Chargrilled Lobster with garlic, lime & chilli butter on the Big Green Egg
Hard to beat a fresh lobster cooked outside over hot coals . This was prepared using a fresh cornish lobster and birchwood charcoal from The Oxford Charcoal Company; this is a great choice for all seafood. The butter adds a zesty fresh flavour with a classic taste of garlic and a hint of heat from the fresh red chilli.
Ingredients
Fresh live lobster medium or large size
Unsalted butter
Limes
Fresh red chillies deseeded and finely chopped
Garlic 2 crushed cloves
Salt for seasoning
Lemon/lime wedges to serve
Preparation
For the butter soften 50g of butter add salt to taste, add the chilli, lime zest and half the juice. Blend this together until evenly mixed then refrigerate.
Dispatch the live lobster in your preferred way, this is usually done by placing in the freezer for 1½ - 2 hrs until it reaches a dormant state. Take out and slice down through the head to the board with a large sharp kitchen knife. Proceed to cut the body in half following the line down the back of the shell. The lobster will be in two halves lengthways now clean out the sac in the head and digestive tract from the body, everything else is edible. Crack the claws with the back of a heavy knife.
Light the bbq and set up for direct grilling at around 250c+, I use a ceramic kamado style bbq with either the regular or a cast iron grate or griddle. I prefer UK sourced birch wood charcoal however; any good quality charcoal will be fine.
Add a sprinkle of sea salt right before cooking and add a wipe of olive oil or butter on the flesh side.
Cooking
Place the lobster flesh side down on the bbq and cook over the hot charcoal for 3-4 minutes with the lid down. This should give charred edges and the meat should start to go white and opaque with the shell turning pink. Turn the lobster over and spread the butter evenly on the flesh side ensuring and even mix of zest, garlic and chilli. Continue to grill for another 4-5 minutes until all the butter is melted in and bubbling and the claws are cooked through but still juicy.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon/lime.
This was served with samphire and bbq grilled sweet gem lettuce.