Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [139]
Butterfly the lobster tails by splitting each tail lengthwise through the rounded top shell and through the meat, leaving the flat bottom shell intact. If the shell is very hard, use kitchen shears to cut through the rounded shell and a knife to cut through the meat.
Gently open the tail to expose the meat.
Brush the soy glaze lightly over the fruit skewers and the lobster meat. Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Put the lobster tails, meat-side down, directly over the heat and grill until nicely grill-marked, 3 to 4 minutes. Press the tails onto the grill grate with a spatula or tongs to help sear the meat. Flip and grill until the meat is just firm and white, basting with the soy glaze, 5 to 7 minutes more. Meanwhile grill the fruit skewers alongside the lobster until nicely grill-marked, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Serve with the melted butter and lime wedges for squeezing.
WHOLE LOBSTER
Wood-Grilled Creole Lobster
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Shellfish decompose quickly after dying, so whole lobster must be cooked within minutes of killing them. You can either buy them cooked or do the deed yourself. It’s easiest to boil live lobsters, but that steams them and negates the flavor of the grill. Instead, follow the directions below for cooking a split lobster completely on the grill. Or, if you really want to avoid cutting the live lobster with a knife, boil the lobsters in a large pot of salted water just until they are bright red, split them in half lengthwise, then proceed with the rest of the recipe. We sprinkle spicy Cajun seasonings on the meat and serve it alongside a butter dip scented with fresh garlic, lemon, parsley, and thyme. The flavors combine perfectly with the subtle smoke of hardwood charcoal. We use a charcoal grill for this recipe, but if you must use a gas grill, soak some wood chips, add them to the grill, and then start grilling when you begin to see smoke
INGREDIENTS:
4 live lobsters (about 1 pound each)
⅓ cup Creole Rub
⅓ cup Seafood Butter, warmed if made in advance
3 tablespoons olive oil
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
DIRECTIONS:
Light a charcoal grill for indirect medium heat, about 350°F, using hardwood charcoal.
Split the lobsters (see Know-How, right), saving the tomalley and roe (if present) in a saucepan. Drain any liquid that has collected on the lobster plate into the pan holding the tomalley. Cook over medium-low heat just until the lobster drippings turn white and the tomalley brightens, about 1 minute. Let cool.
Mix 2 tablespoons of the rub and all of the seafood butter into the cooled tomalley mixture. Mix the olive oil with the remaining rub and spoon the mixture over the exposed lobster meat (and into the claws as much as possible).
Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Put the lobsters, cut-sides down, on the grill directly over the heat. Cover and grill for about 4 minutes, until the edges start to brown.
Flip the lobsters over and move them away from the heat, cover, and grill until the meat just turns opaque (140°F on an instant-read thermometer), about 10 minutes.
Remove the lobsters to a large serving platter. Sprinkle the lemon zest and juice over the lobster meat, and place a spoonful of the seafood butter in the cavity of each lobster half for dipping.
KNOW-HOW: SPLITTING A LOBSTER
Refrigerate the lobster for 30 minutes to help sedate it. Hold the lobster by its back shell and place it on its belly on a rimmed sheet pan. Uncurl the tail and lay it out flat. Insert a sharp knife just behind the head and cut the shell of the thorax (its back) in half lengthwise, killing the lobster. Turn the lobster onto its back and insert the knife into the abdomen right where the tail meets the thorax, with the edge of the blade facing the head.
In one motion, bring the knife down the center line of the body, splitting the front end of the lobster