# What goes with grilled lobster tail



## ricklea1953

Love this website. Keep getting great answers to my questions.

Trying to compile RICK'S MENU for home entertaining.

Besides seafood butter, what goes with grilled lobster tails? I think baked potatoes are a little too heavy. Thinking about rice pilaf and a green salad. Do I need a vegetable, such as grilled asparagus, etc? How about garlic bread?

I am learning one main or side dish at a time. Just want to tie it all together for a professional presentation.

Thanks,
Rick


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## aprilb

Asparagus is particularly nice when blanched quickly and still crisp. Goes nice with pilaf. 

Julienne of zuchini and carrot quickly sauteed in butter is nice. Maybe add some fire roasted red pepper strips (or mixed) on the side for color and a little zip. 

Steamed baby artichoke halves. (Chokes will make other things taste sweeter.) 

I adore garlic, but personally when I think of garlic bread I think about the smell of garlic a half mile away. I think too much would overpower the taste buds and overwhelm the mild flavor of the lobster. 

Simple crostini or ciabata? A nice thick peasant loaf? Maybe just a hint of fresh garlic/rosemary baked in. Rustic is nice with seafood. I personally like the density. 

So, what time should I plan to be there?  

Oh, if you have a piping bag and a star tip you can whip slightly softened butter and pipe it into pretty little stars on parchment. Chill thoroughly and it's a nice effect for guests. 

April


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## diane

Could I suggest lobster tails are in a class of their own. Or Cray tails. If I was serving it as a main I would be light with sides. Asparagus is divine. Perfumed with lemon. Maybe a carefully presented potato scollop. Even a light salad. But not even that if it were a meal opener. Just a wonderful dressing, and a curl of lettuce tucked into its obligingly curled tail. This would be may favourite food.


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## crazytatt

Vanillia infused burre blanc as sauce.
Simple salad of Bib Lettuce, cucumbers, hierloom tomato, with simple oil and maybe champagne vinager.
starch, if any, corn on the cob, grilled?


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## castironchef

I agree with the above, but I'd grill the asparagus. I like the way that the roasting intensifies the flavor.


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## ricklea1953

Thanks for all the answers. I hope some more keep coming.

I took my wife and three other couples out to dinner recently. It was a local well known restaurant which had a special lobster tail night. For the life of me,I can't remember what they served with the lobster. The lobster and wine were great but that's all I remember. I wasn't drunk. Just that nothing else really made an impression on me.

I am beginning to master the individual dishes (just as a hobby) but I don't know how side dishes compliment main dishes. I suppose that is what separates a backyard cook from a pro with lots of training. My hat is off to you pros. Cookbooks certainly don't tell you how to pull it all together.

Thanks again and please feel free to join in. I will take any and all advice I can get. 

It's just a hobby (with no limits) but I love it.

Rick


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## artichoke_life

Yeah me too! try also with artichoke! huh! that's mah favorite!
But still grilled asparagus is the best!


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## quinn01

No gralic bread no pasta nothing on that sort. 

Take some mashed patatoes and through them into a piping bag. Pipe them out onto a sheet pan or hotel pan and slam those bad boys in an oven. Let them sit in there untill golden on top. Use a spatula to get them up and put them on the plate. Sprinkle with papreca or something of that sort and there ya go. 

That or add some herbs to it to make it more festive. 

Leave a few chunks in it as well to give it some texture. 

Or give a quarter of a cob of corn. 

Make sure you have a starch and veggie on the plate with every meal. :lips:


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## suzanne

Rick -- if you want to see what the real pros put together, get a copy of _Culinary Artistry_ by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It tells you what works well with what, AND WHY, which is just what I think you're looking for. And it is absolutely fascinating to read. Just don't read it on an empty stomach. :lol: It's one of my go-to books when I want to put together a meal that's different from "the usual."


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## muskyhopeful

It sounds like you might be thinking something elegant, but you might want to try this on the grill. I like to do this kind of thing when the bi-color Wisconsin sweet corn is ready in August.

Forget grilling the tail. Grill whole lobsters. Split those babies down the middle and clean out the gunk. Crack the claws a bit so they cook. Use hardwood charcoal, though a gas grill will work and give more temp control. Grill the halves shell side down over a fire that won't burn the shells. If you've never done something like this you might want foil over the rack. Burning lobsters is a little disappointing and hard on the wallet. Burn those coals down so you can hold your hand 3-4" above the rack for about five seconds. When the tail starts to come loose, flip them over for a short period to finish.

