Boiled Lobster Tails

 Kent and I were at the grocery store, I was talking about making taco salad for dinner. Then we walked past the seafood display. The lobster tails were calling my name. I don't know why - they just were. I've never, ever made lobster at home before, but we all love it. I mean, it's lobster. It's delicious!

(Don't you love to see the beautiful color change from pre-cooked, to cooked? Look at that gorgeous red!)

So, the incredibly cool, funny, nice guy behind the counter (named Sheldon) helped us wrap up three lobster tails, and 3 very nice steaks as well, and home we went.

Since I've never cooked lobster at home before I looked up a few methods for preparing. The oven was occupied, so I opted to boil them and the results were divine. Like seriously. When I first pulled the meat out of the tail and looked at how small each one was I whined about paying nearly $9.00 per piece. Then I finished my pictures, plated food and served. I took that first soft, buttery bite and took it ALL back. Yes, these are definitely only once-in-awhile treats but man oh man are they worth it. So rich, so incredibly flavorful and tender... mmmm.... drool.... I dipped mine in a little bit of melted butter and that was it. Lobster perfection.

Boiled Lobster Tails inspired by Victoria Haneveer

Ingredients
3 (thawed) lobster tails
1/2 tsp salt
water for boiling
2 TBS butter
Lemon wedges for serving, if desired

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add salt.
2. Add lobster tails to the pot (they will most likely curl during boiling, so feel free to put a wooden skewer through them to keep them straight while cooking, and remove afterwards, if desired)
3. Boil for 4 - 10 minutes depending on weight / size (my three tails were perfectly cooked at 8 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat in a small skillet (or microwave if desired).
5. When tails are cooked (shells have changed color, and the meat is no longer glossy), remove from water and drain. Cut along the back of the shell in a straight line with kitchen shears, pry the sides apart and pull the meat up and out of the tail. You can close the tail up and leave the meat on top, or remove completely from the shell and serve.
6. Serve with warm melted butter and lemon wedges on the side, if desired.