Grilled Lobster Tail Recipe
Published April 25, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This tasty grilled lobster tail recipe is cooked over the open flame for minutes and served with a delicious herb and lemon honey butter. Once you start eating these, it is incredibly difficult to stop; they are that good.
These grilled lobster tails are great and go well served along side my rice pilaf recipe or my Italian Spinach.
Grilled Lobster Tail
Grilled lobster tails are coated in oil, seasoned, and then cooked at high heat on a grill until the meat is cooked but still tender. I prefer to add a flavorful herb butter to the lobster tails while cooking to make them more succulent and flavorful.
Lobster tails will cook quickly when grilled because the meat is delicate. A good indication that they are done is when the meat is white and the tails are slightly curled in. If they take the shape of a tight C, they are overcooked. It is crucial to be standing at the grill as you cook these.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Herb Butter – I used my honey butter recipe and add in small diced shallot, zest, and juice of 1 lemon, garlic cloves, tarragon, and chives.
- Oil – I prefer olive or avocado oil, but you can use your favorite oil for this.
- Lobster Tails – You will need fresh or frozen and thawed lobster tails in any size.
- Lemons – I grilled some lemons and garnished the dish with them so anyone could squeeze them onto their grilled lobster tails.
How to Grill Lobster Tails
Once the honey butter is made, fold in the shallots, garlic, lemon, herbs, salt, and pepper and whip on low speed. Set the butter in the refrigerator until it is ready to be used.
Slice the lobster tails in half, exposing the meat while still in the shell.
Brush the meat side of the lobster with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the lobster meat side down onto a hot grill (400° to 50°) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until cooked.
Once you flip the lobster over, generously spread some herb butter on the grilled meat side.
Next, put the lemons cut side down onto the grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until there are grill marks.
Remove everything from the grill, transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with microgreens.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: The grilled lobster tails are meant to be eaten as soon as they are done cooking.
How to Store: Cover the grilled lobster tails and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze these covered for up to 3 months. Thaw the lobster tails in the refrigerator for one day or until they’re thawed.
How to Reheat: Add the lobster tails to a hot grill (400° to 50°) and cook them for 2-4 minutes or until warm. In addition, you can add them to a pan and cook them in the oven at 350° for 4 to 6 minutes.
Chef Notes + Tips
- When reheating the lobster tails, they can overcook and become chewy, so cook them just until warm.
- If you are using large lobster tails, e.g., 6-16 ounces, they will take longer to cook. Look for the signs of doneness of the meat being white and the tail starting to curl inwards.
- There will be plenty of herb butter left over. It freezes excellently and goes wonderfully on fish, shellfish, pork, and chicken.
More Seafood Recipes
Video
Grilled Lobster Tail Recipe
Ingredients
For the Herb Butter:
- 1 pound softened unsalted butter
- ½ peeled and finely grated small shallot
- 4 finely grated cloves of garlic
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons finely diced fresh tarragon
- 3 tablespoons finely diced fresh chives
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
For the Lobster Tails:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 4- ounce lobster tails cut in half longways
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 3 lemons cut in half (optional)
- microgreens for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 450° to 500°.
- Herb Butter: Add the softened butter to a standing mixer with the paddle attachment and whip on high speed until it becomes light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Next, add the shallots, garlic, lemon, herbs, salt, and pepper and whip on low speed.
- While the butter is whipping, add in the honey so that it integrates into the butter immediately.
- Remove from the standing mixer, transfer to a plastic container, and chill in the refrigerator. Note: there will be a lot of leftovers.
- Lobster: brush the meat side of the lobster with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the lobster meat side down onto the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Once you flip the lobster over, generously spread some of the herb butter on the grilled meat side.
- Next, immediately put the lemons cut side down onto the hot grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until there are grill marks.
- Remove everything from the grill, transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with optional microgreens.
The herb butter is the perfect compliment to such an elegant dish and food! Tarragon is especially delicious with lobster. Thank you Chef Billy!
so good!!
Excellent recipe! Grilled lemons are the perfect touch. I wish restaurants would grill lobsters. So much more flavor.
yes indeed!
Celebrated my daughter’s 30th birthday with her husband and my wife, Picked up 4 Mega Tail from Costco (@ 1 1/4 lbs. each). Scared the h___ out of me …@ $125.00 of Lobster Tails!) Followed the recipe to a Tee, adding time because of the size. Used a Themoworks Thermapen One Digetal Turned out great. Pulled the Tails off when it showed just shy of 140*. Only used 2 tails for the 4 of us…so one went back in our frig and the other home with my daughter! And the Herb Butter…Over the top. Thank you again.
Regards,
BILL Hahnel
thanks for giving it a shot!!
Wow the best Lobster ever! 🦞
so good!!
Fantastic, I can’t wait to make this Lobster. I going to go get my Lobster tails as soon as the store opens and start my prep. This recipe looks so delicious and I love lobster. I could eat lobster everyday, and I really like it grilled. I’ll let you know on how mine comes out.
Awesome!