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Grilled Lobster Tails lathered in garlic butter is what dreams are made of! Classy, fancy and incredibly easy to make. Our grilled lobster tails recipe comes together in under 20 minutes!
Whether you’re throwing together a mid-week meal or planning a lavish dinner, this recipe is for you! Drenched in a rich garlic butter, these grilled lobster tails are dressed to impress and will no doubt become your new go-to dinner party dish.
GRILLED LOBSTER TAILS
Simple yet elegant. If you love grilled seafood, you will love grilled lobster tails. Being at the pricier end of the seafood menu, lobster tails don’t require much effort to reach their full flavour potential. Simply add a generous amount of garlic butter and you’re good to go.
We are not exaggerating when we say that we LOVE garlic butter. The only flavour combination that transforms everything it touches into an indulgent masterpiece. Just like our garlic butter shrimp scampi, creamy garlic butter salmon and our garlic butter grilled steak, these grilled lobster tails taste like they’ve just come out of a five-star restaurant kitchen!
HOW TO PREPARE LOBSTER TAIL FOR GRILLING
Buy lobster tails that are similar in size so that they cook at the same time.
- Use sharp kitchen shears to cut through the shell, from the top of each tail up to where the body used to be.
- Placing a knife into the cut you made, cut through the lobster meat all the way through to the bottom shell, cutting the tail in half so that one tail turns into two. Cutting lobster tails in half lengthwise allows the meat to cook directly onto the grill plates, giving the surface a chance to char all over with that smokey BBQ flavour.
FRESH OR FROZEN LOBSTER TAILS?
We buy frozen lobsters and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. If you’re in a hurry and need to thaw them faster, place them in a pot filled with cold water for about half an hour. Please don’t be tempted to microwave them or put them in hot water. Go slow and do it right.
HOW TO GRILL LOBSTER TAILS
Once you’ve halved your lobster tails, pat the flesh dry with a paper towel, brush them with a little olive oil, then season with coarse salt (like sea salt) and cracked black pepper.
Place the lobster tails flesh-side down onto grill, and cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. This allows the meat to grill properly without sticking to the grill plates. Flip the lobster over and brush the flesh with melted garlic and herb butter.
Cover with a BBQ lid or foil to help the shells turn a beautiful shade of orange from the smoke on the BBQ, and grill until just cooked through.
Serve immediately with a little extra garlic butter, lemon wedges and fresh parsley to garnish.
TIPS FOR THE BEST GRILLED LOBSTER TAILS
- Lobster tails are ready when the flesh is opaque and the shell turns bright orange. Try not to overcook your lobster, as the meat will become dry and tough.
- If you don’t have an outdoor BBQ, you can use an electric grill, stove top grill pan, or any other grill you have on hand.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH GRILLED LOBSTER TAILS
If you’re aiming for fancy seafood restaurant vibes, serve with browned butter mashed potatoes or crispy roasted potatoes. For lighter sides, try grilled asparagus, green beans or a feta cucumber salad.
MORE LOBSTER RECIPES
Easy Lobster Bisque
Butter Seared Lobster Tails
Stuffed Mushrooms
Broiled Lobster Tails
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Grilled Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt plus extra to season
- 1 pinch black pepper a pinch to taste
- 4 lobster tails
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes a pinch to taste
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat.
- Using kitchen shears, cut top of lobster shell from meaty portion of tail. Using a knife, cut the lobster tail in half lengthwise through meat down the centre.
- In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, lemon juice, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Brush lobster meat all over with oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Grill flesh side down until lightly charred, about 5-6 minutes. Flip lobster, brush meat with HALF of the garlic butter mixture. Cover with lid and grill until just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes more.
- Remove lobster from grill and season with a little extra salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
- Brush with remaining garlic butter and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Lobster tails are ready when the flesh is opaque and the shell turns bright orange. Try not to overcook your lobster, as the meat will become dry and tough.
- If you don't have an outdoor BBQ, you can use an electric grill, stove top grill pan, or any other grill you have on hand.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these for lunch with crayfish we had just caught. Chose this recipe because all previous recipes from Cafe Delites, that I have cooked, have been sensational. This recipe didn’t disappoint. Thankyou 😘
Looks delicious, I need to try this recipe! What do you like to serve with the lobster tails?
Baked potato and asparagus goes great with lobster tails