Broiled Lobster Tail with Chanterelle Mushroom

Ok, so this is a new recipe for me. We’re going to use my favorite tool in the kitchen — the SCISSORS! Scissors make so many tasks easier, they’re not just for winning against paper.

First, we are going to separate the lobster meat from its shell and use a new technique to open the lobster — we are going to butterfly the lobster (butterfly: verb, to split almost entirely and spread apart).

To do that, use a pair of scissors and cut a straight line into the top of the shell, and stop at the end of the tail. You will then separate the meat from the shell and lift it up and out of the shell. I found a short video showing how to do that:

I prefer to make incisions on both the top side and bottom part of the tail — this makes the shell easier to work with.

This next part is purely for aesthetics — you’re going to score (make a shallow cut) in the middle of the lobster meat (make one straight line down the center) so that when it bakes, the lobster tail will bloom and look fluffed up like how Red Lobster does it.

Now, moving on, we give the lobster tail some COLOR. In a separate bowl, whisk together some smoked paprika and melted butter. Brush SOME of this mixture over the lobster tail. A dusting of butter if you will. You don’t want to douse the tail because you’ll be eating chalky paprika flecks for days.

Turn on the oven broiler. We’re about to broil these lobster tails!

Place the lobster tails on a baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack — you don’t want the lobsters to cook too quickly by putting it close to the broiler.

Cook the lobster tails for 8-10 minutes. Do not open the oven at any point during this time or the lobsters will not cook correctly. Trust me, the oven is working correctly, and yes, the lobsters are indeed cooking.

As you are waiting, prepare the chanterelle yuzu butter!

On the stove, throw a cube of butter in a pan — doesn’t really matter how much, you just want enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan. Add some chanterelle mushrooms to the pan and cook over medium-high heat — do not stir. This is very important. You want the chanterelles to brown and you want to develop a nice fond on the bottom of the pan. At this point, I should mention you should not be using a nonstick pan. I hope you are using stainless steel or cast iron.

Allow the chanterelles to cook for 4 minutes (don’t stir during that time!), then stir after 4 minutes. You will find a beautiful fond at the bottom of the pan (it looks brown and burnt, but that’s where all the flavor is) — add a 1/8 cup of white wine to deglaze the pan and get some of those brown bits off the pan. Whisk in some additional butter if you like, add some salt and CRACKED black pepper (none of the powder pepper). If you are extra decadent, you may add some cream… I prefer to not use cream though, I prefer the sauce to be just lemon juice and black pepper! Turn the stove off and remove the pan from the heat. Squeeze yuzu juice into this mixture and zest as much yuzu peel as your heart wants into the pan.

At this point, the lobsters should be ready (has it been 8-10 minutes yet?)

The lobster tails are ready when they are opaque white instead of translucent white. In my research, you know the lobster tail is cooked when the lobster shell is brilliant red and white and the meat inside is opaque with pink (the way a cocktail shrimp at Costco looks like). It’s worse to have an overcooked lobster than an undercooked lobster in my opinion — if you cook the lobster for too long, it will turn out rubbery and tough. What a waste!

Remove the lobstahs from the oven!!! Serve the lobsters on dinner plates and pour the chanterelle-yuzu sauce around the lobsters. Garnish with tarragon and tobiko caviar in the center of the butterflied lobsters.

Voila!