Keep your Lobster Tails Exquisite!
Searching online lobster docks takes some major clicking, especially when sorting through Caribbean and Maine markets. Named warm or cold-water tails appropriately, they both grill to a buttery masterpiece. Lobster boats search out the heaviest and healthiest crustacean, in the same “family” as shrimp and crabs. Ironically, the taste falls somewhere between the two. Plumper in texture from crabs and buttery with a more robust flavor from shrimp, lobster tails find themselves in many delicious plates. Rich Lobster Thermidor, decadently creamy lobster mac and cheese, and toasted bun enveloped lobster rolls all lead the list, but what about a smoky grilled lobster tail?
Receiving a lobster tail in the mail, protected with dry ice, and packed for freshness required the utmost care from your seafood source, but taking the tail from the package to the plate requires some skills. Try grilling, a favorite choice, since brushing the tails with garlic butter naturally embellishes lobster’s inherent buttery flavor. Follow these steps for the ideal grilling.
Prepare the tails. Brush each thawed tail with extra virgin olive oil and dash with sea salt and ground pepper. The sea salt will add a bit of crunchiness and flavor with the salt’s many minerals. Let the tails soak in the mix as you heat the grill to medium-high temperature.
While grilling, keep brushing. Place the tails on the grill once it has reached the desired temperature and brush the flesh side with a whisked mix of melted butter, crushed garlic, lemon juice, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Look for the Spanish paprika to ensure the “smokiness” and the cayenne will add a surprising sweetness. Then take tongs and turn the tails flesh side down.
Allow the tails to cook. Keep from touching the tails and let the flames add smokiness to the meat. Allow about 5-6 minutes as the meat turns golden brown and the shell turns red. Keep to the proportions for a 5 oz. tail’s cooking time: 5-6 minutes. Then for another 2-4 minutes, flip the tails to shell side down and brush the tails again. Keep your eye on the prize. Opaque meat with a golden brown means a delicious meal. Something not mentioned too much is the fact that the true chef cooks tails from a thawed state. Frozen produces tough meat, while marinated thawed tails give you an exquisite dish!
