This past Tuesday I cooked a special dinner for my husband for Valentine's Day. I was excited to surprise him with lobster tails! I had gone to my new favorite store, Sprouts, and found they had discounted the lobster tails for the holiday. Only $5 each! I decided to cook lobster for the first time in close to 30 years.
Last time--back before we had kids, I bought a live, fresh lobster. I was so excited to cook something so fancy! I went home and got out my big soup post. I put the water on to boil. Then... well, I realized I had to put that poor thing in the water. But I'd seen it done on cooking shows, so held my breath and dropped it in.
And those claws clacked against the sides of that pot.
As Ruthy would say... Oh. My. Stars.
I screamed, I cried! I nearly got sick. And when my husband came home, I told him the lobster was all his. I could not eat one single bite of it. LOL
I've eaten lobster a time or two at restaurants since then. When I saw these tails, I figured I could handle that. This method worked much better for me. :)
First, I found a recipe to use to get some idea of how to cook the meat. I found one from Giada De Laurentiis. Click here to see the original recipe, Lobster Tails with Clarified Butter on FoodNetwork.com.
Now here's my version...
I clarified butter by cooking on the stovetop until it bubbled and separated. Then I skimmed off some of the foam. Then I poured it into a glass measuring cup and let it sit for a few minutes. The milk solids settled to the bottom.
I skimmed off some more foam, then poured the clarified butter away from the solids.
Ta da! It worked pretty well! I impressed myself. :) I added a squeeze of lemon juice to this butter and set it aside for dipping later.
Then I took more butter, melted it on the stovetop, and added a squeeze of lemon juice as well as a dash of garlic salt. This butter would be for cooking the lobster.
Like Giada said to do, I took my kitchen scissors and cut along the back of the shell. I placed each tail on a sheet of foil. Then I brushed butter on the whole tail, as well as into the cut shell, coating as much of the meat as I could. I poured the rest of the butter over them and then wrapped the foil tightly. I nearly had a fail, though, because while trying to hold the shell open for the butter, the edges cut the foil. Butter started running onto the counter.
So I folded the packets into another layer of foil. In Giada's recipe, she cooked in a fire pit on the beach. I used my stove top grill pan and cooked on medium heat for 10 minutes. These were small, 4 ounce tails (wish I had bought two for each of us!), so they cooked quickly.
Once done, I served with the clarified butter. An amazing dinner!! I'll definitely do it again sometime.
Oh, Missy, I laughed and nodded at your lobster story! You know we spend time at the coast every summer and we eat a lot of local food. But I just could not bring myself to drop the live crabs in the boiling water. I've seen it done and I was just HORRIFIED. I do love crab and lobster, but they're just different than steaming clams or oysters.
ReplyDeleteI love lobster tails. :) Such a delicious meal.
Virginia, in the years since my first awful experience, I've noticed chefs use more humane methods. But for me, I'll be buying the prepared tails or crab legs from now on. :)
DeleteI couldn't plunge the critters into a boiling death, either.... Tails are already deceased!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my stars, is right!
Yep, buying tails is the way to go! I'm a new fan.
DeleteI remember the lobster tanks at the grocery store...but could never buy one. Even as much I love lobster, I couldn't justify the expense to put myself through that agony (to say nothing of scarring small children for life!).
ReplyDeleteThe tails seem like a good alternative.
Not for Valentine's Day around here, though. It would be special if hubby liked lobster, but we'll stick with steaks. :)
Steaks would be good too!
DeleteSo many people consider crab and lobster a delicacy, but I have to say even those tails look ugly to me...even smothered in butter they don't appeal. How can you tell I'm not a seafood fan?! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI am SO glad my hubby is allergic to shellfish!!! I can't even look at lobsters, crab, shrimp or prawns crowded and creeping around in those tanks of water without cringing; andI feel the same about clams and oysters. The idea of boiling them alive...? It's inhumane. I can't even buy fresh fish at the market because I know they weren't killed by a merciful blow to the head as any of my fly-fishing family members might employ, but were dumped from nets into ice-filled holds and left to die. I'm such a softie. I try to turn a blind eye to the breaded, pre-packaged 'fish-and-chips' kind of fish, but it isn't easy. I just don't eat seafood of any kind very often despite knowing how good it is for me. :)
Carol, it is tough to think about with any seafood--and even with poultry and meat. Are you a vegetarian or vegan?
DeleteNo, I eat a lot of meat and don't have a problem with humane slaughtering...even hunting. My hubby is a hunter and we enjoy venison and moose, but he won't take a shot if he can't ensure taking the animal down efficiently. No, it's just the idea of inflicting prolonged suffering on any life form. I even prefer to smash spiders rather than watch them succumb to a spraying.
DeleteCarol, I agree. What I've seen chefs doing with seafood nowadays is more humane. I hope the processing plants are the same.
DeleteI had to laugh at your spider comment. For those large wolf spiders (we used to get them in our former house) I would actually trap them in between two paper cups and carry them outside to rescue them. LOL So we're kindred spirits there.
oh wow... that looks absolutely scrumptious. I will have to try this sometime. I tend to not cook seafood very good. awesome!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Deb, it's easy to overcook it. This turned out really yummy! I love lobster dipped in butter.
DeleteI cringe when I think of lobster. Obviously little ol' vegetarian me isn't planning on making them for dinner any time soon. We used to have a tank of them in the grocery store and when my daughter was little she used to 'visit' them. Named them and everything and then one day she discovered what those poor lobsters were doing in that tank. Oy. The tank was right next to fresh produce and I was picking through veggies when my mama spidey senses went into over drive. It was too quiet. And my personal space was not being invaded. I looked up and couldn't see my girly anywhere! Panic! Double panic when I spotted her hanging over the edge of the lobster tank trying to free her little buddies. I switched grocery stores after that. :-)
ReplyDeleteYour poor daughter, Kav! So cute. :)
DeleteI love lobster! And this looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteYou're making me long for summer. We just booked our two weeks in Maine so I'm looking forward to lots of seafood!
Oh, Mary Cate, I envy the fresh seafood you must have there!
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