A Cracking Good Grill!

Undeniably delicious, these superb shellfish are often reserved for special occasions, which is a shame - it may seem a bit counterintuitive to invest in a crab or lobster only to throw it on the grill, but these cracking crustacea have made some of the best barbecue meals we’ve ever had (lobster cooked over charcoal on a sunset beach is pretty magical).

Thanks to their shells, which help to keep everything together and also act as built-in heat protection, crab and lobster will cook to perfection on the barbecue, becoming sweet-tasting and smoky rather than scorched. Crucially, they’re also pretty effortless to cook, especially as our fishmongers can do all the hard work for you; prepped and BBQ-ready, our fresh or cooked lobster and crab will take your grill to the next level. Just pop the white wine in to chill, then follow our simple guidelines!

BBQ LOBSTER

If you’re visiting Greendale Farm Shop, you can choose a fresh lobster from our saltwater tanks and ask our fishmongers to prepare it for you (while it is possible to kill lobsters and crabs humanely at home, we recommend leaving this job to the experts). It’s easiest to barbecue whole lobsters after they’ve been halved, so feel free to ask our fishmongers to do this, too, if you like.
If you’re shopping on our website, you can buy a whole cooked lobster and halve it yourself; place the lobster, belly-side up, on a chopping board with the tail closest to you, then take a large, sharp knife or cleaver and cut a straight line down from the centre of the lobster (where the tail meets the body) and through the tail; turn the chopping board so that the lobster’s head is closest to you, and repeat, continuing the cutting line through its body and head. Separate the halves and you’re ready to cook.

• If you’re using a charcoal grill, light your barbecue well before you want to start cooking, so that it has time to come up to temperature (see our handy guide to getting the most from a charcoal barbecue to learn more). As with other fish, don’t cook lobster on the very hottest part of the grill - it’s best to place it over a medium-hot area.
• When your barbecue is ready, brush the lobster halves with your choice of soft butter (see below for flavoured butter ideas) then put them on the grill flesh-side down and cook for four to five minutes, before turning and cooking for another four minutes or so (brush with more butter as you go). When the flesh is cooked through, remove the lobster halves from the grill and allow to cool for a few minutes before lifting out the flesh and enjoying (the claws will be especially hot, so crack them with care). 
• Fancy something a little simpler? No problem; our dressed lobster halves are pre-cooked, and can also be finished on the grill – just brush the meat with softened butter or oil and place them shell-side against the grill (or the meat will fall out) for two to three minutes, until the butter has melted and the meat is hot throughout. Easiest of all, our dressed lobster halves with garlic butter are supplied ready to be grilled, and need only be cooked (shell-side down, as above) for a few minutes until the butter has melted and the meat is piping hot.
• Flavoured butters pair perfectly with grilled lobster – use our hand-made seaweed or smoked chilli butters to add a rich, creamy finishing touch, or make your own by beating crushed garlic, chopped herbs or your favourite spices into softened butter, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
• Grill-worthy serving suggestions include making classic New England-style lobster rolls (just pile the hot, butter-rich lobster into soft hotdog buns), or filling lightly toasted brioche buns with the cooked lobster meat and topping with lemon mayo or aioli and a few salad leaves. However you choose to serve up your lobster, we think simplicity is key!

BBQ CRAB

If you’re comfortable with cracking a crab and you live locally, why not pop in to the Farm Shop and visit our fishmongers, where you can choose a live crab from our tanks and ask our fishmongers to prepare it for you (as mentioned, while it is possible to kill lobsters and crabs humanely at home, we recommend leaving this job to the experts). If you do choose this option, it’s best to cook and eat your crab on the day of purchase. Our fishmongers have a good selection of different crab products, so if you’re confident about cracking a crab but less sure about barbecuing it, may we suggest a pre-cooked whole crab (available instore and online), which can be heated through easily on the grill, or perhaps some cooked crab claws? For a really easy taste of the sea, you could even pop one of our cooked and dressed crabs on the grill; whatever you decide, our handy tips will help you to get the best from your barbecue.

• As always, if you’re using a charcoal grill, light your barbecue well before you want to start cooking, so that it has time to come up to temperature. And just as with lobster, don’t cook your crab on the very hottest part of the grill - it’s best to place it over a medium-hot area.
• To cook a fresh, whole crab, you can place the crab on the barbecue as it is; brush it all over with softened butter or oil, season and place legs-down on the grill for 7-8 minutes, then turn and cook for another five minutes, before setting it aside to cool for a moment and then cracking it open. If you like, you can also separate the crab’s legs and claws and cook them alongside the body, brushing with butter and turning them as with the rest of the crab.
• If you’re grilling a whole, cooked crab, brush it with butter and place it over the barbecue for 4-5 minutes on each side before cracking and eating (the same applies to our cooked crab claws).
• For the ultimate in simplicity, why not try our dressed crab? Prepared freshly by our fishmongers, the crab meat is cooked, hand-picked and presented on a crab shell; all you have to do is sit it shell-side against the grill, put a knob of butter on top of the flesh and give it a couple of minutes until the meat is hot throughout and the butter has melted.
• Just like lobster, flavoured butters pair beautifully with crab – as well as brushing melted butter over the crab as it cooks, we like to beat a little lemon zest into softened and seasoned butter and serve it alongside, squeezing some of the lemon juice over the meat as it comes off the grill. You could also dress the warm crab simply, with just a sprinkle of vinegar and some salt and pepper to taste.
• You can serve your cooked crab however you like (there’s a lot to be said for just enjoying it straight from the grill, burnt fingers notwithstanding!). As is so often the case, we think the simplest serving options are the best – it’s hard to beat sweet, smoky BBQ crab with plenty of crusty bread, a chilled glass of white wine, perhaps a few salad leaves and a healthy dollop of garlic mayo…