Get a couple ears of sweet corn with the husks on. Pull as much silk out of the top as you can, and remove some of the loose pieces of husk. Then soak in water for 1-2 hours. Put on the grill and roast. Turn them frequently until they get pretty black. The corn steams and roasts at the same time.

Throw some new potatoes wrapped in foil with butter, parsley, and little rosemary on the coals. Jiggle them around once in a while until they're cooked. It's easy to do the corn and potatoes first because they stay hot in the husks and foil.

Have some Johnsonville brats that were boiled in beer ready. After the lobster is done, gently brown those. Takes about two minutes. Do not overcook, just brown.

It's sort of a grilled low country boil, Wisconsin style, except for the Lobsters. Sit at a butcher paper covered picnic table and don some bibs. Make a pile of the corn, potatoes, and brats. Let everybody peel their own corn and roll it on the top of a stick of butter. Salt and pepper. Pour some melted butter over the split lobsters. Since you used the whole lobster, you get to work on the claws and squeeze the meat out of the legs. Awesome. It's really healthy, too, because of all the butter.

While cooking, and when eating, you should be drinking long neck Miller High Lifes out of an ice filled bucket. I use to also drink Rolling Rock even though it's not from WI, but now that Bud bought them, that's over.

For dessert, grilled white peaches are good drizzled with a sauce of some kind. Or just drink more ice cold High Lifes.

Kevin

Man, that's long, I've got to figure out how to shorten things up on this site. I like muskies.


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## mikelm

Kevin's got a good thing going there, though I'd pick a much different beer. 

Goose Island Honker's Ale, Heiniken's, Sierra Nevada India Pale Ale, Dos Equis Dark, something like these. :smoking: 

And, definitely--- GRILL the asparagus!

Mike :beer:


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## castironchef

Adding to Kevin's dessert: 

Cut the peaches in half and place cut-side down on a platter with just a bit of canola oil. Place on grill, cut side down. In two minutes, turn 90 degrees. (Gotta have them cross-hatched grill marks!) In two minutes, turn cut-side up. In two minutes, put on service plate. Put a spoonful of creme fraiche in the pit-hole and drizzle molassas on top.

Way good!


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## austin_

I think mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese, bacon, garlic, and scallions are the way to go. Serve that up with some grilled asparagus. Yum.  Artichoke hearts would be delicous as well.


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## mannlicher

Corn on the Cob, and red creamer potatos


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## diane

More lobster tails of course.


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## nentony

Boy, you can tell it's summer by the direction this has taken. It's grill time. MikeLM Sierra Nevada I.P.A. is my all time numero uno favorite.

Tony


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## denise t

I am making lobster tails in a red sauce for a first dish, what should I serve for a main course for a special in my

Restaurant  . Taking in mind its an Italian Restaurant.

Waiting on your quick response.

Denise


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## teamfat

How well would a crab and artichoke risotto pair with lobster? A bit too heavy handed on the shellfish?

mjb.


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## josh71

Suzanne said:


> Rick -- if you want to see what the real pros put together, get a copy of _Culinary Artistry_ by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It tells you what works well with what, AND WHY, which is just what I think you're looking for. And it is absolutely fascinating to read. Just don't read it on an empty stomach. :lol: It's one of my go-to books when I want to put together a meal that's different from "the usual."


Interesting book ...

Suzanne, are there any photos of the food presentation on each menu?

I like to have cookbook with a lot of photos, it's really nice for picking plating inspiration 

One of the author has another similar book:


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## suzanne

Josh71: I can't find my copy right now, but I don't think there are photos. But if there are, they'd be black and white. That book came out almost 20 years ago. Still in print, though, and you might be able to find it in a library.

All of Page and Dornenburg's books are great, imo.


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## flipflopgirl

@denise T I see you have 2 threads going.

http://www.cheftalk.com/t/87146/professional-chef-suggestions

Much less confusion if you could keep it all in one place.

Welcome to Chef Talk.

mimi


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## cerise

denise T said:


> I am making lobster tails in a red sauce for a first dish, what should I serve for a main course for a special in my
> 
> Restaurant . Taking in mind its an Italian Restaurant.
> 
> Waiting on your quick response.
> 
> Denise


A pasta dish, i.e. Linguine w/ white clam sauce, fettuccine alfredo, pasta carbonara or primavera.

You might make the lobster the "star" component in the main dish, and start w/ a small antipasto or Mediterranean salad.

In keeping w a red sauce, lobster fra diavolo over pasta is one idea. How about a lobster scampi (over pasta).


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## kennfok

I agree asparagus would be my first choice.


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