Broiled Virgin Lobster

[Catch-All]

I call this recipe Broiled Virgin Lobster because I caught my first Spiny Lobster on Wednesday, the first day of Mini Season.

It's a very simple twist on a basic recipe that was suggested to me by Clint/ Krisis7. We were discussing various recipes. He likes to steam his lobsters but I've had it up to here with steamed lobster. I used to wreck dive off South Jersey and got tired of catching lobsters that can pinch back. The few times I've bought Spiny Lobsters at the store I always broiled them.

Clint prefers to bake them on a cookie sheet at 350 in a pre-heated oven for ten minutes, then switch the oven to low broil and finish the lobster off on the top rack for 5 minutes. I buttered the split lobster tail and sprinkled some Old Bay spice on it.

Here's the result. There's just something "extra" about catching dinner with your bare hands.


I took Clint out on the Twinvee for both days of Mini Season. We got 5 on day one and only two on day two.

My first lobster


Here's the two bigger ones from Day Two


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[Disco Lady]

COÑO!!!!!!!! looks Yummy.......


Cheers,DL

[RiskTaker]

Way to go Catch-all. Cool report on your first Bug.

Yeah Mon, there is something very special about fresh caught Crawfish, that just makes them taste so good. And when you catch-all them yourself or with some diving buds, even better.

Now that you are a predator of bugs above the 100 fathom line, I imagine that you will be cooking up a bunch more of these in the future ....

A precaution - Make sure that you don't have an allergy sensitivity to these critters. For example, limit yourself to 1 or 2 tails at a sitting. Once you know better, if you're real hungry, then why not.

Here is an Island style recipe that I would like to share with you that simply works, deliciously, especially on the grill:

Crawfish a la grill (RT - Island Style)

Freshly wrung Crawfish tails.
Real Mayo
Chef Pauls Blackened Redfish Magic
Optional : Garlic Salt
Fresh lime wedges
Optional: melted butter

(Note: Typically you will have at least one of those spiny antenna remaining after a catch. Break off about 7 inches of the end of the antenna. Use that as a de-veining tool, fat end up the culo about 2-3 inches or so and back out the end it started from. The spines will grab the intestine and you can remove it along with any entrail matter, before cooking.)

Prepare a small batch of spicy Mayo: the simplest version I will suggest here is to sprinkle some Chef Paul's Blackened Redfish Magic into the Mayo and mix it up. You could also add just a little garlic salt if you like.

Crack those crawfish tails down the back with a long chefs knife, hopefully not your fine edged fillet blades. Manually split those tails wide open, just shy of severing them into two halves. Coat the exposed meat with the Spicy Mayo mix, thick enough to coat well. (They should be up to ambient temperature as they go on the grill, not chilled.)

Preferred method: Place on the bbq grill for some reasonably hot Grillin, shell side down to start it off. Most of the cooking will be on this side, and it is OK to char the shell a little bit. Flip them over and cook a little longer, but try to avoid burning the meat.

This method can also be substituted for the broiler method, which I have done many times as well. But in that case you may want to have the shell side up, to broil the shell side first, then flip for the final touch.

A touch of lime juice always works, at least it keeps ya from becoming a Scurvy dog. Yarrr!

Enjoy... the season is just starting and open til nearly May.

(Note: I used to hate to put Mayo on fish, etc., instead I preferred to use butter for cooking, because of bad childhood experiences with fish dredged in mayo and baked in the oven. Later in life, while cruising the Bahamas, the concept of Mayo instead of butter was once again introduced as a better method, to seal in the moisture better, especially for crawfish. By Gollie, that Hawaiian Bob was right on! Now you have the concept too, but kicked up a notch.)

[Catch-All]

Risktaker - no worries of an allergy sensitivity here. I've been happily eating everything crustacean since I can first remember. It didn't matter - Clams, crabs, skrimps, "ersters" as we Island Pineys say in south Jersey, lobster (pinchy kind), lobsters (spiny kind), mussels, conch, scungilli, whatever.

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[Certifiable]

Like everyone else, I was tired of the typical grilled or broiled lobster that tasted bland and the texture of a rubbery spare tire.
I was at Billy Joe's on the beach in Lucaya, and had the absolute best grilled lobster of my life.
Here is what I do to copy the recipie:

Ingredients:
Fresh lobster tails (uncooked)
onions
red/green/yellow peppers
fresh garlic
tomatoes
lime
butter
wide roll of tin foil

Preperation:
Remove the lobster meat from the shell and cut into small chunks or "nuggets". Cut up the peppers/onions/tomatoes into similar chunks. Crush the garlic, or dice it into very small pieces. Tear of 2 large squares of tin foil and lay them flat on the table. Load up the lobster meat and veggies into the center of the foil and sprinkle the garlic and squeeze the lime juice on top. Cut up the butter into small patty's and spread a few around on top of the pile. You can add some black pepper or extra seasoning before you roll up the tin foil around the mix. Now, re-wrap the first tin foil roll with a second sheet of foil to prevent it from leaking and scorching on the grill.
Heat the outdoor grill to medium heat and place the foil pack on the grill for 5 minutes a side.
We usually make 3 or 4 foil packs and dump them into a large bowl and serve family style. Pair it up with some rice or baked potatoes and corn on the cob and you are in heaven.
The meat and veggies come out tender and flavorfull from cooking in thier own juice.

[Catch-All]

Certifiable - I wish I had never read your post. Damn! Now my mouth is watering and I want to go scuba diving.

Your recipe sounds great. It deserves a thread of its own. It sounds like sort of like a lobster shish-kabob but without the skewers. Plus, family-style serving is always more conducive to better cookout conversations. I will definitely try your recipe. Thanks!

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