Saturday, April 30, 2011

Grilled Lobster Tail

This is one of my very favorite meals. And what makes it great right now is that Costco is selling huge, succulent Brazilian lobster tails for just $19.99 a pound. I picked up two big tails yesterday that tipped the scales at 2 1/4 pounds, more than enough to feed a family of four. It was a balmy 64 degrees yesterday, which made it a great night to grill...and sip Conundrum while grilling (http://terrygruggen.blogspot.com/2011/04/really-spectacular-white-wine.html).

The trick to great lobster is to grill it in the shell. It works the same way as a bone-in steak. When the lobster meat is cooked in the shell, the shell transfers incredible flavor. But it's not as simple as throwing a whole tail on the grill....that usually results in a charred shell, steamed and often undercooked lobster meat. The trick is to split the shell, exposing the lobster meat. Here's how to do that:

Split the shell in half


Now one side of the meat is exposed


A skewer ensures it won't curl on the grill


Ingredients
2 lobster tails, about 1 pound each
3 sticks of butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
(For a flavor boost, throw some mesquite on your charcoal)

  1. Fire up your grill. For charcoal grilling, you will use a full chimney of  hot coals, spread over half the charcoal grate for direct cooking. For gas, turn all burners to high.
  2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the chives.
  3. Split each tail in half and skewer each half to prevent curling.
  4. Pour off 4 tablespoons of butter into a small dish. Brush the lobster meat with this butter.
  5. Put the split tails on the grill, flesh side down, directly over the coals. Grill for 3 minutes.
  6. Flip the split tails so that flesh side is up. Grill for 8 minutes. When the lobster is done, the shells will be a rich reddish-brown and the meat will be firm, juicy and coral white.
  7. Serve immediately with remaining butter.

    Wine pairing: A nice oaky Chardonnay. Try Chateau St. Jean or Kendall Jackson "Vinter's Reserve".

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