BBQ Lobster
By Charlotte Pike
Let award-winning cookery writer and chef Charlotte Pike teach you how to make the most of your luxurious Native Lobster in a few easy steps.
Lobster is actually very simple to cook on the grill or BBQ at home. Serve one per person for a main course, and a half for a small starter.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 lobsters, defrosted
40g butter or garlic butter, melted
Sea salt
Freshly chopped parsley or tarragon chopped (optional)
Method
The lobsters will arrive uncooked and will look a dark blue or brown colour.
To BBQ them, take a large, long-bladed chef’s or chopping knife and split or cut the lobster in half.
To do this, line the knife up carefully along the line on the carapace (the part that runs from the eyes to the start of the tail). You’ll see a line down its ‘back’ to follow with your knife.
Carefully cut down the centre of the head and then tail. You will find the stomach sac and tomalley inside, so don’t be put off, just pull the insides out.
Occasionally, these can burst, so just give the lobster a good rinse and dry, if you need to. Crack the claws gently, so that the shell is split.
Ensure your barbeque is at the correct temperature before cooking. If using charcoal, ensure they are white and there is no active flame burning. Heat a gas barbeque for around 10 minutes, ensuring it’s good and hot before cooking.
Lightly brush the lobster with melted butter and cook, cut side onto the coals for 3 minutes.
Flip the lobster and cook, shell-side down for a further 5 minutes. Brush the lobster tail again with melted butter, and serve hot with chopped parsley or tarragon on top if desired.
About Your Lobster
Lobster is usually seen as the jewel in the crown of Scottish seafood. It’s a very special treat to enjoy and surprisingly straightforward to prepare.
Ensure your lobster is fully defrosted before starting. Always defrost it in the fridge, so that it stays really cold. Remove the sleeve and bands on the claws before cooking.
Some lobster crackers and picks are useful to have to extract every last morsel of sweet flesh from the shell. A gentle tap with a hammer will break the claws and allow you to carefully pull out the meat, if you don’t have any to hand.
Do keep the shells and make a stock with them. It is very quick to do and will help extract every last bit of goodness from these beautiful crustaceans.
Head to our COOKING page for more for great tips on how to make the most of your Amity catch from award-winning cookery writer, teacher and chef Charlotte Pike.
