Lobster Paradise

I love to eat. Unfortunately, I can't always afford to eat foods that are considered gourmet. One such delicacy is lobster. I love, love, love lobster. Ok. Red Lobster's lobster pizza? Heavenly. My Tio Pedro's lobster soup? Divine. So when Central Market decided to sell their lobster tails for 1/2 the normal price per tail, I knew it was my turn to create my own supernatural lobster recipe.

You can't just make anything with lobster. I froze those two babies for a month before I decided to cook them. I wanted the meal to be special. So...the occasion: Friday evening after a long day at work. In a sense, a way to celebrate TGIF! The sides: Boxed saffron risotto (who knew?!) and a tomato, parm cheese, and arugula and spinach salad tossed with Giade de Laurentiis' Tuscan Vinaigrette (Target food aisle baby!).

This was my first time making lobster, and it was pretty darn easy. After googling how to cook lobster tails, I chose to broil them in a butter sauce. The lovely thing about lobster tails is that the meat soaks up the flavor of whatever is thrown in the pan with them, so you can get really creative with it. You can also keep things simple and that creates as much of a party in your mouth as anything complex.

Broiled Lobster Tails
- 2 lobster tails
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 t red pepper flakes (I told you, we like everything spicy!)
- 3 t dried parsley
- 1/4 t ground white pepper
- sprinkle of salt
- pinch smoked paprika
- 1 T lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)

1. Preheat your broiler. If your broiler has a low and high setting, set the broiler on high. 
2. Rinse lobster tails and pat dry. Using kitchen shears, carefully and slowly cut a line down the middle of the lobster tail (on the top, not on the botom where the legs are). Gently pull the shells apart, without removing the shell from the meat. The shell adds flavor to the lobster meat, so you are only pulling the shells apart so you can pour your sauce inside the shell and onto the meat. 
3. Place lobster tails into an 8 in. by 8 in. square baking dish, or a small baking sheet. 
4. Add your seasonings to the butter and mix well. Drizzle the butter sauce into the slits you cut, and drizzle sauce on top of the shells as well.
5. Pop the dish into the oven and broil for 5 to 10 minutes or until the lobster meat is opaque and the lobster shells are bright red. This took 10 minutes for my broiler. Be sure to check on the tails throughout, you definitely don't want tough, rubbery lobster meat. 
6. Serve with risotto and a salad. Drizzle butter sauce from the pan onto your cooked lobster tail. 
7. Enjoy!