Lobster Tails with Honey Garlic Butter White Wine Sauce is the perfect Valentine’s Day or special occasion dinner! Fancy, classy and best of all EASY to make. All ready in under 20 minutes, including the sauce!
This is another one of those ‘let the oven do all the cooking for you’ type of recipes! Full of flavour, there’s no need to go to a restaurant for chef-tasting lobster tails!
Lobster Tails
I can’t think of anything more romantic than seafood on Valentine’s Day…especially a couple of lobster tails. I know the one thing that stops me from buying lobster tails more often is that they’re so unbelievably expensive. You definitely want to make sure whatever recipe you choose for your special night will provide the flavour you’re looking for.
This is THE recipe we loved the most. And what a winning combination! White wine, honey, garlic butter and a hint of lemon juice seeps into the lobster meat, perfectly charring it under the broiler (or grill if you’re in Australia), and caramelising the edges. SO. GOOD!
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I only have one major tip. Please don’t omit the white wine. It provides the sauce with the BEST flavour. We tried the sauce without wine, replacing it with broth instead and it’s just not the same. We also tried it with a tablespoon of Dijon to provide the acidity you need in the sauce, but the flavour of white wine won.
If you’re worried abut the alcohol quantity, you can reduce the wine to less than half to reduce the amount.
What type of white wine do you need?
Try to find or use a good quality dry white wine. We use Pinot Grigio for this recipe, but Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay will work. Make sure you always choose good quality over something cheap, especially when cooking with seafood.
Fresh or frozen lobster tails?
We buy frozen and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. If you’re in a hurry and need to thaw them faster, place them in a pot filled with cold water for about half an hour. Please don’t be tempted to microwave them or put them in hot water. Go slow and do it right.
How do you open a lobster tail?
Something that may seem intimidating to some readers is opening a lobster tail. Before you start, get your hands on a pair of sharp scissors. We use a sharp pair of kitchen shears.
- Hold a lobster tail in one hand, or place it on a bench top supporting it with your hand. With the shell facing up, cut down through the centre of the back to the end of the tail, leaving tail fan intact.
- With your thumbs and fingers, open the shell to loosen it from the meat, opening the meat away from the shell side walls.
- Pull the meat up from the bottom of the shell to seperate the shell from the meat underneath it.
Once you’ve done that, insert a small wedge of onion in the bottom to allow flavour to steam through. You could also add a couple of smashed garlic cloves in there for extra garlic flavours!
Drizzle with the white wine honey garlic sauce aiming to get as much sauce into the shells as well as all over.
What is the best way to cook a lobster tail?
We normally grill ours on a barbecue, and you’re more than welcome to do that if you like. However, due to the amount of honey in the sauce, we went the broiling option. Easier clean up, no honey stuck on grill plates to scrub later and similar results with charred edges.
If you’re not a fan of lobster, this Honey Garlic Salmon is similar to the sauce in this recipe, omitting the white wine. There’s also Creamy Shrimp Piccata (or Salmon), Tuscan Salmon (or Shrimp), and even Browned Butter Honey Garlic Chicken to choose from. Maybe I’ll just publish a round up and share all of the recipes I think would be perfect.
Lobster Tails with Honey Garlic Butter White Wine Sauce
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Broiled Lobster Tails with Honey Garlic Butter White Wine Sauce is a fancy, classy and best of all EASY to make recipe. Ready in under 20 minutes, let the oven do all the cooking for you! Full of flavour, there's no need to go to a restaurant for chef-tasting, slightly charred lobster tails!
- 4 6oz (170g) lobster tails
- 1/2 a small onion cut into 4 wedges
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup honey
- 6 large cloves garlic crushed
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (adjust to your taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Cracked pepper to taste
- Lemon slices to serve
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
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Position a rack in the middle of the oven (4-6 inches from heat element). Preheat broiler and line a baking tray / sheet with foil.
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Thaw out lobster tails, if frozen, in a pot of cold water for 30 minutes or more, until fully thawed. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
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In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute), then add the white wine. Allow to simmer and let reduce slightly (about 2-3 minutes), then add the honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk until the honey has melted through the butter and the mixture is well combined. Set aside.
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Using sharp kitchen shears, cut the top shell down the centre of the back to the end of the tail, leaving tail fan intact. Remove vein or shell shards, if any. Run your finger between the meat and the shell to loosen it. Spread the meat slightly open. Pull and lift the lobster meat off of the bottom of the shell, being careful not to pull the tail out completely. Place an onion wedge beneath the meat (between the meat and the shell).
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Place lobster tails, meat side up, on baking sheet. Set aside. Sprinkle each lobster with a pinch of salt and a little pepper (If desired).
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Using half of the sauce, pour or brush over each lobster (concentrating on the meat) and reserve the remaining sauce for serving.
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Broil for 12 to 14 minutes or until lobster meat is opaque, and edges are slightly charred.
