Garlic Butter Lobster/Crayfish

This garlic butter crayfish/lobster recipe is a classic way to enjoy the sweet and tender meat from a crayfish or lobster. It's up there with Lobster Thermidor and Crayfish/Lobster Mornay - the sweetness of the lobster/crayfish pairs very well with a herby and garlicky butter sauce. This is a very easy sauce to make, and takes less than 10 minutes to serve - perfect for camping trips or a quick and impressive date night meal.

I've written the recipe using a cooked crayfish/lobster, as this is how they're most commonly sold. If you've caught one or purchased one that's uncooked, check out my guide on how to cook crayfish or lobster, which includes instructions on humanely dispatching them.

Ingredients for garlic butter crayfish or lobster

Check out the recipe card further down the post for comprehensive ingredients and quantities.

• Crayfish or lobster - around 800g will serve two people. I've made the assumption that you will buy a cooked crayfish/lobster, but if you have bought it raw or caught it, you can read my post on how to cook crayfish/lobster.
• Unsalted butter - the base of the sauce.
• Garlic - make sure you use freshly minced garlic. The stuff in a jar doesn't count and will not work well in this sauce.
• Parsley - you could also add other herbs, such as rosemary or thyme.
• Lemon - we add juice to the butter, and also serve with lemon wedges.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Optionally,
  • Dijon mustard - this will add a nice acidic taste and also help to emulsify the sauce. You can leave it out if you prefer.
  • Chilli flakes - just a pinch, for a little background hum.

How to make garlic butter crayfish or lobster

Check out the recipe card further down the post for comprehensive instructions.

1. Make the garlic and herb butter by combining all ingredients in a pot or saucepan and melting.
2. Halve the crayfish/lobster and remove the intestines and tail meat.
3. Slice the tail meat into bite sized pieces.
4. Add tail meat to the butter and warm through.
5. Return the tail meat to the shell.
6. Serve with crusty bread and simple garden salad.

How to grill crayfish or lobster from raw

If you have a fresh crayfish/lobster which has not been cooked and you want to grill it over charcoal or gas, you can.

Humanely dispatch the crayfish or lobster and then halve. Remove the tomalley (the yellow or green "guts") - the easiest way to do this is to use a spoon to scoop it out.

Brush some oil over the flesh side of the tail, and then place both halves of the crayfish or lobster onto the grill, flesh side down. Cook for 5 minutes, and then flip so the shell is facing towards the heat and the flesh is facing upwards. Brush the garlic butter onto the flesh periodically and continue to cook for another 6 minutes or until the crayfish/lobster is cooked through - the internal temperature should be at least 63C (145F).

How to cut or halve a crayfish or lobster

It's easier and safer to halve a crayfish/lobster with the underside facing upwards. The shell is not as thick, which makes it easier to do.

Place the crayfish or lobster belly-side up on a chopping board. Insert the knife at the base of the head (1), and cut downward through the body and tail (2).

Split the crayfish or lobster in half (3) and then remove the intestines (the green "guts" or tomalley) and intestinal tract, which is the line you see through the tail (4).

Garlic butter lobster or crayfish

Unrated

Sam Knight

Lobster/Crayfish Christmas Easter Summer Australian cuisine

Prep	Cook	Total
5 mins	10 mins	15 mins

Serves 2

A favourite way to enjoy crayfish and lobster, it couldn't be easier to make a herby and garlicky butter sauce to have with a crayfish or lobster.

• 50g (3 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp finely sliced parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice about half a lemon - add zest if you want it more lemony
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 800g (1.75 lbs) crayfish or lobster cooked, see note 1

Optional

• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard optional, but helps the sauce emulsify
• Pinch of chilli flakes optional

Serving suggestion

• Crusty bread
• Garden salad
• Lemon wedges

Steps

1. Make butter - add all ingredients to a small pot or saucepan. Melt over medium heat and then reduce heat to low and cook for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the crayfish or lobster.
2. Halve the crayfish/lobster - place the crayfish or lobster belly-side up on a chopping board. Insert the knife at the base of the head, and cut downward through the body and tail.
3. Remove tail meat - remove the guts and intestines (also known as tomalley) with a spoon and remove the intestinal tract from the tail. Finally, remove the tail meat by pulling it out in one piece.
4. Slice meat - slice the tail meat into bite-sized pieces.
5. Add meat to butter - add the sliced tail meat to the butter and warm gently for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't cook it - just gently heat it through.
6. Return meat to shell - use a spoon to return the meat to the shell, dividing evenly between both halves. Pour any leftover butter evenly over the shells, or serve extra butter in a small ramekin on the side.
7. Serve with crusty bread and simple garden salad.

Notes

1. Crayfish size - around 800g (1.75 lbs) will serve two people. If you're serving a number of sides, you might get away with a 600-700g (1.3 - 1.5 lbs) crayfish/lobster. Alternatively, if you're not serving any sides at all, you might want a 900g-1kg (2 - 2.2 lbs) crayfish or lobster.
2. Cooking crayfish - I have a post detailing how to cook and humanely dispatch your crayfish/lobster. If you purchase an uncooked fish or catch one, follow the instructions in that post to prepare it.
3. Warming the crayfish/lobster - the lobster is already cooked, so the aim of putting it in the butter is to gently warm it through before serving. Do this at a low temperature to give you control - overcooking the meat can make it mushy or chewy.