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Do you ever look at the lobster tails in the supermarket and think “I’m going to try to make those at home sometime”? Chances are good that you won’t get around to it. Then that special occasion comes up and you end up going out when you could have had a fun dinner at home. Rather than spending big bucks for a night out on the town with your sweetie, you might want to try an impressive and more affordable dinner for two. Do you think lobster is overrated because you’ve had one too many experiences with dry, rubbery meat? Fear not. This method will produce lobster tail in all its delicious, succulent glory.
When buying frozen lobster tails, read the package and avoid ones that are soaked in Sodium trioyphosphate. This is a preservative and it adds weight to the tail. More weight means higher cost. Thaw tails completely to ensure even cooking.
Using sharp kitchen shears, cut through the shell from the meaty end to the base.
Gently slide your finger between the meat and the shell from top to bottom leaving the tail end intact.
With a sharp kitchen knife, make a slice down the center of the tail about half the thickness of the tail.
Gently lift the meat up and out of the shell and lay it directly on top of the shell. (This is called piggy-backing.) Place the tails in a baking dish, brush the meat with melted butter and add 1 cup of tap water. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 400ºF oven until the internal temperature reaches 135ºF-140º F, about 10-16 minutes depending on the size of the tail. Season with salt, fresh chopped parsley, lemon wedges and serve with clarified butter. Enjoy!
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Steam-Baked Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 2 (6-8 ounce) lobster tails, thawed completely if frozen, butterflied, and piggy-backed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Kosher salt
Assompaniments
- Clarified butter
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the lobster tails in a 8 x 8-inch baking dish and brush the tail meat with clarified butter. Add 1 cup of water to the baking dish. Cover the dish with a piece of aluminum foil. Bake until the internal temperature of the tail meat reaches 135ºF-140º F, about 10-12 minutes. For larger tails, increase the baking time. A 10-12 ounce tail will take about 12-14 minutes and a 12-14 ounce tail will bake for approximately 14-16 minutes.
- Remove from the baking dish and place on a serving plate. Brush with more butter, season with salt to taste and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with additional clarified butter and lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You make cooking anything seem so effortless-I love it. You did a great job of breaking this down–Now I just may splurge on some lobster tails!
Love that you took the time to show detailed process in shelling lobster. Looks so yummy!
Thanks for the beautiful tutorial. You make it look easy and utterly irresistible. I can't wait to try this. I can see the smile on Dad's face when I tell him what's for dinner on Valentine's Day.
Great tutorial – something I definitely needed to see pictures of before tackling it 🙂 My hubby's birthday is coming up and I'm hoping to try this…
Nice post.