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Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with the remaining sauce and lemon slices.
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Britt says
My husband and I really loved this recipe. I was very simple and the lobster came out perfectly. The onion really kept it moist.
It definitely came out a bit on the sweet side but I’ll probably just use less honey next time.
Patsy says
I made this for our Christmas dinner (husband and me only), and it was AH-MAY-ZING!!!!! Definitely as good as (actually, maybe even bar better than) anything I’ve had at a restaurant! Definitely a keeper, and may become our new Christmas meal tradition! Thank you for posting such delicious and EASY recipes! This site is my new go-to for dinner ideas. Keep the recipes coming, especially Instant Pot ones!
Christopher says
AMAZING! Be prepared to have your family and friends request this every time you cook. I reduced the honey content to 50% of the suggested amount after the first of MANY meals. That is just my opinion. Thank you for helping me branch out into cooking Lobster, as I was previously intimidated by the thought of such. I would love to share a picture, as an amateur, of your recipe coupled with my Jalapeño Steak, shrimp, and sides. I will include SOME detail so you can tweak it to your palette. It is my personal choice not to participate in “social media”, so, if you can provide an email address I can show you what my beautiful Wife and I have done with this recipe. I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to copy and paste the photo in the comment box. My email address is below. Merry Christmas and God Bless.
Karina says
Yes that is so good to hear! Feel free to tweak some of these recipes to your liking as you will enjoy it more! I apologise that we don’t have a feature to upload photos in the comments, I would love to see you and your wife’s creations of our recipes! Send them to: [email protected]
Jill Burk says
Hello! Can I make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate until I’m ready to cook the lobsters? Thank you!
Karina says
Yes, that is a great idea!
Melanie Boyd says
I’m preparing the lobster tails this evening and am quite excited to try the recipe. Paring the lobster with a slaw and corn on the cob should be delish!! I’ll update you with the results.
Daniel Gordet says
I’m thawing my lobster tails as I type this. Haven’t had it yet but it sounds amazing, can’t wait till I’m finished cooking it. Very detailed easy to follow recipe and ingredients, you definitely took the time in this recipe, great job look forward to cooking and enjoying this wonderful recipe. Thanks for the share glad I found it.
Gally says
Hello!
And thank you for all your great recipes! I have made a few and was met with compliments every single time so thknk you!!
I have a question about this mouth-watering lobster recipe. If I want to serve it as an entrée what could be the side? White rice? Veggies?
I am open to any suggestion 😉
Thank you again and have a great day!
Karina says
Both those sides would be great! I like a nice light salad or asparagus with my seafood. Some biscuits or a baked/mashed potato is great too!
Mo says
One more thing I forgot to add…
If I use fresh lobster tails, does this alter the broiling time?
Thanks!
Mo
Karina says
It should be about the same. YAY! Enjoy! That sounds delicious!
Mo says
Planning to make lobster ravioli with broiled or grilled lobster pieces on top and fresh crab. Also, with a limoncello cream sauce.
Can I leave the honey out and follow the rest of the sauce to drizzle on the lobster? Anything else I could substitute it with? I think a bit of paprika (not a honey substitute) on top would be a nice touch.
I am thinking honey and limoncello sauce may not be complimentary?
Thoughts?
Mo
Ze Ching Oh says
Absolutely amazing instruction and we love very much the end product!
We never cook lobster ourself, cross upon this and tried the recipe for the first time ever and works like a charm.
Thank you very much!
Lindsay says
After searching tons… and I mean TONS of lobster recipes. Yours stood out! I’ve never made lobster at home… but let me tell you and everyone else I can. Omg, I made this tonight exactly as you described. It was amazing. The best lobster we have ever had. Thank you so much for the recipe and the very detailed instructions along with pictures. We will be serving lobster regularly now with this method and the butter sauce. I made it with a kale and cabbage slaw salad and corn on the cob. The left over butter sauce was also a great hit drizzled over the corn!
Thanks again!
Karina says
AWE!! That is so sweet of you! I really appreciate you saying all that! That means a lot to me! Thanks so much for following along with me! I am so glad that you found this lobster recipe and you loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Catherine Coombs says
I absolutely love seafood and this dish sounds absolutely divine! I’ve got a dinner party coming up and this will be a perfect dish. I’ll need to practice it before hand. Thanks for sharing such a mouthwatering recipe.
Helene Edgington says
Hello Karina,
I am so impressed with all of your mouthwatering recipes. I am interested in ordering your cookbook, I wanted to know if your book includes the lovely coloured pictures that I see on e-mail. It gives us a great idea of the presentation and make me feel like cooking some of these gorgeous meals. You are quite a chef! Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you. Helene Edgington from Ottawa, Ont. Canada
Karina says
Thanks so much for your wonderful compliment! I don’t have a cookbook at this time. There may be another cookbook that the website is showing you. Unfortunately, it is not mine. Thanks so much for following along with me!