Lobster Tails

A Sunday barbecue in celebration of Father’s Day somehow led to a lobster feast — no complaints here.

Cooking lobster might sound like an intimidating task, but in reality, it’s as easy as grilling a steak.

The key to this recipe is the glaze (butter, garlic, lemon and parsley), which you add in layers to the lobster as it barbecues. And don’t forget to cut the top of the shell until the base of the tail so you can gently lift most of the meat out of the shell before cooking it. Check out the photos below for reference.

Only 8 minutes on the barbecue and voilà — you have a delectable summer dish on your hands. We made a garden salad and a potato salad to accompany the seafood.

I also cooked a few filet mignons to make it a surf and turf lunch, which was followed by a long, inevitable food coma.

Prep time | 10 mins. (+ 30 mins. marinade)
Cook time | 8 mins.
Serves | 4-8 people

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 frozen, 4 oz. lobster tails, thawed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 lemon, squeezed
  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Thaw the lobster tails. Once thawed, use scissors to cut the top of the shell from the top down to the base of the tail. Don’t cut into the lobster tail, as we want to keep the tail intact so it doesn’t fall apart.
  2. Once it’s cut, gently pull most of the lobster out of the shell without pulling it completely out of the tail — just enough so that it’s raised from the shell (see photos above for reference).
  3. When you’ve cut and pulled up all the lobsters, season them with salt, pepper and paprika. Squeeze the first lemon on the lobster tails and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
  4. In a small sauce pan, add the butter, garlic, parsley and lemon (halved). Let it simmer on medium until the butter is melted and everything is well combined. It should still be hot when you start barbecuing the lobster tails.
  5. Take the butter-garlic base off the stove and get your lobster tails ready. Turn your barbecue to medium heat. Once the barbecue is warm, add the lobster tails and close the cover. Let them cook for 3 minutes.
  6. After the 3-minute mark, use a spoon or a barbecue brush (as shown in the photos above) to gently drizzle each lobster tail with the butter-garlic glaze. Let it cook with the cover closed for another 2 minutes.
  7. After this 2-minute mark, add another layer of glaze to the lobster tails. Let it cook for another 2 minutes with the cover closed.
  8. Open the cover after the 2-minute mark to see if the tails are orange and the lobster meat is a white/orange colour. That colour indicates if the lobsters are cooked enough.
  9. You can use a thermometer to check if the lobsters are 140°F but if you don’t have a thermometer, you can eyeball it. If the lobster meat still looks raw or slightly uncooked, cover the barbecue and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes. Don’t overcook them! 8-10 minutes is prime cooking time for lobsters this size.
  10. Remove from the barbecue and enjoy while hot!