If you’ve ever sat down at a seafood restaurant and struggled to choose between the crab and the lobster, this Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter is the recipe for you! It boils down to crab-stuffed lobster, but with a couple twists. Best of all, we are making an amazing garlic butter to drizzle over the top. Plus, my go-to Cowboy Charcoal adds a delicious depth of flavor you won’t want to miss.
Keep in mind, the hardest part of this recipe is the prep work– from there, it’s a breeze! With 45 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cook time, you’ll be ready to serve six people. It works amazingly for any special occasion, date night, or cookout. Let’s dive in.
Post Sponsored by Cowboy Charcoal.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter
- Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter Ingredients
- How to Cook Crab Stuffed Lobster Tails
- Tips and Tricks
- More Lobster Recipes
- How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
- What to Serve with Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter
- Stuffed Lobster Tails Recipe FAQ’s
- What is the difference between lobster meat and crab meat?
- Can I season the meat differently?
- Can I Boil the Lobster Instead?
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter Recipe
Why You’ll Love Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter
When you cook these insane Stuffed Lobster Tails and Garlic Butter with Cowboy Charcoal, you’ll really be tasting the magic. You’ll make a crab stuffing to go on top of some butterflied lobster tails, smoke them over that real hickory-and-oak lump charcoal, then finish with a Garlic Butter glaze.
Want to try another crab recipe? Try our Crab-Stuffed Salmon recipe, this Crab Stuffed Lobster Tail or our Glizz Burger Oscar
Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter Ingredients
For this delicious recipe, you’ll start out with 5-6 lobster tails seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Then, you’ll make a stuffing out of shredded lump crab meat, mayonnaise, panko bread crumbs, dijon mustard, seafood seasoning, and egg yolks.
Finally, make some melty garlic butter out of clarified butter, minced garlic, red chili flakes, and chopped parsley.
How to Cook Crab Stuffed Lobster Tails
The Prep
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the crab stuffing until you have the consistency like crab cakes (all the ingredients are sticking together). If you want it thicker, then add more mayonnaise. If you want it crunchier, then add more panko crumbs. Set aside until ready to use.
Using kitchen shears, cut a line down the middle of the lobster shell all the way to the tail. Try to avoid cutting the lobster meat. Once the hard shell is fully cut, use a spoon to go underneath the top of the shell to separate the meat from the sides of the shell.
Carefully lift meat up and out from the shell (while still attached at the base of the tail) and lay it on top of the shell.
Pro Tip: Using a sharp knife, make shallow slits lengthwise down the meat. This creates a larger surface area on the lobster tail for the seasoning to adhere to.
Repeat this for all the lobster tails.
Lather your lobster tails with oil and then season them with salt, pepper and garlic powder or your favorite seafood seasoning. Next, take 1.5-2 oz of the crab mixture and mold it into a flat oval shape. Place that on top of a lobster tail.
Repeat this until all your lobster tails have crab on top. Place the stuffed lobster tails onto a rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm.
The Cook
Preheat your smoker using Cowboy Charcoal to a medium-high heat of 375F. Their Hickory Hardwood Briquets have real hickory wood in them to really complement the seafood flavor. You’ll feel like you’re eating a delicious campfire catch out in the woods! Feel free to add additional wood chips or chunks for extra smoky flavor.
Once the smoker is ready, add the lobster tails on and cook indirectly for 10-12 minutes. The lobster tail meat will be done when it turns from translucent to completely white (or the internal temperature is 145F).
About 5 minutes before the lobster tails are finished cooking, add your basting skillet to the smoker. Melt your clarified butter in the small skillet, then slowly integrate the rest of the Garlic Butter ingredients with the melted butter. Mix together thoroughly, then lightly glaze the outside of the lobster tails before they come off the smoker. Save some butter for dipping at the end!
When the lobster tails are done, pull them off and let them cool for 2 minutes. Baste with a little more butter and chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
To achieve a restaurant-quality meal, make sure to check your lobster with a meat thermometer, and take it off when the meat reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. This will guarantee the lobster is nice and tender, while also ensuring it’s cooked all the way through.
To make your presentation beautiful, place the crab-stuffed lobster tails in the middle of the plate, put some lemon wedges on the side, and carefully place fresh chopped parsley on top of the crab meat.
