As you shall find out, there is more than a single best way to cook lobster tail. Regardless of the method you choose to follow, the common denominator among them all is that lobster tails are super easy to make. Furthermore, they make for a simple yet scrumptious romantic dinner for two, suitable for execution even during busy weeknights.

Lobster tails like other seafood can even feed a big crowd and earn you some fancy points in the process. That is how versatile they can be. Some of the best ways to cook lobster tail regardless of the occasion include boiling, steaming, broiling, and baking among others. Let’s look at them.

Table of Contents

First, Butterfly the Lobster Tail Before Cooking

To produce the best lobster tail dish regardless of the cooking method followed, the first step is to butterfly a lobster tail before cooking it. Many cooking resources tend to be silent about this important step, but we find that it makes things very much easier. More importantly, butterflying a lobster tail exposes the flesh, making the tail ready for any of the cooking options we shall discuss.

But first, what is butterflying lobster tail? This refers to the act of extracting lobster tail meat out of its hard shell. The tail is cut using a kitchen shear and then spread into two equal halves. The process of doing this mimics a butterfly. Butterflied lobster tail meat cooks evenly.

The best lobster tail for butterflying should be at least 12 oz. (340g) or bigger following the simple rule that the smaller the harder. Frozen lobster tails are not suitable for butterflying and should be thawed prior.

Butterflying lobster tail involves taking kitchen scissors or shears and cutting down the length of the tail right down the middle, opening the hard shell to expose the flesh as shown above. The bottom section of the shell, the fins, should be left intact as this keeps the shell, tail, and flesh together which is important for dish presentation.

After cutting through the middle, flip the tail over and give a gentle press to force the flesh to escape the now cut-open shell. If you find some resistance, you may also use your fingers to gently release the meat from the shell and drag it out. Finally, grab the meat and pull it out placing it on top of the cut-open shell. The tail end of the flesh will remain attached to the fins. Remove the veins and the tail is butterflied.

Best Lobster Tail Cooking Methods

Thankfully, there is more than a single best way to cook lobster tail. This is a good thing as you have an opportunity to try out no less than 5 fine ways to make a really tasty lobster dish. Once you have your lobster butterflied, as described earlier above, it is time to put any of the following methods into action.

Broiled Lobster Tail

Broiling your lobster tail is one of the recommended best ways of cooking lobster tail with the best results. This method is performed in the oven under very high heat. When done, the meat is lightly browned along with the shell and will have more flavor depth. When broiling, first butterfly the lobster tail and then season the meat with salt, paprika, or chili powder, for example. Preheat the broiler and broil the tails for some 5 minutes or until the meat turns opaque. The dish is ready to serve.

Baking Lobster Tail

Similar to broiling is baking which is another great way to cook lobster tail. Although both happen in the oven, the difference between broiling and baking is that baking is done under normal heat. If you wish for more tender meat inside, broiling your lobster tail produces better results than baking.

Grilled Lobster Tail

Yet another method of cooking lobster tail with scrumptious results is by grilling. Grilling will get you a bit of smokiness and charring to the meat and shell which in itself is flavorful. One important point to add when using this method is that it may actually be ideal and even recommended to first parboil the tails for about 2 minutes before grilling them. This produces some of the tastiest grilled lobster tails as the meat is precooked before it is grilled.

Best Way to Cook Lobster Tail Recipe

Scrumptious Baked Lobster Tail

Recipe by AurtherCourse: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

This recipe presents the best way to cook lobster tail using the baking method. It follows the baking or oven methods of making the lobster tail. It is easy to follow and is a great date-night recipe that only takes 25 minutes to make. The seasoning plus lemon juice flavored butter gives the final dish such a scrumptious taste and flavor that won’t be the last time preparing it.

Ingredients

2 Lobster tails of at least 12 oz. each
1 stick butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse lobster tails with cold water and pat them dry.
Remove the legs and butterfly the lobster tails.
Place the tails in a baking dish and set them aside.
Combine butter and lemon juice in a separate bowl. Add parsley and garlic and whisk until well combined.
Take the set aside lobster tails and season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Using a brush, apply the butter mix onto the lobster tails.
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the lobster tails is 140 degrees.

Notes

For best results, first butterfly the lobster tails as explained above.
Ensure the lobster is thawed before attempting to butterfly

Conclusion

Baking, broiling, and grilling are considered the best ways to cook lobster tail. Pick any of these methods any day and you have one of the best-tasting lobster tails for any occasion. Nonetheless, keep in mind that to have a great, palatable lobster dish, first butterfly the lobster tails to expose the meat and get it cooked well.

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