Citric Acid Free Lobster Tails with Garlic Butter
Lobster tails broiled in garlic butter are about as luxurious as a home-cooked meal gets, and this version delivers that restaurant-quality payoff with surprisingly little effort. The butterfly cut is the real secret here — splitting the shell and resting the meat on top exposes it to direct broiler heat, giving you that gorgeous golden finish and perfectly opaque, tender texture all the way through. The garlic butter comes together in just a minute on the stovetop, built from unsalted butter, fresh garlic, parsley, paprika, and a touch of lemon juice for brightness. For anyone avoiding citric acid, the lemon juice used here is freshly squeezed rather than a processed additive, so you stay in control of exactly what goes into the dish — no hidden preservatives or mystery acids lurking in a bottled sauce. Brushing the tails twice during broiling — once before and once halfway through — keeps the meat basted and flavorful the whole way. Serve straight from the pan with extra parsley and lemon wedges on the side, and this becomes the kind of dinner that feels genuinely special without requiring a culinary degree to pull off.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 4 lobster tails (6–8 oz each), thawed if frozen
For the garlic butter
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- lemon wedges, for serving
- fresh parsley, chopped, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Position an oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler element and preheat the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- 2
Using kitchen shears, cut straight down the center of the top shell of each lobster tail from the open end to just before the tail fan. Use your thumbs to gently spread the shell apart and lift the meat up and over the shell, resting it on top while keeping it attached at the base — this is the butterfly cut that exposes the meat for even broiling.
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