How To Make Lobster Tails On The Grill

How To Steam Lobster Tails

Grilled Lobster Tail Recipe with Garlic Butter (2018)

Whole lobster tails, butterfly or split lobster tails work best for steaming.

  • Add 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, add tails, and cover with a lid tightly. A steaming rack can help with the process but it is optional.
  • Bring water to a re-boil and steam for the approximate times below.
  • Serve with lemon quarters and clarified or melted butter.
  • Prepare The Tail Of The Lobster

    After completely thawing the tail of the lobster, you place it on the cutting board so that the abdomen is facing down, the back has the shell curled upwards. Use specialized kitchen scissors or a knife to cut along the curved back of the tail down to the end of the tail. Remember to leave the bottom part of the lobster belly intact so that the two halves of the tail are still stuck together. Separate the newly cut back so that the two parts have a hinge in the middle.

    How Can You Tell If Lobster Is Cooked

    Cooked lobster is slightly firm to the touch and nontransparent. The meat will be white and can be easily separated by two forks.

    If the meat is soft to the touch or still transparent, it needs more time on the grill.

    Lobsters turn red when you cook them, but the pigment itself does not tell you whether the meat is perfectly cooked.

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    How To Choose Lobster To Grill

    If you’re grilling a whole lobster, you must buy it alive. That’s because lobster meat begins to degrade quickly as soon as they die.

    The size of the lobster is also important. Buy lobsters that are at least 1½ pounds smaller ones cook too quickly on the grill. That same size is also a good guideline for how much lobster to serve per person.

    Your local seafood market will sell you the lobster in a special storage bag. Once you get them home, they will stay alive in the fridge for as long as 24 hours.

    What Sides Should I Serve With Lobster Tails

    Grilled Lobster Tails

    Some popular sides that go well with lobster tails are actually more meat. Lobster goes well with steak, shrimp, or other seafood dishes like clambakes.

    Check out how we do surf and turf in the north east.

    If youre looking for the lobster tail to be the main dish, vegetable sides like mashed potatoes or grilled asparagus make for a great side dish and recipes are easy to find. If you want to boost your presentation, lay the lobster on a bed of lemon rice. We dont recommend grilling the rice.

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    Important Tips To Know For Grilling Lobster Tails

    Now, you know how to grill lobster tails on a pellet grill perfectly and efficiently. But you have to know some of the best tips that can help you in the process of grilling these lobster tails. Some of the tips are:

    • You can use most of the types of lobster for grilling. The best one is the Maine lobster which can provide the best flavors.
    • You will know that the grilling of the lobster tails is done once the shell starts to turn red and the flesh becomes opaque in nature.
    • Dont overcook the lobster as that will make the flesh dry and chewy. You need to keep it tender and juicy keeping the flavors intact.
    • You have to serve the lobster tails as soon as it comes off the grill because reheating them can make them dryer.

    Use the charcoal in the pellet grill to bring that smoky flavor to the lobster tail grill. This can enhance the taste and satisfy the taste buds even more.

    What To Serve With Grilled Lobster

    Always serve grilled lobster with a side of melted butter for extra dipping. A little warm bread is nice too.

    As far as side dishes — frankly, when you make grilled lobster, most people won’t be that interested in anything else you serve.

    But having a side dish to contrast with the richness of the lobster is a nice touch. Something bright and acidic like coleslaw or 3-bean salad would be a good choice.

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    How Long To Broil Lobster Tail

    This recipe calls for about 10 minutes of cook time – which will vary a bit based on the size of your lobster tail, your oven, and if you preheat the broiler fully before adding lobster tails to oven.

    If you have a very large lobster tail it will take a bit longer – but smaller tails should be perfect at around 10 minutes, or about 2 minutes + a minute per ounce.

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    Looking for a few more great lobster recipes? How about this easy 6 Minute Instant Pot Lobster Risotto from The View from Great Island yum! For a great bowl of total comfort food, try this Lobster Mac and Cheese from A Family Feast. Finally, dont miss this recipe for Savory Lobster Fusillifrom Big Bears Wife it looks perfectly delicious.

    Before you leave

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    The Very Best Grilled Lobster Tail Recipe

    Easy and simple, Grilled Lobster Tails are something extra special during the summer months but can actually be made all year long thanks to frozen lobster tails! Ready in minutes and served with a savory Garlic Butter Sauce, you can turn any night of the week into a celebration.

    How To Cook Costco Lobster Tails

    Costco Lobster Tails, in this post you will know all about How to cook Costco Lobster Tails in the oven, grill, and air fryer. Also, I will share with you the best way to prepare the Costco Lobster Tails for baking or grilling.

    If you have any questions about Costco Lobster Tails feel free to leave a comment.

    More Recipes:

    This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thanks.

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    How To Prevent The Meat From Sticking To The Shell

    It can be very frustrating when you paid good money for lobster tails and after you cooked them the meat comes out of the shell in bits and shredded pieces. Typically this occurs when grilling lobster tails. Here are some tips for how to prevent the meat from sticking to the shell:

    • Defrost fully. Always make sure your lobster tails are fully defrosted so the tail meat can cook evenly and prevent the meat from sticking to its shell. Review our tips for thawing frozen lobster tails.
    • Remove the shell during prep time. The tail meat can also be gently lifted or loosened from the shell with your hands or even with a butter knife and lay back in the shell.
    • Blanch the lobster tail. Parboiling cooks the meat enough so that the meat can be removed from the shell. Its a good method to use before grilling.
    • Submerge lobster tail in cold water. Plunge cooked lobster tails into ice water to stop the cooking process and to release the meat from the shell.

    How To Buy Lobster:

    Grilled Lobster Tails

    It all starts with a great lobster. This is important! Lobster can be expensive but it doesnt have to be. You will want to purchase the best without over paying. It is best to buy cold water lobster. You will want to avoid tails that are soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate. This will ensure that is doesnt taste like ammonia. Make sure that it is not discolored on the meat. When cooking it will turn out mushy and sometimes flavorless. These are great things to look for when purchasing high end seafood.

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    How Each Cooking Method Varies

    • Boiling Quickly cooks the meat in hot water, but the flavor can get diluted.
    • Steaming Rapidly yields a clean flavor for those who like to customize their toppings
    • Baking Gives a delicate texture due to gentle steaming at a consistent temperature in the oven.
    • Broiling Lightly browns the shell and meat for more depth in flavor.
    • Grilling Adds a bit of smokiness and char to the meat and shell.

    Tips For The Best Cooked Lobster:

    • Making it ahead: To help save time, butterfly your lobster tails the day of. Too early will discolor the lobster meat.
    • Types of Lobster: Any type of lobster works well. If you prefer spiny lobster that is great too. Just be careful!
    • Butterflying the lobster: If you cut through your meat, it will be okay. Sometimes this will help ensure it is cooked more evenly anyways. You will want to avoid cutting through the bottom shell though.
    • Meat thermometer: Try your best not to overcook the lobster tails. This will help by using a meat thermometer.
    • How long to broil your lobster tail: It is best to broil your lobster tail for about one minute per ounce of lobster tail.
    • Oven settings: Move your oven rack down to the middle setting if you are cooking a large or oversized lobster tail.
    • Female Lobster: It is fun to see a slightly pink lobster meat once it is cooked. This only tells you that it is a female lobster.
    • Can you make lobster tails ahead of time? It is best to enjoy the lobster tail right when it is done broiling. Lobster meat becomes tougher when reheating it.
    • Serving your lobster tail: Serve with lemon wedges and fresh parsley for garnishing the lobster tails.

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    Broiling Instructions For Lobster Tails

    Broil lobster tail by placing on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven, underneath a broiler. Do not place directly underneath the broiler or lobster will burn on top and be raw in the middle.

    For best presentation, brush top of lobster tail with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika and white pepper before broiling, so the butter and paprika can cook into top of lobster creating a lovely golden red hue.

    Preparing And Grilling Lobster Tails

    How to Grill Lobster Tails – Best Lobster Tail Recipe – I Heart Recipes

    Once the lobster tails are thawed, theres a little more prep that needs to be done before they hit the grill. Because of their shape one end is significantly thicker than the other cooking them evenly is difficult if you keep them whole. To make sure they cook evenly and to create a wide, flat surface for melting the garlic butter, butterfly the tails first.

    Butterflying means to halve something into two thinner, more even pieces. For a lobster tail, this means cutting through the hard shell with kitchen shears, then slicing the tail meat in half so that it can open up flat like a book. One other step worth doing is using your fingers to loosen the meat from the shell, which will make it easier to remove the meat once the lobster is cooked. Once butchered properly, the lobster tail meat will cook up evenly without the need for skewers or other tools to keep it from curling up.

    To grill the lobster tails, place them meaty-side down on a really hot grill for a few minutes to get some grill marks. Once they release easily from the grill grates, flip them over and top with an easy-to-make garlic butter . The total cook time depends on the size of the tail. You want the meat to be just cooked through, so aim for an internal temperature of 135 to 140ºF. Serve with lemon wedges for a nice bright pop of flavor to cut through the richness of the garlic butter and the sweetness of the lobster meat.

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    How To Prepare Lobster For The Grill

    Grilling a lobster is fairly easy, but the preparation is unique. First, you have to humanely kill the lobster. The most humane way is to drive a very sharp knife through the lobster’s head and back.

    See the full recipe below.

    Spreading the compound butter on the lobster is the final step before cooking.

    How To Split A Lobster Tail

    In this method, the lobster tail is split completely in half, lengthways down the middle. The tail and meat will separate in two units, each facing up, each resting in its own split shell.

  • Turn the lobster tail on its back, with the softer under-shell up.
  • With a sharp chefs knife, cut lengthwise through the under-shell and fan-tail, through the tail meat, and through the hard shell.
  • Aim to split the tail evenly in two, and completely in half.
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    Frozen Lobster Tail Grilled With Cheese

    The steps to thaw and prepare the lobster and the oven are the same as above, you just need to prepare more garlic, mozzarella cheese.

    Put the pre-processed lobster into a large bowl, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 4 teaspoons of ground pepper, 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic, then mix well, marinate for 10 minutes to fully infuse the spices.

    You can try away the grilled lobster to enjoy

    Then, take the shredded cheese sealed into the lobster cross-sectional groove.

    Prepare a baking tray, place 1 layer of the grill on top and then place 2 halves of lobster, pay attention to the lobster meat facing up.

    Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C for about 10 minutes. Next, put the baking tray in the oven, grill for about 20 minutes and cook the lobster. Depending on how big or small the lobster is, the grilling time can vary by a few minutes . For grilled lobster, cheese when the meat is ripe and the cheese inside has melted into the lobster.

    Or you can follow this!

    Grilled frozen lobster tail is a delicious and nutritious dish. Having it at your home party is perfect. No need to go to the restaurant, you can also make a grilled lobster tail at home. Hope that our sharing above has helped you to know how to grill frozen lobster tails at home.

    Visit our blog for more useful tips related to the lobster. Feel free to contact us via the below contact information if you have any further questions or requests.

    Address: 849 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04103. Tel: +1 772-3565.

    How To Butterfly A Lobster Tail:

    Grilled Lobster Tails with Smoked Paprika Butter ...

    This is a simple process that is only used with scissors. If you prefer not to butterfly your lobster tail that is great too. By butterflying your lobster tail it makes it easier to eat and also has a more elegant look when serving it.

  • With sharp kitchen shears it is best to cut down the middle of the back towards the lobster tail. The shell side will be up and the lobster tail will be pointed away from you.
  • Flip the tail over and carefully pull apart the middle of the cut shell and gently place your fingers underneath the lobster meat.
  • Flip the lobster back over, slowly and carefully pull up the lobster meat in one piece. The meat should still be attached at the bottom of the tail.
  • Once the lobster meat is on top of the shell take the shell and close it around the bottom of the meat.
  • As the lobster is being broiled it will expand and have an elegant fan shape presentation similar to the restaurants.
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    How To Grill Lobster Tails With A Fan Favorite Recipe

    When I talk about eating lobster with friends, I get two immediate negative responses: they are expensive, and they take effort to eat. What everyone does agree with is how good they are. While the critiques may be valid, lets take them away and better yet, take our lobster to the grill.

    The easiest way to make lobster more affordable is by just buying the tail. These will almost always be frozen and are roughly the price of a good steak. Plus, the tail is all meat, so there is much less to worry about in terms of preparation.

    While I agree it can be finicky trying to snatch lobster meat from a claw with butter drenched hands and an appetite clamoring for more, Ive found it best to do all of my shell prep before grilling. By working with just the tail, a pair of kitchen shears can cut the tail several different ways allowing dinner guests to immediately feast with only a knife and fork.

    Lobster meat is rich and decadent and introducing the grill to the cooking process adds even more flavor. Grilled lobster meat is some of the best Ive ever had, so much so I dont always wait for a special occasion to enjoy them. Thinking of something different this holiday season, then I encourage you to check out this delightful grilled lobster tail recipe from Jamie Purviance.

    Recipe fromWeber’s Real GrillingbyJamie Purviance

    Grilling Live Lobsters Instead Of Frozen Tails

    For grilling live lobsters please review our live lobster grill guide. It contains tips on selecting the right lobsters and explains how to prep them for the grill. Although not a grill recipe per se, we include a clambake recipe you can make on your backyard grill! Are you more of a purist? Learn how to boil and steam whole, live lobsters.

    Live lobster grilling recipes:

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    This grilled lobster tail recipe has a lot in common with my favorite broiled lobster tails, and is the perfect alternative for warm weather. No need to be intimidated by grilling lobster its actually very easy! Ill walk you through the whole process so that youll know exactly how to grill lobster tails, from butterflying them to seasoning to the right technique once they are on the grill.

    If you want to take this grilled lobster up a notch, turn it into surf and turf! Add a side of New York strip steak, a reverse sear steak, perfect filet mignon, or even steak bites.

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