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We've got lobster tails in the freezer and I thought I'd fix them for Valentine's day. I like them best broiled with drawn butter. Any suggestions on how to go about this?
Fitzie

My favorite! I always cut through the shell with sharp shears. The squeeze from the 2 sides to crack the spines on the underside.

Using your fingers (and a dull knife if necessary) loosen the meat, but leave it attached at the tip. Lift the entire hunk of meat out of the shell through your cut and lay it back on top of the shell. Sometimes there is an unattractive vein to be removed.

Spread the tail fins wide, for both stability & attractiveness. Brush with plenty of melted butter and broil. I like it about 6 inches from the heat. Timing just depends on the size of the tails, but be careful not to overcook - they can get tough.

Hi Fitzie,

I've got a recipe that I think was originally posted on TOBB, which I don't have at my fingertips. The basic idea is to cut through the shell and then push the meat out so it is on top of it (but still attached at the tail). It is then butterflied to expose the meat and brushed with a mixture of butter, olive oil, garlic, Cajun spice, lemon juice and some dried herbs. I typically lmake it without the garlic (fear of burning it), dried herbs or the Cajun spice.

Generally, it goes something like this:

1. preheat oven to 425
2. Melt some butter, olive oil, dried spices, Cajun spice, and lemon juice in small pan - let it simmer for a bit and then let it sit for a few minutes
3. prepare the lobster tails as noted above
4. brush lobster tails with butter mixture, place in a baking dish to which you add some white wine
5. put the baking pan with the lobster tails in the oven (about 6-8" from the broiler) - increase heat to broil and check results every few minutes. Remove from the oven when the tops start to turn brown (usually 5-7 minutes but monitor carefully). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and you are good to go.

PM me if you want the full recipe.

Gerard

PS I can't tell you how great it is to see all of you again!

Hey Gerard,
Welcome to Fuzzy's board! So very wonderful to see you as well!

Gerard...lovely to see you!

How goes your sous vide experiments?

Amy

Crystal - I can't tell you how glad I am to be here and it's so good to see you too! I signed up about a year ago but never really took a look. Now that I have taken some time to see what's doing, I know I'll be checking in regularly.

Amy - yes, the sous vide expreiments continue!

So far so good! I'm using it all the time. I've now got several ice cube trays full of frozen chicken broth, red and white wine (with the alcohol cooked out), and olive oil ready to go so that I can insert them into the pouches when needed. I had heard of a trick to use liquid ingredients but it didn't work for me (it was actually quite messy).

We had flank steak earlier this week and it was terrific - just flank steak and some seasoning sitting in a water bath for 12 hours. What could be simpler? I've made peace with deeloping a crust on beef and pork - basically heating up an AC pan for about 4-5 minutes, brushing the meat with canola oil and then flash-searing it. This way, I'm getting a crust without totally burning the pan. I've taken your advice and not invested in a blow torch!

I've moved into playing around with seafood recently (I found local sources for sushi grade salmon and tuna) and that's been totally amazing (particularly the salmon). I haven't found a way to sear it after its done but in all candor, it's so good - why bother?

Gerard

Gerard,

I do a quick sear on my seafood after the circulator, and it works out pretty well. You may want to check out the thread Sous Vide...ah me....

Amy