BBQ Butter Updates A Classic Lobster And Corn Dish

Last Sunday marked National Lobster Day.

The week-long celebration came on the heels of an announcement from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s (MBA) Seafood Watch program that placed Maine Lobster on its "Red List" of seafoods to avoid, citing protection of right whales.

If you didn’t celebrate last week with lobster, there is still time to do so. And, IMO, you can toss that headline out with yesterday’s garbage.

According to The Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, the Monterey Bay Aquarium's (MBA) Seafood Watch program ignored “decades of good faith conservation management and despite a lack of evidence of Maine Lobster fishery's impact on the species. In fact—zero right whale deaths or serious injuries have ever been attributed to the Maine Lobster fishery.”

They go on to say, “the Maine Lobster fishery is one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world, thanks to the hard work by generations of lobstermen to protect both the lobster resource as well as Mainemarine environment for more than 150 years. This includes decades of proactive changes to protect endangered right whales…”

I happened to be on Fisherman Dick Dodson’s boat the Kathleen Mary in Narragansett, RI, the day before the story broke. I was buying fresh lobster for a dish that I was preparing, and learning about lobster fishing at the same time.

Dick is a charming second generation lobsterman with a crinkled smile and a sparkle in his eyes that conveys how much he has enjoyed his 40-years on the water. Among the sustainable practices, he showed me how they measure each and every lobster to make sure that the youngest and the oldest lobsters stay in the water to grow and propagate the species.

He exhibited so much passion for his craft—which is hard solitary work—that I was enchanted. In his words, it is “exhilarating and addictive.” Spending a couple of hours with him on his boat talking about lobsters gave me a renewed appreciation for Fisherman Dick, and all the fishermen who go out into the wild blue sea to bring back fish, shellfish, crabs and lobsters from their natural habitat for us to cook and eat.

It was a highlight of my trip to be able to pick my lobsters from Fisherman Dick’s catch. I love to eat and cook lobster and find that if you have fresh lobster, you don’t need a complicated recipe to enjoy it. The traditional New England lobster boil is a steamed or boiled lobster, butter, a piece of corn, and a bag of potato chips. I can eat that meal over and over again without getting tired of it!

I was in Newport, RI, to cook lobster for a special event, and they asked me to infuse my signature flavor into the dish. Since I am known for my barbecue and grilled food, I mashed up the two to create a dish that’s a grilled “barbecue” version of a New England lobster boil— grilled lobster tail, BBQ butter, corn sauté and (optional) potato chips!

Because I wanted to evoke classic barbecue notes, I made my Classic Barbecue Rub and mixed a generous amount into softened unsalted butter to make a compound butter. But that wasn’t enough smoky goodness for me, so I added crispy applewood bacon… and that secret ingredient is what really sets it apart.

Once the butter is made, you’ve got your big flavor for the dish. I use the butter to baste the lobster and flavor the corn. I never thought that the corn would trump the lobster for me, but sautéed with this BBQ Butter, it’s my favorite part of the dish. I used fresh corn because it is still readily available but you could make this dish with good quality frozen corn as well.

Fresh lobster tails will take about 4 minutes a side, depending on size. You want to cook them hot and fast. You can also cook them from frozen, but they will take an extra 4-5 minutes to cook. While the lobster cooks, heat the corn slowly in a heavy-duty skillet over low heat with a healthy amount of the BBQ Butter.

HOT TIP: If you don’t want lobster tails to curl as they cook, just stick a skewer through the meat.

Grilled Lobster Tails with BBQ Butter

This is my deconstructed barbecue-flavored, grilled version of a New England Lobster Boil. It can be that can be served as a starter or a main course. If you cook frozen lobster tails, add about 4 minutes to the cooking time. And just like you would seek out responsible/sustainable purveyors of meat and poultry, it’s important to apply the same principles to seafood.

_{Serves 4}

_{Grilling Method: Direct/Medium Heat}

_Lobster:

4 lobster tails, 4 – 6 oz. each and butterflied*

BBQ Butter—see next page

Cape Cod potato chips, optional—for fun!

*If you’ve never butterflied a lobster tail, It’s very easy to do as long as you have a good pair of kitchen scissors. The Messermeister pull-apart scissors are my favorite and I use them for everything.

1. Turn the lobster tail over and cut the spiny membrane in the back. You can cut it down the middle or cut a section out depending on how much basting you want to do.

2. Make the BBQ Butter using the recipe below. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

4. Melt ¼ cup butter in a small saucepan. Brush generously all over the butterflied lobster tails. Place the lobster on the cooking grate, shell side down, cover the grill and cook until the shells turn bright red and are just beginning to char, about 4 minutes.

5. Turn the tails over and continue cooking until the flesh is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Brush again with the melted butter.

6. Serve at once with a nugget of the BBQ Butter placed on top of the lobster tail and served with warm BBQ Corn Sauté [You could also serve the lobster with a side of the melted BBQ Butter for dipping.]

BBQ Corn Saute:

4 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed

4-6 generous tablespoons of BBQ Butter

1 tablespoon fresh or dried chives

1. Remove kernels from the cob and place in a medium-large sauté pan with lid. Add about 1 generous tablespoon per cob of corn to the pan. If the ears of corn are large and you need more butter, add it.

2. While lobsters are grilling, turn the heat on medium low and put the lid on the pan. You want to butter to bubble and the corn to sauté and steam lightly. Stir occasionally to make sure all the corn is coated with the melted BBQ Butter. Add chives and stir well.

3. Serve with the grilled lobster either in the shell if your guests don’t mind working the meat out of the shell, or out of the shell to make it easier to eat.

Elizabeth’s BBQ Butter:

Makes a generous 1 cup

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3-5 tablespoons cooked and minced thick-cut bacon

2 tablespoons Classic BBQ Rub

1. Mash or stir butter and bacon “bits”, until it is smooth and slightly fluffy. Add BBQ rub and, mix together. Mix mashing with the back of a fork to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. Mix well. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt and or more rub, if needed.

2. On a piece of parchment or plastic wrap, drop butter in spoonfuls to form a log. Roll butter in plastic wrap and smooth out to form a round log. Refrigerate until hard and easy to cut into pieces. Can be made in advance and stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

3. Cut into 4 pieces before using for this recipe. You will melt 1/4 of it for basting, and top the lobster with more of the butter for serving as well as using the butter for the BBQ Corn Sauté.

Classic BBQ Rub:

2 tablespoons smoky Spanish paprika

2 tablespoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon celery salt

1 teaspoon oregano, crushed

1. Combine paprika, salt, sugar, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, pepper, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, celery salt and oregano in bowl; mix well.

2. Extra rub can be stored in an airtight container for up to six months.