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Cooking lobster can be intimidating but I’m going to show you how to make the easiest broiled buttery lobster tails. All you need is 5 ingredients!
This lobster recipe is my favorite because you can really taste the buttery tender lobster meat and nothing else. Although I do love this lobster scampi and these delicious fried lobster tails, sometimes I just need a plain broiled juicy lobster tail. What I love most about this recipe is that it cooks in just 8 minutes in the oven. You can’t beat that! It’s also much more economical to eat lobster at home than at a restaurant.
Ingredient Notes
Lobster Tails – Cold water fresh lobster tails are much more tender than warm water lobster tails however, I sometimes have a hard time finding cold water lobster tails. Feel free to use any type of lobster tails.
Paprika – I like to sprinkle a small amount to give the lobster tails a little bit of color.
Butter – Unsalted melted butter is what I like to use to brush the raw lobster tails because I season the meat with salt on both sides. However, I like to serve cooked lobster tails with melted salted butter. So you’ll need both salted and unsalted butter for this recipe. If you don’t have salted butter, just add a pinch of salt to the unsalted butter.
Lemon – It just adds so much flavor and seafood goes great with it!
Garlic – Fresh or granulated garlic will work.
How To Butterfly A Lobster Tail
To butterfly, simply cut a lengthwise slit through the center, top of the shell, stopping just before the tail fins using kitchen shears. Spread the shell open and pull out the meat in one piece. Close the shell and place the meat over the shell.
Top Tips
- Lobster is very expensive and it’s truly delicious with just salt, butter, and lemon. I highly recommend avoiding potent spices that will overpower the lobster. But if you insist on using spices, I recommend old bay seasoning or lemon pepper seasoning.
- Allow the lobster tails to rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking. Cooking cold lobster straight out of the fridge will result in uneven cooking.
- Make sure that the lobster tails are all the same size otherwise the smaller ones will overcook. I recommend buying them all the same size or cooking them separately.
- Don’t overcook the lobster tails otherwise, the lobster meat will be super tough.
- Season the lobster meat generously with kosher salt on both sides, especially if using jumbo lobster tails.
- I recommend thawing the lobster tails in the refrigerator overnight. Make sure the lobster tails are fully thawed before cooking.
- Cook the lobster tails, 1 minute per ounce. If your lobster tail is 6 ounces, cook it for 6 minutes and so on and so forth.
- Serve with salted melted butter and lemon wedges!
How Do You Tell If Your Lobster Tails Are Cooked?
The lobster shell will be bright red and the meat will be white. If the lobster meat is translucent, then it isn’t fully cooked. The perfect internal temperature for cooked lobster meat is 140 degrees F.
How To Serve
Eat these broiled buttery lobster tails with garlic butter steak tips and creamy mashed potatoes for the ultimate dinner meal.
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
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Broiled Buttery Lobster Tails
Equipment
- Kitchen Shears
- Pastry Brush
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 eight ounce lobster tails, butterflied
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1/8 tsp paprika , optional
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Kosher salt to taste
- salted melted butter, for dipping , discard the foam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. and set the oven rack about 5-6 inches away from the broiler.
- To butterfly the lobster tails, simply cut a lengthwise slit through the center, top of the shell, stopping just before the tail fins using kitchen shears. Spread the shell open and pull out the meat in one piece. Close the shell and place the meat over the shell.
- Pat dry the lobster meat with a paper towel and season the lobster meat on both sides with Kosher salt.
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, unsalted melted butter, and garlic.
- Brush the lobster meat on both sides with the garlic butter mixture and sprinkle with paprika.
- Bake the lobster tails 1 minute per ounce. My lobster tails were 8 ounces each so I cooked them for 8 minutes total. Make sure the lobster tails reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
- Serve with salted melted butter and lemon, and enjoy!
Notes
- Lobster is very expensive and it’s truly delicious with just salt, butter, and lemon. I highly recommend avoiding potent spices that will overpower the lobster. But if you insist on using spices, I recommend old bay seasoning or lemon pepper seasoning.
- Allow the lobster tails to rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking. Cooking cold lobster straight out of the fridge will result in uneven cooking.
- Make sure that the lobster tails are all the same size otherwise the smaller ones will overcook. I recommend buying them all the same size or cooking them separately.
- Don’t overcook the lobster tails otherwise, the lobster meat will be super tough.
- Season the lobster meat generously with kosher salt on both sides, especially if using jumbo lobster tails.
- I recommend thawing the lobster tails in the refrigerator overnight. Make sure the lobster tails are fully thawed before cooking.
- Cook the lobster tails, 1 minute per ounce. If your lobster tail is 6 ounces, cook it for 6 minutes and so on and so forth.
- Serve with salted melted butter and lemon wedges!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
