Summer in coastal Maine means swapping out my heavy-duty fleece and wool for lightweight fleece and wool, as it’s still pretty chilly especially after the sun goes down. It’s not so bad if I’m standing over the grill as I happen to do most evenings. Dinner is usually easy, uncomplicated, and something that comes together quickly and deliciously after a day at the beach. Yes, the ocean temperature is frigid, but it’s invigorating and I’ve become pretty intrepid when it comes to cold water. (It’s also therapeutic for my aging joints, after years of standing in the kitchen.) Sorry, back to dinner!
Even though my freezer is filled with our amazing Alaskan seafood, I occasionally look to my local lobstermen for their daily catch. Sometimes I head to the nearest dock, but if time isn’t pressing, I like to drive the 30 minutes into Bremen to visit my friends at Community Shellfish. Some of you may have purchased their lobster meat and shucked clams through our marketplace in the past.
I don’t own a giant lobster pot, so I have to rely on my grill to cook 2 or more lobsters at a time. Unlike steaming or boiling, where the lobsters are still alive when they go into the pot, grilling requires some grisly knife-work to get them grill-ready. The lobsters are split lengthwise using a sharp knife to cut from tail to head and the claws are cracked with a mallet or sturdy knife. Neither boiling nor splitting is for the faint-hearted – I’m not particularly squeamish, but I really have to steel myself before butterflying them. Popping the live lobsters into the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes slows down their circulation, making it only slightly less revolting.
Once the unpleasantness is out of the way and the lobsters are butterflied, I light the grill and make a flavorful oil to baste the exposed meat during cooking. The combination of olive oil, garlic, and chopped fresh herbs is an all-around workhorse for grilling just about everything. Try this combo: ½ cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika or a pinch of chili flakes, 2 grated garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, and chives and a pinch of salt. Use this link for a printable version of the recipe.
Here’s how it works:
Upper left
After 15 minutes in the freezer, set the lobster on a sturdy cutting board, right side up. Take the tip of a sharp, heavy chef’s knife, with the blade facing towards the head, and place it in the center of the body just above the tail. Decisively plunge it into the body and press the blade down the center, cutting all the way through towards the head.
Upper right
Turn the knife or lobster and cut all the way through the tail. You have the option to remove the pale green tomalley and dark green roe sack, both of which are edible. The dark green roe sack turns bright orange when cooked.
Lower left
Use the back of the knife to crack the claws in several places.
Lower right
Preheat the grill over medium-high heat or until the coals are glowing and oil the grates. Brush the cut sides with some of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the lobsters to the grill, cut side down and grill for about 1 minute. Flip the lobsters, then close the lid and cook, cut side up, brushing the meat with the oil mixture occasionally, until the meat is opaque and firm, 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the lobsters. It’s done when the shells and roe are bright red.
If you know me at all, you know how much I love compound butters. Swap out 1 stick softened butter for the olive oil above and place small dollops of the mixture on the cut sides after flipping. No need to baste.
Enjoy!
Serve the lobsters with any extra herb oil or compound butter (melted) for dipping or drizzling and enjoy with a buttery, unoaked chardonnay or crisp, citrusy sauvignon blanc.
I’d love to hear about your favorite summer grilling traditions. Email me at askGrace@sitkaseafoodmarket.com
Wishing all of you a very happy summer at the grill.
Grace
