Grilled Lobster with Zesty Butter Sauce

There are only a few months to grab fresh prime Maine lobster, so make the most of them with this easy but oh-so-fancy Grilled Lobster with Zesty Butter Sauce recipe.

There are few things as simple as a good seafood recipe, like grilled lobster on warm summer days. Cooking lobster on the grill is as easy as one, two, three. You can find lobster from coast to coast at your local fish counter, even if you aren’t near the ocean.

But, just like many of your favorite ingredients, lobster is a seasonal item, so where it was caught varies depending on when you purchase it. In early summer, a lot of the lobster comes from Canada (listen for the accent), but if you have patience, you can hunt out our favorite cold-water Maine lobster for a premium. Hint, Maine lobster doesn’t mean a lobster from the coast of Maine (although they can) but rather a species of lobster.

What is Grilled Lobster?

Grilled lobster is a whole lobster heated up on a grill. Grilled whole lobster can be cooked on a gas grill or any kind of outdoor grill, charcoal included. The flavor is rich, and the bite is full of hearty meat. People often season their lobster tails with lemon juice and black pepper. Like our butter poached lobster tail recipe, this one doesn’t require many seasonings since the all of it – especially the tail meat is delicious on its own.

Ingredients for Cooking Lobster on the Grill

Fresh lobster
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Unsalted butter
Girl Carnivore Over Easy Spice Blend or your favorite herb seasoning mix
Chives or Parsley
Optional: Lemon juice

How to Make this Grilled Lobster Recipe

Making the Sweet Lobster Meat

For best results, shop for your lobster within a few hours of preparing this recipe.
Preheat the charcoal grill by piling charcoal on one side. Clean and oil the grill grates.
Chill the lobster in the freezer for about 20 minutes before preparing them.
Lay the live lobster legs down flat on your clean work surface.
Using a sharp knife, find the seam at the top of the shell and press firmly and quickly. This wills split the lobster towards the front, ensuring a quick kill.
Then, flip the lobster over and split the tail in half.
With a spoon or your fingers, clean out the tomalley, organs, and other items that aren’t meat.
Season with salt, pepper, and garlic and herb seasoning.

Grill the Lobster

Prepare your grill for a 2-zone fire by lighting charcoal in a charcoal chimney. When it’s 70% ashed over, carefully pour the charcoal into one side of the grill. Place the grill grate on top and clean it. Cover the grill with the lid and adjust the air vents to preheat the grill to 350 – 400 degrees F.
When the grill has heated up, place lobsters on the grill with the meat side down. Place them on direct heat. Leave the shell exposed to the air. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Flip and move to the cooler side of the grill.

Prepping the Garlic Herb Butter

In a grill-safe pan, melt the butter, garlic and herb seasoning, and chives. Stir to combine. Move this to the cool side of the grill.
Use a grill burst to baste the lobsters with the butter sauce as they finish grilling (2-5 minutes longer).

Serving the Lobster

Remove the lobsters from the grill and arrange them on a serving platter. Season with a dash of pepper and fresh chives.
Gently break the claws with a soft mallet or seafood cracker. Serve the char-grilled lobster in the shells with small forks and a ramekin of seasoned garlic butter sauce for extra dipping. You’ll feel like you’re eating at a fancy restaurant.

GIRL CARNIVORE EXPERT RECIPE TIPS

Cook lobster to 145 degrees F.
When cooking lobster tails, be sure the meat reaches an internal temperature of about 145 degrees, per USDA guidelines. You can use an instant-read thermometer to check if eyeballing it is too difficult. Different sizes of lobster will cook differently, so keep your eye on them.

We use Cowboy All natural hardwood charcoal briquets and a handful of Jack Daniels smoking chips as the fuel for this recipe.

For a Gas Grill

Prep the lobster as direct and preheat your gas grill for a 2-zone fire by igniting 2 of the 3 burners. Allow the grill to preheat to 350 to 400 degrees F before pacing the lobster on the hot side of the grill as directed. Continue as shown in the recipe card until the lobster is cooked through.
See our tips for how to smoke on a gas grill for more added flavor.

For a Pellet Grill

Preheat your pellet smoker to its sear setting and allow it to preheat. When it’s preheated, grill the lobster by placing it flesh side down first as instructed; after 4 – 5 minutes, flip it and continue to cook until it reaches 145 degrees F with a digital meat thermometer, basting as directed in the recipe card.

What to Serve with Grilled Lobsters

Eating this meal with messy fingers is the best way to enjoy it. Pair it with smoked corn on the cob or a fresh salad for summer. Lemon wedges do nicely on the side for anyone who loves a little zing. If you’ve ever had a shrimp boil, you’ll know that lobster, shrimp, crab, corn, sausage, and potatoes go very nicely together.

For pre-made sides, try Creamy Skillet Corn or Flank Steak Pinwheel Pops. Potato salad is also a classic summer favorite.

Reheating and Leftovers

Have leftovers? Store them for a day or two in an airtight container. Leftover seafood isn’t as good the next day, so try to eat your fresh lobster tails up on the first go. If you have leftovers, try adding them to a Sweet Corn Lobster Bisque for weekday lunches.

Recipe FAQs

Maine Lobster vs Spiny Lobster

Cold-water lobster is (arguably) the best, but spiny lobster is caught off the coast of Florida or California. Maine Lobsters are caught from the Connecticut coast all the way to Newfoundland and are best enjoyed in late summer when they have shed their hard shell. Softshell lobster meat is easier to get to and sweeter.

What to look for when buying fresh lobster

When shopping for fresh lobster, look for the long antenna. This means that the lobster hasn’t been in the tank as long. The longer the lobster sits in the tank, the meat-to-water ratio goes down, as banded lobsters tend not to eat as much.

Where to buy fresh Maine lobster

If you are lucky enough, buy directly off the boat in Maine or from a reputable fish market for the best quality. Lobster is a splurge, so you might as well go all out for the experience. And if you can’t find lobster – or it isn’t in the budget – this dish is also delicious when made with shrimp!
Once you have moved past the region and buying debate, move on to the cooking one. Local Mainers will tell you the only way to eat a lobster is to steam them, but many people disagree and think a grilled butter-drenched lobster is just as good.

Can I use Old Bay Seasoning?

Of course! You can never go wrong with Old Bay! Melt butter the same way and add Old Bay instead of garlic and herb seasoning. Really, any of your favorite seasonings can be used for this easy recipe.

Can I use frozen lobster tails?

Frozen lobster is certainly an option if you aren’t up for killing the lobster on your own. It won’t taste as fresh, but as long as you thaw the tails before grilling them, you’ll get exceptional grilled meat. This is of course, one of the easiest ways to prepare this dish, but not as authentic. Check out our resource for where to order meat online for where we buy frozen Maine lobster.

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This lobster tails recipe isn’t only for a special occasion. Use this recipe to create memories with the family in the summertime. It will quickly become one of your favorite things to do together in the warmer months. As a bonus, you won’t have to go the fancy seafood restaurant route, when you have all the ingredients at home.
Tried this recipe? Help out the next guy and be sure to drop a comment and rate the recipe card!