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Garlic Butter Lobster Tails

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These delicious garlic butter lobster tails are tender and tasty. You'll love the buttery sauce over the well-spiced lobster.

I'll show you how to prepare lobster tails and what to pair them with for maximum flavor and enjoyment!

Lobster tails are perfect for a special occasion or date night. Not only do they look gorgeous; they are so savory and pair well with several types of sides.

Garlic butter lobster tails on a white platter.

Why You'll Love Baked Lobster Tails

This is one of the best lobster recipes - the tail of the lobster always has the best (and most) meat.

I think this recipe is the best way to prepare lobster tails. You'll top the lobster tail meat with a great spice blend that has just a little bit of heat.

While it does take several minutes and a little bit of work to prepare the lobster tails, it's worth the effort.

This dinner is great for a date night like Valentine's Day or a birthday dinner!

Lobster tails, butter, spices, parsley, garlic, and lemon zest.

Ingredients You'll Need

Lobster Tails - You'll need 4 fresh lobster tails for this recipe. I used Maine lobster tails, but you can use Rock lobster tails (these are often a larger lobster tail, but the amount of butter and spices will work just fine!)

Butter - You'll use 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons) that you'll melt. This will serve as the base of the sauce.

Garlic - You'll need 3 garlic cloves that you'll grate. This gets the garlic to a smooth, fine consistency that will melt into the butter.

Spices - You'll use paprika, Old Bay seasoning, salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to season the lobster tails.

Lemon - You'll use 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and a few slices of fresh lemon for squeezing fresh lemon juice on the tails after cooking.

Parsley - You'll need ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley.

Four lobster tails on a cutting board.
Four lobster tails, cut down the shell with the flesh sitting on top of the shell.

What to Serve with Lobster Tails

Lobster goes so well with vegetables, pasta, and potatoes. If you're doing the full romantic dinner thing, I'd recommend some classics like these.

Lobster tails on a sheet pan, topped with spices.
Lobster tails on a sheet pan after being baked.

More Seafood Recipes to Try

If you love fish and fresh seafood, try some of our favorite pescetarian recipes.

Four garlic butter topped lobster tails on a serving platter.

Tips for Making this Recipe

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Cooking Tips - Keep a close eye on the lobster tails while they're under the broiler - if they start to brown too much, pull them out of the oven. You don't want to overcook and dry out the lobster meat.

Recommended Tools - I highly recommend using a pair sharp of kitchen shears to cut the shell of the lobster tail. You can use a sharp knife in a pinch, but scissors are so much easier!

Storing Tips - You can save lobster tails in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat them in the oven and pour additional melted butter on top of the tails if they seem dry.

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Yield: 4 servings

Garlic Butter Lobster Tails

Garlic butter lobster tails on a white platter.

These succulent garlic butter lobster tails are perfect for a special occasion.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Additional Time 2 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 lobster tails
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon paprika, divided
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, divided
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • to serve - lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
  2. Use kitchen scissors to cut down the back of each lobster shell until you reach the tail. Leave the base of the tail untouched as this will keep the whole tail together. 
  3. Pull the shell back slightly, use your fingers to separate the meat from the shell and pull the meat upwards and set it on top of the shell. Remove the black vein from the meat (if it hasn’t already been). Rinse under cold water if the meat needs additional cleaning.
  4. Place the lobster tails on a baking sheet and rack. 
  5. Combine ¼ teaspoon of paprika, ¼ teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon of onion powder, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning over the lobster tails. 
  6. Bake the lobster tails for 10 minutes. 
  7. Meanwhile, combine the melted butter, chopped parsley, grated garlic, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir till combined. 
  8. Remove 3 tablespoons of the butter mixture and set it aside. Brush the remaining butter mixture on the lobster tails. 
  9. Turn the oven broiler on high and broil the lobster tails for 3 minutes. Remove them from the oven and top with the remaining garlic butter sauce.
  10. Serve immediately alongside a lemon wedge or two. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 341Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 964mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 23g

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