Though I certainly can’t always afford it, good seafood is one of my favorite things to eat. I’m not big on places like that Long John place that fries everything they serve. But if someone doesn’t mind treating me to dinner, I’m always ordering scallops or shrimp. I’ll get lobster too if it’s done a certain way. I don’t mind having it plain and dipping it in clarified butter. But lobster is such a delicious food by itself; it begs to play with other flavors. One of those flavors lobster loves is that smoky flavor you get from a grill. My gas grill is the perfect device to cook some fresh lobster on.
Every once in a blue moon, that meat truck that comes around my house will have some lobsters that Mr. and Mrs. John Q couldn’t afford to pay for that week. So, they’ll knock 3 dollars off the per-pound price and sell them to another customer while they’re still fresh. I make sure to ask them weekly. When I do get lucky, they go straight out to the grill for their date with destiny.
Firecracker Lobster
I doubt everyone gets their lobster from the meat guys, so you’ll need to hit up the store. We’ll need some lobsters (1 per person), a couple of lemons, a can of chipotle peppers, some garlic powder, and a stick of real butter. Don’t forget to grab your kitchen essentials like salt and pepper while you’re there. We’ll need those too.
This recipe is really all about the dipping sauce. The lobster is so good by itself; all I do is cut a slit in the tail, cut those bands from their claws, and grill them up. But for the sauce we’ll need to melt that stick of butter in a small sauce pan. When it’s melted, add 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, some black pepper, and just a pinch of salt. In a blender, take 2 chipotle peppers and about 2 tablespoons of the adobe sauce and blend until smooth. Combine that with the butter and stir over low heat. Add the juice of a lemon to balance it all out.
Cut your grill to medium and let it heat up for a bit. To make that slit in the tail, just take a good, relatively large knife and gently tap on the tail until you notice it’s starting to make an impression. After that, give it a healthy whack and it should split open. You can definitely skip this step. I just like the way the meat looks when it cooks like this. Plus you get a bit of smoky flavor in the meat itself.
After your grill’s heated, just place the lobsters down and close the lid. Come back in 10 minutes and take them off. Let them rest for about 10 minutes and you’ll have perfectly cooked lobster. I don’t really have any tips for getting the meat out without making a mess. But I do know that most people waste the lobster’s legs. There’s actually a good amount of meat in there. Just pull them off, get yourself a good grip on the bottom with one hand, take your other hand and squeeze upward. The meat comes right out.
This sauce is perfect for dipping. I like just using 2 peppers in the sauce; it doesn’t overtake the butter and garlic. If you want it hotter, then just put more on the lobster. The taste of the lobster still comes through predominantly; the sauce just gives it a nice firecracker pop.