Grilled Spiny Lobster in Wild Wood Sorrel Compound Butter with Beurre Blanc

Time to prepare: 45 minutes (30 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking time)

Preheat the grill so that it maintains a consistent and high temperature. I recommend starting just before you start making the compound butter.

Make Wood Sorel Compound Butter

Take one stick of butter, cut it into medium-sized cubes.

Trim wood sorrel leaves from stalks. You should have about 10 grams of leaves (about ¼ to ⅓ cup). Reserve 8 to 10 leaves for garnish and finely chop the remaining leaves.

Combine butter, chopped leaves, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl.

Using a fork or soft spatula, fold the butter, leaves, and salt together until well incorporated with a uniform consistency. When finished, set aside.

Prepare Grilled Spiny Lobster

(See notes in frequently asked questions below.)

If your lobsters are live, start by putting them in the freezer for 5 minutes. (This puts them to sleep.)

Lay lobster topside up on a heavy chopping board with towels around the edges to catch any liquid. Find the space approximately one inch directly behind the lobster’s eyes in the center of its head, and place the blade of a heavy knife (preferably a cleaver) facing outward from that center through the middle of its eyes. When ready, slam down with weight and cut directly through the body in one or two motions—the quicker and more forceful the better. After cutting through the nerve cluster, continue to halve the whole lobster from head to tail as quickly as possible.

After halving the two lobsters, gently wash the yellow, red, and other organs out from their body with cold water, leaving the opaque meat. Be gentle, but clean thoroughly.

Place clean lobster halves on a cooking sheet, meat side up, and pat dry with a towel.

Spread compound butter over the opaque lobster meat as much as possible using a spatula, butter knife, or fingers. You want butter touching almost all of the white meat, especially in the carapace and tail.

After spreading each half with butter, place all the lobsters on a hot grill with the shell side down and close the lid. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. 

(Alternatively, if you do not have a grill, place lobster in a preheated oven at 400° and bake shell side down for 10 minutes total.)

During this waiting time, start to prepare the beurre blanc by reducing ingredients (see below).

After 5 to 6 minutes, flip the lobster, putting the meat side down. The butter will flare up the flames and that is okay. This helps give a nice char to the meat. It also coats the grates so hopefully, the lobster meat won’t stick. Leave on the grill for 5 to 6 more minutes.

While waiting, finish the sauce beurre blanc by adding butter and whisking. Melt the remaining compound butter in the microwave for 25 to 30 seconds.

Once ready, gently remove the lobster from the grill. You can try to use a spatula if needed to slide under the meat. If the meat sticks, grab it and place it back in the shell where it came from.

Place each grilled lobster half meat side up on an individual plate and pair with a ramekin of beurre blanc. Use a basting brush or spoon and spread melted compound butter over lobster meat to give it a shine. Garnish each lobster half with 2 to 3 sorrel leaves and 2 to 3 flower buds and more on the plate if desired.

Serve immediately.

Prepare Beurre Blanc

Cube remaining 1 ½ sticks of butter.

Place minced shallot in a saucepan with ¼ cup dry white wine and ¼ cup vinegar. Add ¼ teaspoon salt, a few pinches of white pepper, and heat on high until you get a rolling boil. Once boiling, lower heat to medium-high, and reduce the sauce. (This should take only a few minutes and thus in this preparation it’s great to start when the lobster first goes on the grill.)

Reduce down until there is only 1 or 2 tablespoons of liquid left in the saucepan remove from direct heat, set the burner on low. (If the pan accidentally gets dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to the pan and deglaze. Just don’t burn the shallots.)

Keep the saucepan off of direct heat and add 2 cubes of butter into the sauce while whisking vigorously. This should make an emulsified base that is creamy and yellow in color. Once done, place the sauce back on direct low heat and whisk in the rest of the cubes a few at a time until all are whisked in and you have a beautiful, yellow, smooth sauce.

Then, whisk in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and taste.

Whisk in more butter or lemon juice as desired, and remove from heat.

Keep sauce off of direct heat until ready to serve. It will thicken as it cools. If you have been grilling the lobster at the time, it should be ready to transfer into ramekins ASAP.