Learn How to Broil Lobster in Less Than 10 Minutes

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Photo by David Reber licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

A good lobster can be baked, steamed, fried, grilled – just about any cooking method works with these delicacies. You might shy away from learning how to broil lobster tails, though, because you’ve heard that cooking them this way can be tricky and can cook them too fast.

That’s not entirely false. You can overdo it when you broil anything, which is why it’s important to man your oven and check on your meat frequently. However, learning how to broil lobster tails in the oven is so much easier than people make it sound, and we’re going to teach you exactly how to do it – all in less than ten minutes!

Broil Lobster Tails

  1. First, you’ll need to prepare your tails or whole lobster like you would with almost any other cooking method. Unlike steaming, you’ll want the meat somewhat exposed, so heat can penetrate it to cook. Take kitchen shears or a knife to slice through the top of the tail or full lobster, lengthwise. Pull open the shell slightly so that the meat is exposed, without removing any of it.
  2. Pour some melted butter over the exposed meat and add your favorite lobster-worthy spices on top, like some garlic salt, paprika, and pepper.
  3. Preheat the broiler.
  4. Line a shallow baking sheet with foil. Place the lobsters on top and put the baking sheet in the oven.
  5. Allow cooking until lobster meat turns white, keeping an eye on the lobster to make sure it’s not overcooking.

You probably want to know how to broil lobster tails per pound to make sure you’re not cooking them too much. A good rule of thumb is to allow about 1 minute per ounce for lobster tails. That means most tails won’t need more than 10 minutes to broil. However, a full-size lobster is a bit trickier, since some parts of the body have much less meat than the tails.

The most important thing to remember is that the meat should be white instead of opaque. You can always use a digital thermometer just to be safe, cooking to a minimum internal temperature of 140-degrees Fahrenheit.

Conclusion: Best Way to Broil Lobster Tails


Although you can broil full lobsters, we do recommend sticking to tails for this method because you could risk having the rest of the lobster overcook while waiting for the tail to come to the right temperature. If you want to cook a full lobster, consider steaming or boiling instead. Now you know how simple it is to broil lobster tails in less than 10 minutes for a quick and simple cooking method to add to your repertoire. Check out our selection of lobsters for online delivery and you can get them sent to your door, ready for dinner in just a few days.

Broiling Lobster Tails

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Equipment

  • large bowl
  • kitchen shears/scissors
  • small sauce pan
  • baking dish
  • spoon or pastry brush
  • instant read thermometer

Ingredients
  

  • maine lobster tails
  • butter (salted or unsalted)
  • seasonings of choice (such as: fresh garlic, lemon juice, paprika, or old bay seasoning)

Instructions
 

  • The first step to making broiled lobster tails is to turn on your broiler. Set it to high
  • While your broiler is heating up, prep your lobster tails. Split the shell of the lobster tail using kitchen scissors, carefully cutting lengthwise down the back
  • Gently pull the lobster meat out of the shell so it sits on top
  • Create a butter sauce to season your lobster tails using 2 tablespoons of butter for each tail, plus your choice of seasonings such as garlic, lemon, and paprika or Old Bay seasoning. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan and add desired seasonings
  • Next, place your butterflied lobster tails in a baking dish and spoon the sauce overtop. Make sure to fully coat all of the lobster meat. Reserve the remaining butter to baste the lobster meat halfway through cooking
  • When your oven is fully preheated, place the tails inside. Make sure to place your baking dish in the middle of the oven, and not directly under the broiler
  • Lobster tails will broil at about 1 minute per ounce. If you’re cooking 8 ounce lobster tails, remove from the oven at 4 minutes, basting  each tail with the butter sauce once more. Place back in the oven for an additional 4 minutes, or until the lobster meat is opaque white and the shell is bright red
  • Check that your lobster is fully cooked by inserting an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the lobster meat. Thermometer should read 140 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Serve lobster tails hot with flavored butter sauce or classic clarified butter