Lobster Tails with Butter
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Preheat broiler. If using frozen lobster tails, thaw and pat dry with paper towels.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the clam juice. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from the heat.
Use scissors to cut lengthwise through the top of the lobster shell. Cut through the meat almost to the bottom, but do not cut right through the soft bottom shell. Use your hands to gently push apart the meat on both sides of the cut.
Lightly brush the lobster with a small amount of the butter mixture. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes, until cooked but still tender. Halfway through cooking, brush again with the butter. Serve the lobster tails with the remaining butter mixture.
Lobster Butter
Making authentic lobster butter is a complex process. Lobster shells are finely crushed, blended with butter, and heated. The mixture is then strained to remove the shell fragments. If the butter is going to be used as a spread (instead of served with lobster tails for dipping), it is hardened in ice water. In Lobster Tails with Butter (page 160), clam juice makes a handy substitute for crushed lobster shells.
Serves 2
Always place the lobster approximately 4 inches away from the heat source, no matter what method you are using to cook it.
