Grilled Lobster Tails
Like most recipes, many cooks have their own favorite way to serve lobster. I feel they taste best simply prepared, with a virtually pure taste and taste OK with some lemon and butter on the side. This recipe strongly suggests parboiling them before grilling, especially if the lobster tails are frozen.
Like most recipes, many cooks have their own favorite way to serve lobster. I feel they taste best simply prepared, with a virtually pure taste and taste OK with some lemon and butter on the side. This recipe strongly suggests parboiling them before grilling, especially if the lobster tails are frozen.
- Carbohydrate 7.95347 g
- Cholesterol 103.68 mg
- Fat 13.26957 g
- Fiber 1.62399997234344 g
- Protein 22.2857 g
- Saturated Fat 7.564541 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (177g)
- Sodium 187.687 mg
- Sugar 6.32947002765656 g
- Trans Fat 1.326016 g
- Calories 236 calories
Step-by-step
- In advance: If lobster tails are frozen, put them in the fridge in a ziploc bag on a plate at least the night before, or, if necessary, soak them in cold water to return them to a thawed state before starting the recipe below.
- Bring grill to medium-high heat.
- Run a wooden or metal skewer through the tails (toward the red shell side) for support, to prevent them from curling. Then, I strongly recommend parboiling them before grilling. Get one large stockpot of water to full boil, then turn it down to a gentle boil. Plunge lobster tails into water and gently boil them for about 2 minutes.
- Remove them from boiling water. Place them on a cutting board, shell side (i.e., red-side) down, and slice lengthwise through the softer (whiter) shell, lengthwise, the full cut.
- Place butter in, and squeeze lemon juice directly in the shells.
- Then place them on the grill, red shell side down. Grill, covered, for 2-3 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges and melted butter.
- Consider pairing with any combination of these choices: asparagus, grilled onions, grilled portabella mushrooms, grilled zucchini, crisp and cool white wine, broccolini, corn, broccoli, rice, and roasted red bliss potatoes.
Butter carries the flavor of shellfish faster than water-soluble mediums, making the fat content in dairy essential for rich crustacean dishes. Sourcing fresh lobster requires attention to rigid shells and a clean, briny aroma rather than any pungent fishiness. Scaling this recipe upward for a larger dinner party demands careful attention to pot dimensions. Crowding a boiling stockpot drops the water temperature too rapidly, leading to uneven cooking across batches. Maintain a rolling boil by working in pairs of two or three tails maximum if your pot holds less than eight quarts.
Curling during high-heat exposure remains the primary pitfall ruining texture, causing the meat to cook unevenly and toughen. Piercing each tail longitudinally with a metal or wooden skewer before boiling keeps the protein straight and promotes uniform heat penetration. Parboiling for exactly two minutes sets the protein structure just enough to finish on the grates without overcooking the delicate center. Placing the halved shells directly onto medium-high heat for three minutes develops smoky char notes while keeping moisture intact.
Adjusting quantities downward requires keeping the butter-to-lemon ratio proportional at roughly one and a quarter tablespoons of butter per six-ounce tail. Thawing frozen specimens safely dictates transferring them to the refrigerator twenty-four hours ahead rather than using rapid defrost methods that destroy cellular walls. Pairing options benefit from high-heat vegetables like asparagus or zucchini that share the same grill space without competing for thermal capacity.
