Grilled Lobster - Australian Seafood Feast

Everyone loves a seafood feast, here in Australia, it's a Christmas tradition, and it wouldn't be complete without Grilled Lobster! This seafood platter is a perfect summertime feast, or any celebration like seafood for Easter!

Aussie Seafood Feast

As I mentioned, the Seafood feast is a summertime favorite here, especially on Christmas Day. As our Christmas is in the middle of summer, it's hot and not everyone wants to eat a Roast Turkey, or as we usually make, a Deep Fried Turkey. An easy Aussie barbecue is what many Australians prefer to make for Christmas.

Every seafood feast begins with a trip to the seafood market, and the Aussie ones are amazing. In my video, I start in the seafood market where I buy all the seafood for this feast, including Russian Caviar, and you need to check out How to Eat Caviar. A Seafood Platter will have grilled baby octopus, Grilled Lobster Tails with Mango Salsa, and freshly shucked oysters and Shrimps.

Throw a shrimp on the barbie is more than just a saying here. Except we don't say shrimp but use the word prawns. For this feast, I'm using King Prawns from Queensland, and I'm grilling shrimp with garlic butter and parsley.

The freshly shucked oysters are prepared 2 ways, Grilled Oysters Kilpatrick which is an Aussie fave, and Asian Dressed Oysters, drizzled in an Asian vinaigrette. Easy and delicious, and a bit impressive to serve to guests.

The Grilled Baby Octopus is marinated with Chorizo and fennel, and can be made on a cast iron griddle pan instead of a bbq. Make all these delicious recipes and you've got an amazing Australia Seafood Platter, just in time for your next party! I'm sharing all the recipes we ate in the video, the Grilled Lobsters with Mango Salsa are at 7:47 minute point in the clip.

What are Rock Lobsters?

Rock Lobsters are commonly found in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Bahamas and a few other places. They are part of the spiny lobster family, and they don't have lobster claws. They can be referred to as Crayfish as well, but that isn't actually technically correct. What I am using in this recipe is the Western Australian Rock Lobster, and they can grow up to 5kg (11 pounds). They are similar to the Eastern Rock Lobster and the Souther Rock Lobster, but different from the lobsters with claws. Technically, our Aussie rock lobsters aren't lobsters at all.

Lobster Tails from Maine or Nova Scotia

If you're reading this from North America, you can substitute and use lobster tails that are usually harvested in Maine or Nova Scotia. You're unlikely to find Australian lobsters easily overseas. It's easy to grill the lobster tails and top them with the delicious Mango Salsa. Lobsters from around the world are interchangeable in recipes, or at least that is my opinion!

Boiling Lobsters

This is a grilled lobster recipe and some people parboil the lobsters before grilling them. Parboiling keeps the lobster flesh firmer when grilling. If you want to do that, make sure you put the lobsters to sleep in the freezer for about 30 minutes before placing them in a pot of salty water. If boiling a gallon of water (4 litres), you want to add at least ⅔ cup of salt. You only want to boil them for 5 minutes, before placing them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

If you are grilling the lobster, then freeze the lobsters until they are completely dead before defrosting and preparing for the bbq grill. Follow the video and cut the lobster in half lengthwise before grilling for about 5-6minutes per side. When lobster is parboiled, it grills faster on the bbq than you see in the video.

How to Grill a Lobster

This is my favorite part. Lay the lobster on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, exert enough pressure to cut the lobster in half lengthways. Rinse the tomalley, or brain juice like I call it, before proceeding to the grill.

I make a garlic butter with butter, garlic and parsley to baste on the lobster tail. Some people only use olive oil, or you can use your favorite seasonings with butter for flavor. Heat the grill on high and baste with butter or olive oil and place flesh side down on the grill. Bbq for about 5-6 minutes before flipping over. Baste again with more garlic butter and cook another 4-5 minutes. It's that easy! The lobster is ready when the meat is a opaque white color.

Dressing a Lobster Tail

It's common to serve lobster with plain melted garlic butter, as the flavor is delicate and perfectly accompanies with garlic butter. However, being an Aussie, I am using mangoes which are in season during our summer, to make a Mango Salsa, recipe below. The Mango Salsa is easy to make, and can be made the day before to meld the flavors together even better. It's so easy to spoon on top of the Grilled Lobster Tails. This way of serving lobsters gives it a fresh tropical twist to a delicious bbq feast.

Lobster Recipe Tips

• Buy frozen lobster, preferably uncooked for best results
• If using live lobsters, make sure you put the lobster to sleep before boiling.
• If only grilling live lobsters, freeze them to put to sleep and defrost before preparing
• Make the Mango Salsa the night before, it's one less thing to worry about when you are grilling
• Lobsters are expensive, so make this as part of a Seafood Platter Bbq, and some Grilled Corn as your side dish
• Add 1 tbsp of sugar to your Mango Salsa, not all mangoes are ripe enough or sweet enough to get the right balance of flavors.
• Make Lobster for your Christmas Lunch!

Grilled Australian Rock Lobsters or Grilled Lobster Tails are the perfect summer bbq feast. Topped with a delicious mango salsa, this dish will be the crowning glory of your bbq party. Enjoy my video of our Australian Christmas Lunch, a seafood bonanza! Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!