How to Broil Lobster Tails
Learn how to broil lobster tails at home with step-by-step instructions. They are easy to prepare, take very little cooking time, and taste chef-prepared!
Ingredients
- (4) 5-ounce lobster tails
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2-3 drops hot sauce (or substitute 1 pinch of ground cayenne)
- 2 teaspoons (divided) fresh parsley, chopped (or use 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley)
- green onions, chopped for garnish
- 1 large lemon, quartered for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to broil. Add a silicon mat to a baking sheet with sides. It will help make cleanup easier.
- Cut the shells with scissors starting at the opposite end of the tail and stopping before cutting through it.
- Then stretch each lobster shell apart. They will crack easily, so gently pull them apart to prevent the sides from breaking away.
- Remove the vein (if there, it runs down the middle of the tail) by pulling it or cutting it out.
- Detach the meat from the shell by pulling it upwards from the lobster shell. Leave the end attached.
- Rinse the shell and meat (on the top and the bottom) to wash away small shell pieces and any leftover vein bits. Pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Place the lobster tails on the prepared baking sheet, separating them to prevent crowding.
- Melt the butter in the microwave. Add the garlic, lemon, half of the parsley, and hot sauce. Divide 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into a small container. Use it to base the lobster tails with a basting brush. Save the rest of the butter to serve for dipping--reheat if necessary. Be careful not to put the basting brush into the leftover butter saved for eating.
- Move an oven rack to the top broiling position. Place the baking sheet on it. Bake the tails for 5 minutes. Check each lobster tail with a food thermometer (in the thickest part of the tail) after 5 minutes of broiling. They are done when the thermometer reads 140-145°F (if not at temperature, cook for a few extra minutes). The tail meat should be opaque, and the shell red when fully cooked. Sprinkle them with the other half of the parsley and/or green onions. Add lemon quarters to the serving platter.
- Serve immediately. Pour the saved butter mixture into small containers for dipping.
Notes
Determining the Broiling Time
Calculate the broiling time by following these steps.Broiling One Lobster Tail
When broiling one lobster tail, weigh it or check the packaging to determine its weight. If it is a 5-ounce tail, broil it for about 5 minutes, which equates to 1 minute of broiling time for each ounce. This time is an approximation that depends on how hot your oven cooks. If the lobster meat remains translucent after cooking for the allotted time, return it to the oven to cook a little longer. For best results, use a thermometer to check the internal temperature, which should be between 140°F and 145°F.Broiling More Than One Lobster Tail
If you are broiling several lobster tails from a package, select one that is an average representation of all the sizes, and then weigh it. If it weighs 7 ounces, bake the entire pan of tails for just 7 minutes (1 minute for each ounce of 1 lobster tail). Remember, the cooking time is based on the weight of one lobster tail, not of all lobster tails.What to Do if You Don't Have a Food Scale
If you don’t have a food scale to weigh a package of tails, look at the label, which should have the total weight of all the lobster tails. Divide the total weight by the number of lobster tails in the package. This will give you the average ounce size. However, remember that if the weight is in pounds and ounces, you must convert pounds to ounces before dividing. For example, a 2-pound, 4-ounce package with 6 lobster tails is calculated as 16 + 16 + 4 = 36, divided by 6, which equals 6 ounces each. This is an average because each one will vary. In this case, the pan of lobster tails is broiled for 6 minutes.How Many Lobster Tails to Serve
Serve two 5-inch lobster tails per person to make a meal. However, if serving (1) 5-ounce lobster tail per person, provide 2-3 sides to go with it to make a meal.Nutrition
Calories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 155mgPotassium: 77mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 863IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 0.4mg
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