I grilled these lobster tails in a backyard in St. Louis, Missouri. Landlocked, humid, nowhere near an ocean. Didn't matter. Between the char from the grill and a smoky garlic butter sauce, it turned out to be one of the best things I ate all year. My husband was a few feet away throwing steaks on for a little surf and turf. I couldn't tell you how his turned out. I was too deep in lobster shells to notice.
Why This Recipe Works
Ten minutes of grill time. This isn't just a special occasion recipe. It's realistic for a Tuesday, if lobster tails happen to be in your Tuesday.
The smoked paprika builds on that fiery grilled flavor. You get that "just came off a smoker" flavor without owning a smoker.
Splitting the shell before cooking means faster, more even heat. No dense center that's still cold while the edges overcook.
One sauce, two jobs. It bastes the lobster on the grill and then does double duty as the dipping sauce at the table.
The Ingredients
Lobster tails, 5 to 6 ounces each. That size is the sweet spot: big enough to feel like the main event, small enough to cook through fully in the time it takes to get good char. If your tails are significantly smaller or larger, adjust timing so they're cooked just right. I got these gorgeous tails from our friends at Sizzlefish. They're delivered to my front door and reliably delicious...every dang time.
Butter and garlic. The backbone of the sauce. Nothing fancy needed here.
Smoked paprika. This is the ingredient doing the most work in the whole recipe. It's what gets you that deep smoky flavor straight off a regular gas or charcoal grill.
Lemons. Used twice: brushed with oil and grilled alongside the lobster for char, then juiced straight into the sauce so nothing goes to waste.
Chives. Fresh, sharp contrast against all that rich butter.
Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by Step Instructions:
1. Prep the lobster tails.
Using kitchen shears, cut through the top (hard) shell lengthwise down the center. Switch to a chef's knife and cut the rest of the way through the meat and bottom shell, splitting each tail into two equal halves.
Work your thumb or a small spoon between the meat and the shell wall along the full length of the cut, following the curve of the shell rather than pulling straight up. Leave the base near the tail fin attached so the meat has an anchor point, then settle it down inside the shell.
2. Make butter sauce.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and cook about 1 minute, until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the chives. Set butter aside until lemons are finished grilling (in the next step) and add 2 teaspoons grilled lemon juice. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice as needed.
3. Grill lobsters.
Brush the lobster flesh with olive oil. Brush the lemon halves with olive oil too. Generously oil the grill grates with neutral oil. Grill the lemon halves cut side down until nicely charred. (I prefer to do this while the grill is heating so I can finish the butter sauce, but they can also be grilled alongside the lobster, whichever timing works better for you.) Grill the lobster flesh side down for about 3 minutes. Flip to shell side down and baste with butter sauce. Grill 3 to 4 minutes more, until the meat registers 140°F.
4. Serve and enjoy.
Serve hot with the remaining butter sauce and grilled lemon halves alongside.
Can I use frozen lobster tails?
Yes, thaw them fully in the fridge overnight first. Splitting and loosening the meat is much harder on a partially frozen tail.
Do you grill lobster meat-side down first?
Yes. Starting flesh side down gets you a light char in those first few minutes. Flipping to shell side down finishes the cook more gently and gives you a chance to baste with the butter sauce. You can actually see the smoky butter sauce bubbling around the lobster meat in the shell - a beautiful sight!
What internal temperature should grilled lobster tail be?
Pull it at 140°F. Lobster keeps cooking a few more degrees off the heat, so this lands you right at done without drifting into rubbery territory.
What should I serve with grilled lobster tails?
If you want the full St. Louis backyard experience: steaks on the other side of the grill for surf and turf. Otherwise, grilled corn or crusty bread for mopping up the extra butter sauce both do the job well.
Print
Grilled Lobster Tails with Smoky Garlic Butter
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Pescatarian
Description
Grilled lobster tails get a light char, then a baste of smoky garlic butter sauce. Splitting and loosening the meat before cooking means it lifts right out of the shell, no wrestling required at the table.
Ingredients
For the lobster
- 4 (5 to 6 ounce) lobster tails
- Olive oil, for brushing
- 2 lemons, halved
For the sauce
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, from a grilled lemon half (more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons chives, diced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Split the tails. Using kitchen shears, cut through the top (hard) shell lengthwise down the center. Switch to a chef's knife and cut the rest of the way through the meat and bottom shell, splitting each tail into two equal halves. Four tails will give you 8 pieces. Clean out the visible vein running down the center of the meat and rinse, then dry.
- Loosen and settle the meat. Work your thumb or a small spoon between the meat and the shell wall along the full length of the cut, following the curve of the shell rather than pulling straight up. Leave the base near the tail fin so the meat has an anchor point, then settle it back down into the shell.
- Make the sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and cook about 1 minute, until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the chives. Set aside butter sauce until your lemons are grilled, then squeeze 2 teaspoons juice into butter. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice as needed.
- Heat the grill. Gas: preheat to 400 to 450°F (medium-high). Charcoal: light the coals and let them burn down to a solid medium-high bed of heat without much active flame, then cook directly over them.
- Brush the lobster flesh with olive oil. Brush the lemon halves with olive oil too. Generously oil the grill grates.
- Grill the lemon halves cut side down until nicely charred. I prefer to do this while the coals are heating, so my butter sauce can be finished.
- Once grill is ready, add lobster tails flesh side down and grill for about 3 minutes. Flip to shell side down and grill 3 to 4 minutes more, until the meat registers 140°F. Baste with the butter sauce once flipped.
- Serve hot with the remaining butter sauce and grilled lemon halves alongside.
Notes
- A split shell exposes the meat along its full length, which makes loosening it simpler: work your thumb or a small spoon between the meat and shell along the whole piece, following the curve rather than pulling straight up.
- Loosen the meat while it's still raw and cold. The connective membrane firms up once it hits heat, which is what welds the meat to the shell if this step gets skipped.
- Skip salting the lobster flesh before grilling. Butter's saltiness varies by brand, so taste the sauce before adding more, and season from there.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
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