Baked Lobster Tails
The tail is the most tender and meatiest part of the lobster. Personally, I enjoy the tail much more than cooking and picking through the entire lobster. So, I'm going to focus on the tail specifically. This dish is much more manageable then preparing the entire lobster and no bibs, mallets or crackers are necessary!
There are many ways to cook the tail: grilling, broiling, and steaming all work well. My favorite method is baking. I prepare and serve my tails with ghee, which is easier to digest than regular butter because the milk solids are removed. You can also use olive oil if you prefer. Try these lobster tails alongside my deconstructed corn on the cob and potato bake with fresh herbs for a complete New England lobster bake.
Ingredients
4 lobster tails, 4-6 ounces each (in shell, fresh or frozen)
Paprika and salt for sprinkling
2 T + ¼ c ghee/clarified butter (you can sub olive oil to keep it dairy free)
1 lemon (cut in wedges for garnish)
Fresh parsley
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°. Prepare a ceramic baking dish with ¼ inch water. Tails can be fresh or frozen. If frozen, make sure they are completely defrosted. Place tails shell side up on a flat work surface. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the lobster down the middle of the back shell in a straight line, starting from the middle of the top of the shell to the middle of the line where the flat fin begins. Do not cut through the end of the tail.
Using a dishtowel to protect your hands, crack the tail vertically inwards. This helps loosen the tail meat inside the shell. Use your fingers to separate the tail meat from the shell. Pull the tail meat out, leaving the part of the tail attached on the end near the fin. Lay the flesh lengthwise on top of the shell.
Place the shells in the baking dish and melt 2 T of the clarified butter in a small bowl. Brush each tail generously with the butter. Sprinkle each tail with paprika and kosher salt. Place in oven for 15 minutes (approximately 2 ½ minutes /ounce) until meat is white and opaque. Do not overcook. Melt the remaining butter and divide into 4 ramekins. Serve ramekins of butter for dipping and garnish each tail with lemon wedges and parsley. Serves 4.
