Easy Broiled Lobster Tails Recipe
This easy broiled lobster tails recipe is a perfect date night dinner that fits nicely into a keto diet plan. Tasty and decadent, you can easily enjoy these tasty tails any time you want a fancy dinner.
If you want to feel fancy at home, there’s no better way to do it in our opinion than making seafood, especially lobster tail!
Some people are intimidated by the thought of preparing a lobster dinner at home, but you shouldn’t be. It’s actually really simple and we’re going to walk you through how to prepare lobster tail and how easy it is to bake lobster tail in the oven.
Once you’ve mastered lobster you’ll want to try our Shrimp Alfredo, cheesy Shrimp Casserole, and Air Fryer Shrimp.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
This simple recipe doesn’t need much for that great lobster flavor you’re looking for. Here’s what you’ll need on hand:
- Lobster tails – Lobster tails tend to range in size from 5 to 7 ounces. I recommend two per person unless serving with steak or chicken breasts. This recipe is written for two people with two tails each. If you need more, you can easily double this recipe.
- Fresh herbs fresh chopped parsley cloves garlic (minced)
- Spices – You’ll need and probably already have on hand sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper.
- Lemon – You’ll need a few wedges and juice from the lemon.
- Salted butter – Lobster is really not complete without a good buttery flavor.
How to Butterfly Lobster Tail
For beautiful lobster tails perfect for an at home date night or a fancy holiday dinner, follow these steps to butterfly a lobster tail perfectly:
Step 1 – Cut the shells. With a pair of sharp kitchen shears, place the lobster tails with their shell side up so that the tail is pointing away from you. Carefully cut along the center top of the shell. Be sure no to cut into the meat!
Once the top cut is made, flip the lobster tails over and either crack the ribs down the center using your thumbs or use the kitchen shears to cut down the center. Again, be careful not to cut the meat! Cracking or cutting the ribs will make it much easier to pop the meat out.
Step 2 – Pull or pop the meat out of the shell. Flip the tail back over the cut shell is again on top. Gently slide your finger down each side of the shell to separate the shell from the meat.
Once the meat feels somewhat loose, carefully pull the shell apart and gently lift the meat up through the centerline opening down the shell. Then, close the shell and lay the meat on top.
The meat will open down the center, which creates the butterfly effect! You are now ready to broil the tail.
If you’re like me you’ll want to check out this video on how to butterfly lobster tail. Seeing someone else do it first always helps me!
Cooking Instructions
Before starting, preheat the broiler so it gets nice and hot before cooking the tails.
Step 1 – Make the herb butter. In a small bowl whisk together the butter, fresh chopped parsley, garlic, sea salt, juice from ½ a lemon, black pepper, smoked paprika, and minced chili peppers. The mixture should create a bit of a paste.
Step 2 – Prepare. Place the prepared tails in a 12” cast iron skillet, roasting pan, or a heavy baking sheet.
Cut the remaining lemon half into slices and place them in the pan with the lobster tails. Finally, spread the herb butter on top of the lobster meat.
Step 2 – Broil. Place the cast iron skillet under the broiler for 10 minutes. Be sure to keep it about 6” from the top heating element in the oven to avoid burns.
Step 3 – Make the butter sauce. Remove skillet from under the broiler and then remove the lobster tails from the skillet.
Carefully pour the liquid in the skillet into a saucepan and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bring the butter sauce to a simmer and then remove from heat. Pour the sauce into a heat proof bowl.
Finally, return the lobster tails to the cast iron skillet and pour 1 tbsp of butter mixture on top of each. Serve immediately and enjoy!
When is Lobster in Season?
Fresh lobster tail is the best. If you wan’t find fresh, you can use frozen tails.
Before starting, you need to thaw the tails completely. To do this, place them in the fridge for 24 hours. In a pinch, you can place them in a strainer and run cool water over them until they have thawed completely.
Once they are thawed, you can follow the instructions above to butterfly and then broil them.
How to Cook Frozen Lobster Tail
I don’t recommend cooking frozen lobster tails straight out of the freezer. Lobster tails taste amazing when you butterfly the meat and broil or bake them with herb butter on top.
If you have to use frozen tails, I strongly recommend thawing them under cool running water or for about 24 hours in the fridge. Once they are thawed, you can follow this recipe for a buttery, flavorful tail you and your family are sure to enjoy!
How Many Carbs?
Lobster tail makes an excellent keto date night dinner. There are zero (0) carbs in lobster tail meat. The butter adds extra fat to balance out your macros.
Total of (I’ll insert amount) carbs per approximately 10 ounces (or two tails) serving of broiled lobster tail.
How Much is a Serving?
Tails are typically about 5 to 7 ounces each. I suggest serving 2 tails per person. If you are also serving with steak or chicken breasts, one tail per person should work.
If you want to add it to a pasta or into a lobster roll, I would still do about 2 per person to get a good ratio of meat to noodles and to fill up a lobster roll bun.
Looking for More Seafood Recipes?
- Quick and Easy Crab Balls
- Citrus Marinated Grilled Shrimp
- PEI Mussel Poke
- Portuguese Shrimp Turnovers – Rissóis de Camarão
- Pistachio Crusted Salmon
- Portuguese-style Baked Rockfish
- More seafood recipes…
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broiled lobster tails
Ingredients
- 4 Lobster tail
- 1 tablespoon Fresh chopped parsley
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- 1 Lemon
- ½ cup Salted butter, one stick
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Preheat broiler
- With the lobster tail shell side up, and the tail pointing away from you, cut through the center of the shell stopping at the base of the tail. Make sure your scissors are not cutting the meat, they should be between the shell and the meat.
- Flip the lobster tail over onto its back and crack ribs down the center with your thumbs, or use the scissors to cut through the ribs, again making sure you aren’t cutting the meat. This will help the shell open easier so you can remove the meat.
- Flip lobster tail shell side up and gently pull the shell apart, sliding your fingers inside and running them down the inside of the shell to gently separate the meat from the shell.
- Carefully pull the shell apart and gently lift the meat up through the centerline cut down the shell, close the shell and lay meat on top.
- The lobster meat will open down the center, Let this remain open to butterfly the lobster tail.
- In a separate bowl, make the herb butter. Add fresh chopped parsley, garlic, sea salt, juice from ½ a lemon, butter, black pepper, smoked paprika, and minced chili peppers to a small bowl. Whisk together until a paste forms.
- Place lobster tails in a 12” cast iron. You can also use a roasting pan or a heavy baking sheet.
- Cut the remaining ½ of lemon into slices. Add the slices to the cast iron skillet with the lobster.
- Spread herb butter on top of the lobster meat. Place the cast iron under the broiler for 10 minutes. *Keep about 6” from the top heating element in the oven.
- Remove lobster tails from the cast iron skillet and pour the liquid inside into a saucepan. Add remaining 3 tbsp of butter and bring to a simmer then remove from the heat and pour into a small heat-proof bowl
- Return lobster tails to the cast iron skillet and pour 1 tbsp of butter mixture on top of each.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
