Lobster tails with chilli & garlic butter
by Ross Dobson
There is something about the expense of lobster that puts pressure on the cook to do something really fancy with it. And that is where mistakes are made! No béchamel or white sauce; no cheese and no flambé, please. Keep it simple. Cook the lobster simply and quickly, basting with some lovely, fresh flavours. That’s all you need to do. These are made for firepit cooking.
You’ll need
- 2 lobster tails, about 320 g (11 oz) each
- 75 g (2½ oz) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
Cut the lobster tails in half lengthways. Mix together the butter, chilli flakes, garlic and parsley and spread over the cut sides of the lobster.
Your firepit is ready to cook on after about 2 hours of burning, when the timber is charcoal black, has transformed into red hot coals about the size of golf balls, and the smoke has all but subsided. To test for heat, you should not be able to hold the palm of your hand 5–10cm (2–4 inches) above the grill for more than 2–3 seconds. Replace the grill over the firepit and give it around 10 minutes to heat up. (See page 9.)
Lay the lobster, shell side down, on the firepit grill. The shell will act as a cooking vessel of sorts. Cook for 10–15 minutes, until the lobster meat is white and cooked through. It should peel away easily from the shell. If necessary, cook for a few extra minutes until it does so. Serve with lemon wedges.
Images and text from Firepit Barbecue by Ross Dobson, photography by Alan Benson, Murdoch Books RRP $35.00.’
