Grilled Lobster Tails

Prep: 12 mins
Cook: 7 mins
Total: 19 mins
Servings: 3 to 6 servings

This grilled lobster is perfect for any occasion. Even if you don't have a lot of experience in grilling shellfish, this will be an easy recipe for you if you start with either fresh or frozen lobster tails.

This recipe assumes you aren't starting with a live lobster. If you are, you will have the extra step of killing it by parboiling before you use the tail for grilling. To use frozen lobster tails, defrost them in the refrigerator before splitting and grilling them.

Butter or olive oil? You have a choice to make, as you can use either. In fact, you may want to make two batches of the sauce in any case. One will be used to season the lobster while grilling, while a second batch can serve as a dipping sauce for your grilled lobster.

Grilled lobster tails recipe

The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt

"Lobster tails on the grill are quick, easy, and delicious. I used oil in the basting sauce and served this with grilled scallions, baked potatoes, and drawn butter on the side" —Diana Andrews

Grilled Lobster Tails
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, or melted unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus wedges for serving

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 6 medium lobster tails

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Grilled lobster tail ingredients
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat.

    Preheat grill
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  3. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and salt in a small bowl, stirring until the salt has dissolved. Set aside.

    Combine olive oil and dill
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  4. To split the lobster tails in half, place them on a cutting board, flat side down. Use a large, sharp knife to cut down through the center the whole length of the shell.

    Split lobster tails in half
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  5. Fold the shell back (like you are opening a book), breaking through the shell. If the shell doesn't break, you can use kitchen shears to cut through it. The flesh should now be exposed.

    Open shells
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  6. Pat the lobster tails dry with paper towels.

    Pat the lobster tails dry
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  7. Brush the oil mixture onto the flesh of the lobster tails.

    Brush mixture on flesh
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  8. Grill the lobster, flat side down, 5 to 7 minutes, turning once half way through cooking. Depending on the size of the lobster tail, it may need to cook longer. 

    Place lobster tails on grill
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  9. Lobster tails will be done once meat reaches an internal temperature 140 F. The shells should turn a bright pink and the flesh should be opaque all the way through the center.

    Grill
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt
  10. Serve the lobster tails with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

    Remove lobster tails from grill
    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt

Tips

  • Lobster tails are traditionally served with drawn butter. Or, you can make a second batch of the butter, lemon juice, dill, and salt baste which will do nicely as a dipping sauce.
  • There are a couple of ways to grill the lobster tails. You could lightly brush them with the sauce and grill meat side down for about 5 minutes, then flip them, add the sauce generously, and grill until done. Or you could grill them with the meat side up with the sauce through the whole cooking time, until done.
  • If you find the lobster tails curl when grilling, you could insert a metal skewer the length of the tail before grilling. This will keep it straight and give you an easy way to put it on the grill and take it off.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
224 Calories
11g Fat
4g Carbs
26g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 224
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 89mg 30%
Sodium 435mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 4g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 26g
Vitamin C 6mg 30%
Calcium 63mg 5%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 218mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)