Although lobster tail is typically reserved for fancier occasions, preparing it never has to be difficult. Once you sink your teeth into juicy, buttery lobster meat that took you less than 30 minutes to make, you'll be baking it whenever you get the chance.
Using gloved hands, use kitchen shears to cut down the middle of the shell, stopping right before the last hump before the tail fin.TIP – Chef Antoine suggests wearing vinyl gloves whenever working with raw meat, especially seafood.
Turn tail over and gently loosen meat near the head end and lift out, leaving the meat connected near the tail fin.
Lift meat and gently close tail shell, resting meat on top of the closed shell. This is called crowning.
Brush meat with melted butter.
Season both sides of meat with old bay. To do this, we lay the shells upside down so that the meat you just crowned will lay on the work surface. Season then replace the meat to its crowned position. Season the exposed meat side with Old Bay.
Placed crowned tails onto wire rack over a baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Notes
Defrost your lobster tails overnight in the refrigerator, do not purchase pre-thawed lobster tails at the store. It’s best to buy them frozen. When cutting open the shell, if you notice a dark line in the flesh, this is the digestive tract which should be removed before beginning.
Although lobster is best enjoyed right away, you can store any leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also wrap the lobster tails securely in aluminum foil for storing. You can store the lobster meat with or without the shell.
To reheat, add a few pats of butter to the meat (this will help keep the meat moist), then wrap it in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped tails on a baking sheet and reheat in a 350F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes. We love to use leftover meat for lobster mac and cheese!
Lobster tail should be cooked to an internal temperature of 140F. Use an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of meat to check the temperature. Do note that the lobster tails will continue to cook while resting after being removed from the oven.