Grilled Lobster with Miso Butter

There’s just something about sweet, succulent lobster kissed by fire and bathed in a warm, lightly sweet yet savory butter that sets a mood. With just a few simple ingredients Grilled Lobster with Miso Butter will turn any night into an event.

Lobster itself is a decadent item that doesn’t take much to allow it to shine. Rich butter combined with the delicate umami of miso, warm spicy kick of ginger, and fresh accent of green onions are the ultimate accent to grilling up split lobster tails.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Balance of Flavors – Lobster on its own has a naturally sweet and delicate flavor. Grilling the lobster enhances that while also adding that element of smoke. The recipe for the miso-ginger butter combines the richness of butter, aromatic and spicy warmth of ginger, sweet salty umami of miso, with a little freshness from green onions and lemon zest.
• Easy Process – From splitting the lobster tails to setting up your grill for two zone grilling, this recipe couldn’t be easier. It can be broken down into three easy steps, prep, melt, and grill.
• Versatility – While the flavors in this butter are ideally suited to lobster, the compound butter also works with both different types of seafood and also vegetables such as grilled baby bok choy.

Ingredients

If you’re like me, you probably bought the big tub of miso for a specific recipe and then see it every time you open up your refrigerator. Go ahead and take it out because with a few additional ingredients you will want to put this miso-ginger butter on everything!

• Lobster Tails – I used a monster lobster tail from LobsterAnywhere for this recipe, but you can use two to four smaller lobster tails.
• Unsalted Butter – Pick the highest quality butter for a richer flavor. Use unsalted so you can control the final flavor outcome.
• White Miso – Slightly sweet, slightly funky, and a little salty, this fermented soybean paste is a complex addition of umami.
• Ginger – Deeply aromatic, ginger adds a little spicy warmth that compliments the sweetness of the miso.
• Garlic – Sharp, pungent, aromatic, and spicy, it adds depth to the butter while complimenting the ginger.
• Lemon Zest – Sunny, floral, and bright, the oils in the lemon zest add a citrus note without overpowering the other flavors.
• Green Onions – Scallions offer up delicate onion flavor and freshness that cuts through the rich butter.
• Gochugaru – This is optional, but these Korean chili flakes add mild heat and a layer of fruitiness.
• Fine Sea Salt – A sprinkle of fine sea salt on your lobster tails will enhance the natural sweetness of the lobster while allowing the flavors in the butter to shine.

How to Make Grilled Lobster with Miso Butter

Fire up the grill and put on some music. Ina might have her proposal chicken, but this grilled lobster recipe will have you receiving proclamations of adoration.

• Prep – Split your lobster tails. This step can be done ahead of time, and you can store your lobster tails on a baking sheet in the refrigerator until ready to grill.
• Mise en Place – Grate your ginger, garlic, and lemon zest. Chop your scallions. Add the ingredients for your miso butter into a grill safe sauce pot.
• Fire it Up – Prepare your grill for two zone cooking. If you are cooking on charcoal, bank your charcoal to one side leaving a cooler side. If you are using a gas grill don’t light all of your burners leaving a cooler side. You want your grill between 400-450 degrees.

• Season – Brush your lobster tails with olive oil and lightly season them with fine sea salt or your favorite seafood seasoning.
• Melt – Place your saucepan with the miso-ginger butter over direct heat. Continue to stir it until the butter is melted and the miso is dissolved. Transfer it to indirect to stay warm while you grill your lobster.

• Sear – Place your lobster tails meat side down over the direct heat. Allow it to grill for 2-4 minutes until it is lightly seared and just beginning to turn white.
• Cook – Flip your lobster over and transfer to the indirect side. Baste it with your miso butter and close the lid. Allow your grilled lobster tails to cook and additional 3-4 minutes or until their internal temperature is 140 degrees.

• Finishing Touch – Baste your lobster tail with additional miso butter, reserving some for serving if desired. Garnish with green onions. Pop open the bubbly and cheers to this seafood celebration!

Variations

While this ginger-miso butter pairs well with lobster it is also delicious with grilled vegetables such as baby bok choy, asparagus, and even brushed on sweet potatoes.

In addition, it also works with other types of seafood. Try this butter brushed onto seared scallops, or a mild white fish like grouper or halibut. It also works with fish such as salmon, or even to baste grilled shrimp with.

Finally, these same ingredients for the miso butter can also be turned into a compound butter. Allow your butter to come to room temperature to make it easy to mix with the remaining ingredients. Add all the ingredient to a bowl and stir to combine. Place the butter mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll it tightly into a log. It can be store in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer in a freezer safe bag for up to a month.

Tools

• Kitchen Shears/Sharp Knife – When it comes to splitting your lobster tails, using kitchen shears to cut through the hard shells and then a sharp knife to slice through the tender meat is both easy, but also gives you complete control. Don’t forget to snip off the legs!
• Grill – Any type of grill will work for this recipe, from the classic kettle to a gas grill. You just need to create a two-zone grilling setup
• Grill Safe Saucepan – A cast iron pan is ideal for the grill. Not only does it conduct heat evenly it is suited for being used over live fire and high heat.
• Digital Thermometer – No one wants over cooked rubbery lobster. A digital thermometer is your best friend when it comes to keep your meat tender. Always pull your lobster at 140 degrees.

Tips From the Beach

If you don’t plan on using all of your ginger within a week, stick it in a freezer safe bag and freeze it. It can last for several months and makes for easy grating. There is nothing as much as a snow-flurry of freshly grated ginger.

Seafood in general is a luxury item and lobster is truly the Triton of the sea. Quality matters. Always know your source. When you are shopping for your lobster look for hard shell lobsters that are sustainably sourced. Don’t be afraid to ask your seafood monger how they were frozen as batch-frozen lobster tends to dry out and shrink during the cooking process. Don’t pull a George Constanza. No one wants shrinkage.

Grilled Lobster with Miso Butter

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Sweet lobster tails are grilled and brushed with a delicate umami kissed butter combining fresh ginger, garlic, and miso paste. 

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Seafood
• Method: Grilled
• Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2–4 lobster tails, split
• Olive oil
• Fine sea salt
• 8 ounces unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 1” grated ginger, about a tablespoon
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon Gochugaru, optional
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 scallions, chopped, plus additional for serving

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Instructions

1. Prepare your grill for two zone grilling. If using a charcoal grill, bank your charcoal to one side creating a cooler zone. If using a gas grill don’t light all of your burners. 
2. Split your lobster tails in half.
3. Brush your lobster tails with olive oil and lightly season them with fine sea salt.
4. Add your butter, miso, ginger, garlic, zest, green onions, and gochugaru if using to a grill safe saucepan and place over direct heat. Stir the butter until it melts and the miso has dissolved.
5. Move the miso butter to indirect heat.
6. Place your lobster tails flesh side down over direct heat. Allow them to grill for 3-4 minutes until they are lightly charred and just turning opaque white.
7. Flip the lobster tails over and transfer them to the cooler side of the grill, meat side up.
8. Baste the lobster tails with the miso butter. Allow them to grill another 4-6 minutes, basting occasionally.
9. Remove them from the heat when the internal temperature of the meat is 240 degrees.
10. Garnish with scallions and enjoy!

Notes

This butter can also be used on grilled vegetables such as baby bok choy, sweet potatoes, and corn, or other types of seafood such as grouper, scallops, and shrimp.