Florida Recipes · This Is Florida

Recipes › Florida Seafood & Fish › Broiled Florida Spiny Lobster Tails

Broiled Florida Spiny Lobster Tails

Category: Florida Seafood & Fish Yield: 4 servings (scale 2/4/6/8 in the app) Prep 15 min Cook 10 min Total 25 min Method: OVEN Main: spiny lobster

Florida spiny lobster has no big claws, so all the sweet meat is in the tail, and broiling with garlic butter takes only minutes. Florida's regular spiny lobster season runs August 6 through March 31, with a two-day sport season in late July — check FWC for current rules. Scale the people count in the app to 2, 4, 6, or 8 — ingredients adjust from this base of 4 servings.

Open interactive cooker (change people count)

Food safety

Cook lobster to 145°F or until the meat is opaque and white throughout. Keep raw tails cold and away from ready-to-eat food, and wash shears and boards after use. Buy lobster from a licensed seafood dealer.

Allergens: shellfish, milk

Equipment

  • rimmed baking sheet
  • kitchen shears
  • small saucepan
  • pastry brush
  • instant-read thermometer

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

  • 4 raw spiny lobster tails, 6 to 8 ounces each, thawed if frozen
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

  1. 1. Set an oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler and turn the broiler to high. Scrub the lemon under running water and cut into wedges.

  2. 2. Keep the lobster tails cold until you work with them. With kitchen shears, cut down the center of the top shell to the tail fan.

  3. 3. Gently pull the meat up and rest it on top of the split shell, leaving the end attached at the tail. Set the tails on a rimmed baking sheet.

  4. 4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute.

  5. 5. Brush the garlic butter over the lobster meat. Sprinkle with paprika, salt, and black pepper.

  6. 6. Broil 7 to 10 minutes until the meat is opaque and white all the way through. Lobster should reach 145°F in the thickest part.

  7. 7. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges and any remaining garlic butter.

  8. 8. Wash the shears, board, and your hands with hot soapy water. Chill leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if the room is above 90°F).

Skill taught

Butterflying lobster tails and broiling them just until the meat turns opaque.

Affordable substitution

Use frozen lobster tails from the grocery store, or make the same garlic butter broil with large shell-on shrimp.

Optional variation

Add 1/2 teaspoon of lime zest to the melted butter for a citrus finish.

Leftovers & storage

Cool and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (within 1 hour if above 90°F). Store at 40°F or below. Reheat to 165°F until steaming hot, or chop cold lobster into a salad within 2 days.

More in Florida Seafood & Fish

All Florida Seafood & Fish recipes · Full recipe index