More Lobster Recipes
How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
This lobster recipe is so delicious, you’ll absolutely want to eat it the next day. Make sure to store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and reheat over the grill for maximum freshness.
What to Serve with Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter
This meal tastes delicious with a side of mac and cheese, pasta salad, string beans, corn on the cob, cheese biscuits, hush puppies, or a side salad. If you want it to feel fancy, pair with a white wine and enjoy!
Stuffed Lobster Tails Recipe FAQ’s
What is the difference between lobster meat and crab meat?
Obviously, lobster and crab are two different types of sea creatures, but if you aren’t a seafood aficionado, you might not know what the flavor difference is between lobster and crab meat. Crab tends to be sweeter while lobster is salty, and crab meat is tender while lobster has a bit more chew to it. Combining the two creates a sweet and salty masterpiece!
Can I season the meat differently?
If you are a real seafood lover who knows how you like your lobster, feel free to change the flavor profile to fit your taste. You can substitute Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, or other seasonings to make your ideal flavor profile. You can also use olive oil instead of canola oil, if that’s what you prefer.
Can I Boil the Lobster Instead?
You can definitely recreate this recipe with a crab-and-lobster boil and assemble them afterwards, but it won’t have that smokey flavor we love. We highly recommend smoking your crab-stuffed lobster tails with Cowboy Charcoal’s woodsy briquettes for maximum quality.
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Stuffed Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter
Ingredients
Lobster:
- 5-6 Lobster Tails
- 1.5 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tbsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- Canola Oil as needed
Stuffing:
- 1 cup Lump Crab shredded
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ⅔ cup Panko Crumbs
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tsp Seafood Seasoning
- 2 Egg Yolks
Garlic Butter:
- 1.5 cups Clarified Butter
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tbsp Chopped Parsley
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the crab stuffing until you have the consistency like crab cakes (all the ingredients are sticking together). If you want it thicker, then add more mayonnaise. If you want it crunchier, then add more panko crumbs. Set aside until ready to use.
- Using kitchen shears, cut in the middle of the top of the lobster shell all the way down to the tail. Try to avoid cutting the meat.
- Once fully cut, use a spoon to go underneath the top of the shell to separate the meat from the shell.
- Carefully lift the meat up and out from the shell (while still attached at the base of the tail). Lay the meat on top of the shell.
- Using a knife, make shallow slits lengthwise down the meat. Repeat this for all the lobster tails.
- Lather your lobster tails with oil and then season them with salt, pepper and garlic powder or your favorite seafood seasoning.
- Next, take 1.5-2 oz of the crab stuffing and mold it into a flat oval shape. Place that on top of a lobster tail.
- Repeat this until all your lobster tails have crab on top. Place the stuffed lobster tails onto a tray and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm.
- Preheat your smoker using Cowboy Charcoal to a medium-high temperature of 375F. Feel free to add wood chips or chunks for additional smoke flavor.
- Once the smoker is ready, add the lobster tails on and cook indirectly for 8-12 minutes. The lobster tails are done when they turn from translucent to completely white (or the internal temperature is 145F).
- About 10 minutes before the lobster tails are finished cooking, add your basting skillet to the smoker.
- Melt your clarified butter in the skillet then slowly integrate the rest of the Garlic Butter ingredients.
- Mix together thoroughly, then lightly glaze the outside of the lobster tails before they come off the smoker. Save some butter for dipping at the end!
- When the lobster tails are done, pull them off and let them cool for 2 minutes. Baste with a little more butter and chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy!
During my college days back when the earth was flat I worked in one of the best seafood restaurants out on Long Island. The chef there would take the lobster lay it on it’s back stick the handle of a teaspoon up it butt to straighten the tail cut the underside side of the tail. The entire outer shell was in tack. Exposing the meat of the tail put a garlic butter mixture on the tail and put that in the broiler. Pretty much the same but just cutting the tail differently. I’ve been using that method for over 60 years works grreat.
These sound great. One thing that I questioned is using 1/5 cup of crab meat for 5 or 6 tails. Is this correct? I would think that you could use that much for each tail.
Yes that is 100% typo. Should be a whole cup.
Excellent recipe. Great instructions as well!! I would just take the liberty to offer the following: One could also add some of your filling underneath the lobster meat as well, as an extra bonus!! Additionally, one could add shredded cheese on top of the crab mixture, like Swiss/Jarlsberg or just Parmesan. Cheers!