned the poor man's lobster nickname, but it is less sweet and not briny. Poaching it in salted, buttery water with lemon closes most of the gap.

What can I use instead of lobster in a bisque?

Shrimp shells or crab shells, toasted in butter until fragrant, then simmered with aromatics, tomato paste and stock. Shrimp bisque made this way is excellent. Adding a handful of chopped cooked shrimp at the end gives you the garnish, but the shells are what make it taste like a bisque at all.

Related substitutes

More seafood substitutes

Lobster substitute

Other lobster substitutes

2Langostino tails

3Large shrimp (16/20 or bigger)

4Sea scallops

5Crab meat (lump or Dungeness)

6Halibut or cod loin, cut in chunks