Maine Lobster Tail Recipe | How To Roast Lobster Tails with Butter – SoPo Seafood

by SoPo Seafood's Jacqueline Clark

Maine Lobster tail Recipe Ready to Eat on Tray

Whole lobsters are fun, but even the biggest lobster lover will admit that they’re a commitment. Preparing lobster tails in your oven gives you a fine dining experience with less work (and much less of a mess) than working with whole lobsters. There are many different ways to cook lobster tails, but butterflying (for a step by step guide to butterflying lobster tails, click here) them, smothering them in butter, and baking them in your oven is an easy surefire way to create a mouthwatering dish that looks like it belongs on the cover of a Food & Wine Magazine.

The ratios of the ingredients in this Spicy Cilantro Citrus Butter recipe can be adjusted based on individual preference. If you are a cilantro lover, feel free to add in another tablespoon of chopped cilantro to the mix. Not a fan of spice? No worries! Cut back on the sliced serrano pepper to give this compound butter a more mild touch. The best thing about working with compound butters is that you can use them throughout the cooking process by brushing the lobster tails with the butter before, during, and after their time in the oven.

Tip: If you are cooking with lobster tails that have been previously frozen, do not refreeze them once thawed – it will make the meat tough and gritty. If you’re cooking with frozen lobster tails, thaw them completely, and cook them the day they are thawed. You can always use fresh lobster tails too!

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Actual Cooking Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 3

Cilantro Citrus Butter Ingredients

• 6 TBSP room temperature unsalted butter
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 2 TBSP parsley, finely chopped
• 2 TBSP cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green serrano pepper, finely diced
• 1 TBSP lime juice
• 1 TBSP lemon juice

Roasted Lobster Tail Ingredients

• 3 lobster tails, butterflied, with meat spread over the shell
• 1 teaspoon of salt, separated
• 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, separated

Steps

• If Using Frozen Lobster Tails. Defrost the lobster tails completely overnight in the refrigerator. To defrost a lobster tail, place them in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours. Alternatively, you can thaw them by placing them in a bowl of ice cold water until completely thawed.
• Prepare the Spicy Cilantro Butter. Over low heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is nearly melted, add in the chopped green onion, half the parsley, the cilantro, the garlic cloves, and the pepper, and stir. Let the ingredients combine and the garlic and pepper soften, about 3 minutes. Add in the squeezed lime and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Ensure the butter cooks over low heat – do not allow the butter to boil, as this may cause the butter or the garlic to burn.
• Preheat the Oven. To 400 ° Farenheit.

Maine Lobster Tails Brushed with Cilanto Butter

• Butterfly the Lobster Tail. Once the lobster tails are defrosted (or if you’re starting with fresh lobster tails), insert kitchen shears between the meat and the shell, and carefully cut the shell down the center of the back. Be sure to leave the tail intact. Loosen the meat from the shell, and carefully lift the tail through the slit to rest on the top of the shell. - For a full step-by-step guide on how to Butterfly Lobster Tails, click here!)
• Prepare the Lobsters. Place the butterflied lobster tails onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each tail with salt and pepper. Next, brush each tail with the Spicy Cilantro Butter.
• Bake the Lobster. Bake the lobster for 10-12 minutes—the cook time will depend on the size of the lobster tail, but you will want the internal temperature of the lobster to reach between 140-145° Farenheit, The cooked lobsters should be bright red in color, and the meat should be firm.
• Serve Immediately. Once I remove the lobster tails from the oven, I glaze them once again quickly with additional Spicy Cilantro Butter, and serve them with citrus.