>I've never cooked lobster tails at home - I can get rock lobster Tt> tails, frozen, but I don't think I've ever seen real lobsters Tt> except for fresh (sort of) in a tank, in markets around here.

Virtually all the rock lobster that's available, except for coastal areas where it's caught fresh, is frozen anyway, so it doesn't much matter. Once the lobster is dead, the edible life span on the meat can be measured in hours, so they freeze 'em immediately for shipment.

Tt> Your sources, of course, probably far exceed my sources, when it Tt> comes to lobster tails.

Unfortunately, no. For some reason, management is more than a little stuffy about our dragging home samples :-) I do drag home a dying Maine Lobster once in a while (if it looks like it's not gonna make it through the night). It's a mixed blessing, since the darn thing has to be cooked immediately, and I just can't get all that worked up about lobster at 1 o'clock in the morning.

Actually, the frozen rock tails are pretty good, if they're prepped correctly and you don't overcook 'em. If you ever want to try, here's how:

1. Thaw the tails overnight in the refrigerator, or quick-thaw them under Cold running water. At no time should the temperature of the lobster flesh exceed 40 degrees (F).

2. (Note: the following directions are for right handed people only. Left handers should reverse the directions). Grasp the lobster tail in your left hand, with the fins pointing away from you, and the open (body) end pointing toward you. The top (rounded part) of the shell should be on top. If you have sensitive hands, you may wish to protect your hand with a towel, as the lobster barbs are sharp and can infect like crazy.

3. Carefully insert the blade of a pair of kitchen shears between the lobster meat and the uppermost shell, and make a lengthwise cut through the shell, stopping just at the point where the shell and fins meet. Do not cut into the fin area.

4. Use the shears or your fingers to cut through the shell at the point where the fins and the shell meat, so that you now have a "T- shaped" cut in the lobster shell.

5. Use your hands to pry the lobster out of the shell, leaving the portion at the top (where you cut the T) still attached to the shell. (Don't be afraid to get rough here - the meat is pretty sturdy, and the shell is Tough.)

6. After the meat has been removed from the shell (but still attached at the top), flip it over (it will remain attached), and make 3-4 shallow (careful here, it's easy to get carried away and cut through everything) cuts at about a 45 degree angle through the tough membrane on the underside of the meat. (This prevents the cooked tail from curling.

7. Flip the tail over so that the meat is sitting directly over the cut shell.

8. Using a sharp knife and a gentle hand (again, you don't want to cut through the meat), Cut about halfway through the center of the tail. It should fall open. Now make two more shallow parallel cuts on either side of the center cut.

9. Finally, use your thumbs to press down on the shell at the fin end until it snaps, and fan out the fins for a pretty presentation.

10. Brush the tail with butter, season lightly with seafood seasoning or sweet paprika, and place it in a shallow ovenproof baking dish. (We use pie tins). Place about a quarter inch of water in the dish, and stick the whole thing under the broiler until the meat Just turns opaque. Do not overcook or it will be tough, dry, and