Broiled Lobster Tail
My Broiled Lobster Tails recipe is an elegant dish featuring lobster bathed in herby garlic butter, broiled until tender and 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.
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.
Notes
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.
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°.
Nutrition
Calories: 146kcalCarbohydrates: 0.1gProtein: 10gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 342mgPotassium: 124mgFiber: 0.02gSugar: 0.04gVitamin A: 378IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 0.2mg