Published February 11, 2025. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Broiled lobster tails is an elegant meal of butter-soaked lobster cooked until lightly browned for an unbelievable taste. I love the quickness and ease of making this recipe. It can be served as an appetizer or as the hero of your next meal.
If you ask me, lobster is good no matter how you cook it, and this procedure is no exception. It is one of the fastest and best ways to cook the tails, and everyone I serve loves it. If you feel the same, try this method in my surf and turf recipe or Maine lobster roll. I promise you can’t go wrong with either.
Broiled Lobster Tails
Broiled lobster tails are a simple dish of lobster meat pulled from the tail and broiled in the oven with the meat on the shell. This is meant to display the beautiful aesthetic of a bright red cooked shell with lightly browned white lobster meat. The dish can be served as an appetizer using more petite tails and as the main protein in a recipe.
There are many ways to enhance the lobster’s flavor, such as using flavored butter or finishing it with sauces like chimichurri. Regardless, the result is a perfectly cooked lobster tail with a little Maillard on the edges for added umami flavors.
While this seems like it’s more of a fine dining meal at a high-end restaurant, you can often find lobster on sale and, for a good enough price, pick it up. I love making this dish on special occasions, not only because it’s delicious but because it cooks in under 10 minutes. This is a straightforward recipe to prep and cook, and it is well worth it.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Lobster Tails – In the United States, two types of lobster tails are readily accessible: cold or warm water tails. The cold-water tails tend to be more expensive, around $35 to $40 per pound, while the warm-water tails are around $25 per pound. I believe the cold-water tails are more delicious, but you can’t beat the price of warm-water lobsters. When making this, any tail of any size will work.
- Lemon – I always serve lobster tails with a side of lemon to add a punch of clean acid to help brighten everything up even more.
- Butter – For me, an herb and garlic compound butter takes these tails to another level. However, you could make a less complex Maître D’ butter or simply just butter.
- Spices – I prefer to add a sprinkle of sweet or smoky paprika to the top. It helps to add a little color and assists in browning up the lobster tail meat for more flavor.
- Seasonings – If you are using butter, you’ll need to season the tails with salt and pepper.
How to Make Broiled Lobster Tails
Loosen the Shells: I start by squeezing the lobster tails together by pinching the shell’s bottom part. This will help remove the meat easily.
Cut the Shells: There are a few options when doing this. You can use kitchen shears, start at the opening of the tail on top, and cut your way back just until you reach the tail. I prefer to use a knife and gently slice down through the shell, starting from the tail and working forward.
Expose the Meat: I carefully pull out the meat and set it right on top of the shell. This is mostly just for looks. Then, place them on a sheet tray a few inches apart.
Prepare the Lobster: I like to rinse the meat under cold water to eliminate anything unwanted. I then pat it dry well with a paper towel to ensure the butter sticks.
Season the Lobster: I love herb butter, so slice a few pads or add a few dollops of butter right on top of the meat. This is also when I sprinkle the paprika on the butter and lobster meat.
Broil It: I add it to a middle rack in the oven with a preheated broiler on high and cook it for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the size, until browned on the edges. Once it hits 135° internally, I remove it.
Rest the Tails: I remove the lobster from the oven and let it rest for 1 to 2 minutes before serving.
Serve the Lobster: I like to serve the tails on a platter with plenty of lemon wedges and sometimes melted butter for a little more fat and flavor.
Chef Notes + Tips
Making broiled lobster as delicious as possible begins with that herb butter that goes on top. It helps so much in browning up the lobster meat, making it sweeter and giving it a more umami flavor. I love using butter loaded up with herbs and garlic, but it can be much simpler to use only butter or just butter and garlic. Regardless of what you decide, don’t skip it!
- Pans work also: Feel free to cook this in a frying pan if a sheet pan is not an option, as long as it is big enough to allow for some room in between each tail so that it can brown.
- Sauces are good: Lobster has a neutral, slightly sweet profile, so I often serve it with a creamy or herb sauce. I promise it can handle just about anything you want to put on it.
- When using butter: If you are only using plain butter before broiling, be sure to also season the meat with salt and pepper to ensure you have a flavorful lobster tail.
- Cook according to size: When using smaller 4 to 6-ounce tails, I usually reduce the cooking time by 2 to 3 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
I love how versatile these broiled lobster tails are because they can easily be the main protein in any meal. They’re hearty enough to be served with any starch but also delicate, so they go well with veggies.
My favorite potatoes to serve them are my fondant potatoes, which also go exceptionally well with roasted asparagus.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: These are meant to be eaten as soon as they are done cooking. The tails will become tough and chewy if they sit or cook too long.
How to Store: Cover and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. These will not freeze well.
How to Reheat: Add them to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or in a large frying pan. Brush 1 to 2 tablespoons of unsalted melted butter to each tail and bake in the oven covered with foil or a lid at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes or until it reaches back to 135°.
More Lobster Recipes
Broiled Lobster Tail Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 12-14- ounce cold or warm-water lobster tails
- 6 tablespoons herb and garlic butter
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- lemon wedges
- coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- melted unsalted butter for serving
- optional minced fresh parsley or chives for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler to high heat.
- Squeeze together the lobster tails by pinching the bottom part of the shell. This will help the meat remove more easily.
- There are a few options when doing this. You can use kitchen shears and start at the opening of the tail on top and cut your way back just until you reach the tail. I prefer to use a knife and gently slice down through the shell, starting from the tail and working forward.
- Next, carefully pull out the meat and set it right on top of the shell. This is mostly just for looks. Then, place them on a sheet tray a few inches apart from one another.
- Add a few pads or a few dollops of butter, totaling 2 tablespoons each, right on top of the meat.
- Add it to a middle rack in the oven with a preheated broiler on high and cook it for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the size, until browned on the edges. Once it hits 135° internally, I remove it.
- Remove the lobster from the oven and let it rest for 1 to 2 minutes before serving.
- Serve the tails on a platter with plenty of lemon wedges and sometimes melted butter for a little more fat and flavor.
Broiled Lobster Tails Recipe