Broiled Lobster Tail with Brown Butter Sauce Recipe

Toast the hazelnuts in a small skillet on medium to medium-high heat.

When fragrant and lightly browned, remove the hazelnuts from the pan and place in the center a dry, clean dish towel.

Rub the hazelnuts together inside of the dishtowel to remove as much of the papery dark skins.

Coarsely chop the hazelnuts and set aside.

In a small stainless steel saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. (Use stainless so it will be easy to tell when the butter is browning.)

After the butter melts, it will foam up, and recede. The milk solids will fall to the bottom of the pan.

Continue to heat, and the milk solids will start to brown giving the melted butter a wonderful nutty aroma.

Let most of the milk solids brown and then remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, to remove the browned milk solids.

Remove 2 tablespoons of the melted brown butter and set aside (it will be brushed onto the lobster tails before broiling.

To the remaining brown butter, add the chopped hazelnuts, parsley, shallots, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.

Place a rack in medium position in oven. Preheat the broiler.

Place a layer of foil over a broiling pan or roasting pan.

Using kitchen shears or strong scissors, cut the top side of the lobster tail shells lengthwise, from the open-end to the base of the tail.

To help make the shell easier to deal with, put the tail upside-down in the palm of the hand and squeeze to break the translucent bottom shell.

Grip the sides of the shell and pull open by about 1- to 2-inches.

Using the finger, carefully wiggle between the lobster meat and the shell and separate the meat from the shell.

Then gently pull the meat up through the crack created, keeping the meat attached to the tail, and let the lobster meat sit on top of the shell.

Place the tails on the foil-lined broiling pan.

Pull back the lobster meat to expose as much of it as possible. 

Brush the exposed lobster meat with the unadorned browned butter you set aside earlier.

Broil for 7 to 10 minutes until the meat is cooked through (less time for smaller lobster tails), and the shells are bright red.

Use a meat thermometer, which should read 145 degrees F when the lobster is done.

When the lobster tails are done, remove them from the oven and place them on serving plates.

Spoon the browned butter hazelnut sauce over the lobster meat of the lobster tails to serve.