Oven Baked Lobster Tails
These Oven Baked Lobster Tails are tender, buttery, and rich with flavor, making them a luxurious yet surprisingly easy dish to prepare. Brushed with garlic butter and baked to perfection, they’re perfect for any special occasion.
Lobster tails are the perfect dish to prepare for date night or a special occasion when you want to impress. They are incredibly easy to make in less than 20 minutes but seem like a fancy restaurant quality dish. I really like the simplicity of baking lobster tails in the oven, they end up perfectly cooked every time. For this recipe the lobster tails are topped with a delicious herb and garlic butter before going in the oven. This gives the lobster so much flavor and helps to ensure every bite is juicy and incredibly delicious.
Why You Will Love These Oven Baked Lobster Tails
- With sweet, buttery sauce smothered on top, the taste and texture are fantastic!
- It may seem too complicated, but you’ll be shocked that it’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Whether it’s Valentine’s Day, a date night in, or a couples dinner, this decadent dinner is sure to impress.
- No need to go to Red Lobster; head to the fresh seafood department of your local grocery store.
- You don’t need any fancy kitchen gear to make baked lobster tail. Grab a pair of kitchen shears and you’re good to go!
Ingredients You Will Need
- Lobster Tails: The star of the show! You do not need to buy a whole lobster. You can buy lobster tails separately.
- Butter: A rich, butter sauce is perfectly blended to enhance the sweetness of the lobster. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- Fresh Garlic: Finely minced garlic and butter belong together. I don’t think you could convince me otherwise.
- Seasoning: A small amount of salt and black pepper is all you need.
- Lemon Zest: A burst of lemon zest is a must with lobster, in my opinion.
- Fresh Chives: You’ll add chives to the butter sauce and then garnish again at the end.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Kitchen Shears
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Small Bowl
- Rimmed Baking Sheet or Roasting Pan
- Instant-Read Thermometer
- Serving Platter
How To Make Oven Baked Lobster Tails
Although it may seem intimidating, preparing lobster tails is not difficult, and the results are incredible.
- Use kitchen scissors to cut through the top of the lobster tails, stopping at the base. Don’t cut the tail fins.
- Turn the tails over and crack the ribs along the center.
- Using your fingers, open the shells where you cut and loosen the meat from the shells. You should be able to lift the meat from the lobster shell, leaving the base of the tail still attached to the shell. Push the shell together and place the lifted meat on top, so it sits outside the shell for a beautiful presentation.
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- In a small bowl, combine the room-temperature butter with all the other ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Place the lobster tails in a roasting pan so they fit together comfortably. Spoon the butter mixture over the lobster meat of each lobster tail.
- Transfer the lobster tails to the oven to cook on broil or until an instant read thermometer shows an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. You want the meat to become opaque and firm. You want it to be pink in color on the edges, similar to how shrimp turns color when cooked.
- Transfer to a serving dish and spoon any of the melted butter from the bottom of the pan over the top. Garnish with additional chopped chives and serve with lemon wedges for a fresh squeeze of lemon juice.
Buying Lobster Tails
Choosing the right high-quality lobster tails comes down to freshness, size, and location. Large lobster tails don’t always mean it will be better. Smaller tails usually have better flavor.
Cold-water lobster, usually from Maine and Canada, are generally sweeter, more tender, and of higher quality than warm-water lobster. The shells should be firm, not slimy, and have no off or fishy smell. Avoid tails with lots of black spots or yellowing meat. That is a sign that they’re not fresh. When buying frozen lobster tail, ensure they are individually quick-frozen and not covered in frost or freezer burn.
If you’re opting for warm-water lobster tails, no worries – they are still delicious. It can sometimes be a bit tougher or less sweet than cold-water varieties. Rock lobster, also known as spiny lobster, is a type of warm-water lobster that’s quite different from the classic cold-water lobster most people picture. In this recipe, I used Maine lobster.
Modifications
- You can change the seasonings and fresh herbs to your personal preference. Add paprika, chili powder, and even use garlic powder instead of minced garlic. A pinch of Old Bay seasoning would also be a delicious addition. For the herbs, you can use fresh parsley in addition to the chives.
- Want a different herb butter option? Try this Garlic and Herb Butter.
Dietary Customizations
- Make this dairy-free by using vegan butter or ghee to make these paleo and whole30.
- Leave out the garlic if your diet prohibits it.
Serving Suggestions
Think surf-n-turf dinner…serve alongside a Bone-In Ribeye Steak with a delicious salad. Try this Tomato, Peach, and Burrata Salad or this Leftover Steak and Tomato Salad. You can also serve with a side of Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges or Parmesan and Truffle Fries, because fries are always a good idea! If roasted veggies are more your style, I love these Sheet Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Bacon & Red Onion, Roasted Carrots, or Roasted Broccoli.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
Make-Ahead: To prep them ahead, raw lobster tails can be butterflied up to 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate in airtight containers until ready to use.
Storage: Leftover cooked lobster meat can be removed from the shells and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Other Seafood Recipes You Will Love:
- Sesame Crusted Air-Fryer Tuna Steak
- Blackened Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa
- Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
- Sun-Dried Tomato Crusted Halibut
- Thai Fish Cakes
If you make this Oven Baked Lobster Tail recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Oven Baked Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails
- 4 tbsp room temperature butter
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp chopped chives - plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Use scissors to cut through the top shell of the lobster tail stopping at the base, snip through the top of the as you cut
- Turn the tails over and crack the ribs along the center
- Using your fingers open the shells where you cut and loosen the meat from the shell. You should be able to lift the meat from the shell leaving the base of the tail still attached. Push together the shell and place the lifted meat on top so its sitting outside the shell
- Preheat the oven to broil
- In a small bowl combine the room temp butter plus all of the other ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Place the lobster tails in a roasting pan so they fit snuggly. Spoon the butter mixture over the lobster meat of each lobster tail.
- Transfer the lobster tails to the oven to cook on broil for approximately 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the meat reads 145 degrees
- Transfer to a serving dish and spoon any of the melted butter from the bottom of the pan overtop. Garnish with additional chopped chives and serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply