Grilled Lobster Tails
Lobster tails are a decadent & luxurious food. They’ve earned this reputation with good reason too – they are delicious and almost always an option as a pricey add-on at fancy steakhouses. Today, I am going to run you through how to easily grill some so that you can have your own “add-on” the next time you’re grilling steaks at home. Who doesn’t love surf and turf?!
You’re telling me this is easy to do?
Yup. In fact it’s so easy that I almost think of lobster tails the same way I think of side dishes. You can serve them with another main dish and they will also enhance it in a such a way that you’ll be treating yourself. How quick and easy you ask? I am talking 5-10 minutes of effort start to finish!
What do we need?
You won’t need a whole lot to get some amazing grilled lobster tails (these are the lobster tails that I like to get from Whole Foods). All that you will need is:
- Lobster tails
- Salt
- Pepper
- Butter
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
You can always replace salt & pepper with our Open Fire BPS Rub too. It goes excellent on all types of seafood.
How do we prep everything?
First thing that you will need to do is preheat your grill to 400ºF. While your grill is heating, combine the butter, garlic, and lemon juice (full recipe below). I have a mini cast iron pan that I can fit in my grill so I like to combine these ingredients in that and then add it to the grill before the lobsters go on so that the butter will melt. Melting some butter in your microwave and adding the garlic & lemon juice to that works fine too. You’ll also want to split your lobster tails in half. The easiest way to do this is to lay the tails out with the shells up and cut it in half the long way right down the middle. Season them with salt & pepper and you’re ready to grill!
How do we grill them?
Now that our grill is at 400ºF, it’s time to add the lobster tails. If you are going to melt the butter garlic lemon sauce on the grill, add it a few minutes before putting the lobster tails on so that it can start to melt (otherwise melt it in your microwave). Add the lobster tails meat side down over direct heat for 3-4 minutes. Then flip the lobster tails so that the shells are on the grill and move to indirect heat. Baste the meat side with the butter garlic lemon sauce frequently. Continue to do so until an internal temperature of 140ºF is reached.
NOTE: basting the lobster tails with the butter garlic lemon sauce can cause flare ups, even if they are away from the open flame. Do not worry, the flare ups won’t overcook the lobster tails. If you do have a flare up that’s bigger than expected and you want it to die down, just move the tails away from the fire and close the grill.
What’s the best way to eat them?
Once you are finished grilling, reserve any leftover butter garlic lemon sauce – this is great for dipping your lobster in. While these lobster tails can certainly be eaten by themselves, I like to use them as an “add-on” with steaks or as part of a grilled seafood feast. They are delicious and it’s super easy to remove the meat from the shells since we split them in half.
Final thoughts
Grilled lobster tails are surprisingly easy to do. Taking just minutes to cook, these are a great accompaniment to steak for some surf and turf. With lobster having a hefty price tag, try this out whenever they are on sale. They’ll be a fraction of the price they would be at a restaurant and will taste just as good. Give it a shot and soon you’ll be preparing decadent meals for all your friends and family.
Grilled Lobster Tails
Ingredients
Lobster Tails
- 2 Lobster Tails split in half the long way
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Butter Garlic Lemon Sauce
- 1 stick of Butter
- 2-4 Garlic Cloves sliced
- 1 Lemon juiced
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to 400ºF. Set up for two zone grilling: a direct heat zone and an indirect heat zone.
- In a small cast iron or other grill safe pot/pan/tray, combine the butter, garlic, and lemon juice. Add to the grill a few minutes before adding the lobster tails so that the butter can melt. Alternatively, you can melt the butter in your microwave and add the garlic and lemon juice.
- Split the lobster tails in half the long way by cutting through the shells. When doing this, the shell side should be up and meat side down on the cutting board. Season the meat of the tails with salt & pepper.
- Add the tails to the grill meat side down over direct heat for 3-4 minutes. The meat should get some nice char marks.
- Flip the lobster tails so that the shell side is down and move over indirect heat. Frequently baste the meat side with the butter garlic lemon sauce (butter should be melted by this point if you are melting over the grill). Continue to baste until an internal temperature of 140ºF is reached for the lobster tails. Be careful of potential flare ups from the butter garlic lemon sauce.
- Remove from the grill and reserve any butter garlic lemon sauce (if there is any leftover). This is great to use as a dipping sauce or to pour over the tails. Serve immediately as is, with steak, or as part of a seafood feast.
