Making grilled lobster tail is easy, fast, and out-of-this-world delicious. When you introduce smoky barbecue flavors to the delicate, tender, and slightly sweet lobster meat, the results are divine. Finishing butter is a perfect way to top off grilled lobster tails and it is packed with lemon, garlic, and herbs.
GRILLED LOBSTER TAILS
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live on the coast. We have fresh seafood available year-round, sometimes straight off the local fishing boats. It amazes me that my husband still refuses to eat any kind of seafood when we have such amazing seafood around us.
On one hand, I give him the “you’re crazy” look for refusing to even try an amazing taste experience like the grill lobster but on the other hand, I don’t have to share it.
Although, grilled lobster is something that should be shared. Lobster is often regarded as a delicacy and people tend to have it only for special occasions. But you can easily make it at home and it’s so much cheaper to buy it at a store and prepare it yourself. You will never pay $5.99 for lobster tail in a fancy restaurant but at the store, absolutely. Prepare it yourself and you will have an exquisite dinner at home.
That’s exactly what makes lobster tails so great, you can have romantic dinner at home, celebrate a special occasion, or just make some lobster salad sandwiches for lunch.
Grilling lobster tails will take your special lobster night to a whole new level. It’s the smoky scent infused into food, the fire, and the whole barbecue experience that will take your taste buds to a special place. Grilled lobster will pair just as good with a risotto as it would with a simple salad.
GRILL NOTES:
Coals: briquettes or lump coal
Grill temperature: medium: 350°-400°
Placement on the grill: direct heat
Wood if desired: alder – delicate and earthy flavor that’s great for seafood.
HOW TO GRILL LOBSTER TAILS
Thaw lobster tails if needed:
Lobsters should be fully thawed before grilling. Pull them out of the freezer and into the refrigerator the night before and let the tails slow-thaw overnight.
Finishing butter:
Pull butter out of the refrigerator, cut off the right amount, and place it in a small bowl. Leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes to let it soften.
Add lemon juice, lemon zest, chives, parsley, salt, and garlic and mix well until all ingredients are incorporated into butter. Set aside.
Prepare lobster:
Start the coals as you prepare the lobster. You will need medium heat so do about ½ a chimney starter of coals.
Pick up the lobster tail and cut the hard, outer shell down the middle all the way down to where the shell meets the tail. To pull the shell apart, you will need to use some muscle and crack the softer underside with your hands. But be careful not to actually crack the shell apart in two.
(Be careful, the softer underside of the lobster tail has some sharp spikes along the shell. You can use kitchen gloves if desired.)
As you pull the shell apart to expose the lobster meat, use your hands to gently separate the meat off the sides of the shell. Don’t pull out all the lobster meat completely, just separate it off the sides.
If you see a dark vein along the lobster tail meat, which is lobster’s intestines, pull it out.
Season
Brush lobster meat with some oil and season with salt. Don’t use too much salt because the finishing butter has salt in it already.
Grill
Add coals to the grill and spread them evenly. Lobster can be cooked over direct heat.
Preheat the grill for a few minutes and place lobster tails on the grill cut side down. Close the lid and cook for about 5 minutes.
Turn each tail over and generously spread finishing butter over the lobster meat. Close the lid and grill for about 6 more minutes. (Exact time will depend on the size of the lobster tails. For large tails, add a couple of minutes.)
WHAT TO SERVE WITH GRILLED LOBSTER
Lobster goes great over risotto or with a side salad. You can also throw some vegetables on the grill or roast them in the oven. These sides would be great with your perfect lobster:
Parmesan Risotto
Mushroom Risotto
Side Salad
Tomato Cucumber Salad
Asparagus
Green Beans
Mixed Vegetables
Wine is another thing to consider when planning a lobster dinner. These wines would go nicely with a grilled lobster:
Chardonnay
Champagne
Sauvignon Blanc
Rosé
Chablis
MORE GRILLED SEAFOOD RECIPES TO TRY
Grilled Salmon with Herb Butter
Grilled Shrimp and Peach Kebabs
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Grilled Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails
- canola or vegetable oil to brush the lobster meal
- salt
Finishing Butter:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 2 tbsp minced chives
- 1 tbsp fresh minced parsley
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves
- salt
Instructions
- If using frozen lobsters, thaw lobster tails overnight in the refrigerator.
Finishing Butter:
- Pull butter out of the refrigerator, cut off the right amount, and place it in a small bowl. Leave it on the counter for about 30 minutes to let it soften. (Or soften in the microwave if you have that setting. Don't melt!)
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, chives, parsley, salt, and garlic and mix well until all ingredients are incorporated into butter. Set aside.
Prepare Lobster Tails:
- Start the coals while preparing lobster tails. You will need medium heat so do about ½ a chimney starter of coals.
- Pick up the lobster tail and cut the hard, outer shell down the middle all the way down to where the shell meets the tail. To pull the shell apart, you will need to use some muscle and crack the softer underside with your hands. But be careful not to actually crack the shell apart in two.
- (Be careful, the softer underside of the lobster tail has some sharp spikes along the shell. You can use kitchen gloves if needed.)
- As you pull the shell apart to expose the lobster meat, use your hands to gently separate the meat off the sides of the shell. Don’t pull out all the lobster meat completely, just separate it off the sides. (If you see a dark vein along the lobster tail meat, that is lobster’s intestines and you need to clean it out.)
- Brush lobster meat with some oil and season with salt. Don’t use too much salt because the finishing butter has salt in it already.
Grilling Lobster Tails:
- Add coals to the grill and spread them evenly. Lobster can be cooked over direct heat.
- Preheat the grill for a few minutes and place lobster tails on the grill cut side down. Close the lid and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Turn each tail over and generously spread finishing butter over the lobster meat. Close the lid and grill for about 6 more minutes. (Exact time will depend on the size of the lobster tails. For large tails, add a couple of minutes.)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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