$5 and 25 Minute Lobster Tail Recipe
Do you want your friends to tell their friends and random strangers about your amazing cooking when you’re not around? Cook them this lobster tail recipe and they won’t be able to stop talking about your chef skills. And for the price of $5 per tail, don’t even charge them for the unforgettable culinary experience.
Lobster Tail Recipe
$5 and 25 Minute Lobster Tail Recipe
Equipment
- Baking sheet lined with aluminum foil
- Kitchen scissors (any scissors will do, just make sure you clean them first!)
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Small microwavable mixing bowl
- Citrus juicer (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 4-5oz lobster tails
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (~1 small lemon)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced (depends on how much you like garlic)
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Flip over the lobster tail, use the kitchen scissors to cut off the clear skin and legs, and place them exposed meat side up on the baking sheet.
- Put the butter in a small mixing bowl and melt in the microwave.
- Finely chop the garlic and add to small bowl.
- Add the lemon juice, black pepper, salt and cayenne to the melted butter in the small mixing bowl and stir.
- Use the spoon to spread the melted butter mixture across the exposed tail meat.
- Bake in the oven for 13 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Tips:
Step 2 – This is a lot easier than it sounds. Cut along the intersection of the clear skin and red shell on the underside of the lobster on both sides. Then peel the skin off starting from the thick part of the tail and it will separate from the meat. Total time for the three tails below was approximately 5 minutes.
Regular scissors would work here, provided you clean them thoroughly before use. A robust pair of kitchen scissors is a good investment though, especially if you plan on cooking more/making this recipe as often as possible (which you will).
Step 3 – Approximately 30 seconds on power level 3 should do the trick. Be careful not to over-melt the butter. If accidentally over-melted, throw it out and start over. The safest way is to microwave the butter in 10 second intervals, stirring in between intervals.
Step 4 – To prep the garlic, separate 2 cloves from the bunch. Remove any outer layer that comes off easily. Lay the garlic cloves on their side. Use the broad side of the kitchen knife and press down on each clove until you hear a cracking sound. Use your hand to remove the any remaining outer layer that is still connected to the clove. Once you have removed the skin, chop off the brown part at the bottom of the clove where it connected to the bunch. Chop the rest as finely as possible aka mince.
Pre-prepared minced garlic will work in a bind, but garlic cloves lose most of their good antioxidants within a couple days of being crushed. The pre-prepared garlic may be convenient, however it lacks the nutritional value and taste of the fresh stuff!
Last note on garlic: Anything that touches garlic, will smell like garlic. Wash your hands and anything else the garlic touched thoroughly. You have been warned.
Step 5 – I often have the lemon juiced and ready to go as well. Roll the broadside of the lemon on the cutting board to help get the most juice out. Then use a citrus juicer to squeeze and measure at the same time! See more about this must-have in the Apartment Chef Tools post.
Step 8 – To add even more flavor to your plate, pour any remaining garlic/lemon/butter juices caught by the aluminum foil over the lobster tail to complete this masterpiece meal.
Step 9 – I have yet to figure out the most elegant way to eat this meal! You can get in there with a fork and knife or use a spoon, which is surprisingly effective at digging out the meat. Also, don’t forget about the meat at the end of the tail! You can break off each portion of the tail with your hands. Have a napkin handy and warn everyone around you because the first time you do this, you will likely squirt juice on yourself and/or across the table. It’s 100% worth it though, a little extra lobster is always worth a little extra mess!
Cost:
- Two 4-5 oz of lobster tail ~ $10
- 2 Tbsp of butter ~ $0.50
- 1 small lemon ~ $0.33
- 2 garlic cloves ~ $0.10
- Spices ~ negligible
Cost per homemade lobster tail = ~$5
Conclusion
You can now officially call yourself an apartment chef. You just cooked lobster tail. Lobster tail!! At home, by yourself! What else can you cook? Anything! The sky is the limit get out there and get creative!
For more meal ideas that are sure to impress, check out these recipes!
- $5 and 15 Minute Scallops and Zucchini
- $2.50 and 60 Minute Acorn Squash Bowls
- $2.25 and 45 Minute Eggplant Curry
As always, make informed food decisions. Know your ingredients and know your costs!
