Lobster is really great when it is cooked on the grill. Today I’m going to show you how to grill lobster tails. The lobster tails we will be grilling are from spiny lobsters. They are also referred to as langoustes or rock lobsters. They look somewhat like Maine lobsters, but they have spotted brownish tan bodies, and of course they are covered with spines.
Another thing to note about spiny lobsters is they don’t have any claws. The best thing about them is that they have wider tails than Maine lobsters, which means more firm, white meat. These lobsters aren’t usually sold whole, but rather only the tail is sold. You can find them at your local fish market or grocery store. Fresh is always better, but you can also buy them frozen.
Lobster tails are really easy to cook on the grill. Basically you just split the tail and grill it in the shell. Alright, let’s get to grilling the lobster tails. Once you have your lobster tails, using a kitchen shears make a lengthwise cut through the top of the hard shell. One you’ve cut through the shell take a knife and cut lengthwise through the meat, but not through the bottom of the shell. Now you can spread open the lobster tail.
At this point you can marinate the tails for about 30 minutes in your favorite marinade. For a marinade I usually just squeeze a bit of fresh lemon or lime juice on them and sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper. Feel free to experiment with other marinades, or add in some chili peppers for heat. Also you can skip the marinade all together, and just season with salt and pepper.
Set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct grilling over high heat. While your grill is heating, we are going to want to make a basting sauce. These tails on the spiny lobster can be somewhat dry, so will want to continually baste them with butter or oil. I like basting with a garlic butter sauce. Heat up about 1 stick of butter with a couple of minced garlic cloves. You can add other herbs or spices to the basting sauce for different flavors. I use a small cast iron basting sauce pan and silicone brush. I can heat my sauces right on the grill; it is perfect. Here is the one that I use.
Once the grill is heated oil the grate and place the lobster tails on it cut side down. We are wanting to sear the meat that this point. Grill for about 3 minutes to sear the lobster meat. After that flip them over so the cut side is up. Baste them with the garlic butter and grill for another 5 to 10 minutes. You will want to continuously baste during the grilling.
Once the tails are done take them off the grill and baste them once more prior to serving. This is how to grill lobster tails that turn out really good. It is such a simple thing to grill. Feel free to experiment with marinades and basting sauce to give your lobster tails a unique flavor.
image courtesy of miamism/flickr