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Flat top grilling is all the rage these days. In fact, the flat top grill (or griddle grill) is the fastest growing segment of the grilling market. And for good reason. They are a TON of fun. There are some minuses. There is no low and slow on a flat top. No ribs, brisket or pulled pork. Although, the pluses FAR outweigh those minuses. Anything you can grill hot and fast, the griddle grill excels at. Seafood is something that usually needs the hot and fast treatment, thus, one of the first things I cooked on the griddle was this recipe of Seafood on a Flat Top Grill including grilled lobster tails, seared scallops and salmon with some crispy skin.
The grill I added to my herd is a Loco Cookers and happens to be the 36″ cast iron flat top grill. Accordingly, I’ve been doing a ton on cast iron lately because the flavor crust is soooo amazing. However, I’ve been limited to a small cast iron griddle placed on one of my other grills like with this reverse seared steak recipe. I mean, that crust is epic:
Conversely, with the added space of a dedicated three FOOT griddle, I can cook a ton of food at once. Like two full pounds of bacon (and I know I could’ve gotten another pound on there), when I made breakfast to order featuring mashed potato pancakes:
Additionally, I’ve done steak, smash burgers, eggs (sunny side up, over easy, scrambled, etc), sausage, more steak (topped with griddle grilled onions and mushrooms), cinnamon rolls, watermelon, and more steak (tri tip). And all of it was fantastic.
Wait, watermelon?
Dammit. I was hoping to get past that without anyone noticing. Yeah, I grilled watermelon. It was a little weird. Thus, I’m debating whether or not to post the recipe. Some loved it. Some hated it. Hmmm. I’ve got to think about that one a little longer.
Let’s get back to the seafood on a flat top grill.
Seafood on a Flat Top Grill Ingredients
- 3 lobster tails, about 5 ounces each
- 3 salmon filets, 5-6 ounces each
- 6-10 sea scallops (not their smaller brethren the bay scallops), about U20-U24
- Melted butter
- Your favorite savory or seafood seasoning
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- A little vegetable oil
- 1 lemon
- Salt optional – depending on the salt content of your seasonings
Other needed equipment
- Kitchen shears
- Metal, straight edge spatula
- Melting lid
We begin this recipe by preparing our lobster tails for that pretty presentation
How to Prepare Lobster Tails for the Grill
Hold the lobster tail with the base of the tail facing toward you and the fan at the end of the tail away. With kitchen shears, cut down the middle of the top of the lobster tail all the way back to that fan. Then, work your fingers between the tail and the shell, but don’t separate it from the end of the shell near the fan. It should be noted, the lobster flesh will grip the hardest along the bottom of the tail. Once the tail is mostly worked free from the shell push it up through that straight cut down the back of the shell.
You may need to clip away a little more of the shell near the end of the tail. Snip off any skinny pieces that will dry out during cooking before the lobster is cooked through. Then, apply the seasoning to the exposed lobster meat and gently brush with melted butter. Scroll down for the step-by-step, picture-by-picture process.
Pic-by-Pic of Trimming Lobster Tails
Take the kitchen shears and cut down the back of the shell from the base of the tail to the fan at the end of the tail:
Then, work your fingers between the tail and the shell except at the tip of the tail where the tail connects to the fan and then slide the tail up through the cut made with the shears:
Subsequently, there are some skinny bits that should be trimmed off with the shears because they will dry out before the rest of the tail is cooked through:
Trim the bits away, but don’t toss the trimmings.
A little seasoning and some butter and that little pile of bits could make a great, albeit small, snack.
These are ready for seasoning, butter and some heat:
Season each lobster tail (the previously mentioned bits):
Then, brush them gently with melted butter:
If you brush the butter on too hard, the seasoning will melt off.
Next, prep the salmon.
We had this gorgeous side of sockeye. In short, we sliced it into filets:
And season the fish:
Finally, prep the scallops.
They need to have the abductor muscle removed from the side.
Not all scallops will have an abductor. Some fall off during processing.
Just pull them off the side and discard as they can be a little tough:
Pro Tip ~ I highly recommend putting a paper towel down and setting the scallops on it before seasoning. They tend to exude a milky liquid that can wash off the seasoning.
How to Cook Seafood on a Flat Top Grill
Time to prepare the Loco Cookers Flat Top. Set the burner on one end to low and the other two burners to 400F, which is simple with the Loco Griddle as it has a temp reading on each burner control knob.
These lobster tails are fairly small, about 5 ounces each, thus everything can go on about the same time. If the lobster tails were much bigger, they would go on first and after a few minutes the salmon would go on followed by the scallops.
Drizzle a little oil or butter over one of the hot burners on the griddle and work it around with the flat side of the metal spatula.
Next, place the salmon, meat side down on the oil:
The Lobster on the Grill
Set the lobster tails on the hot side as well:
Next, cover the lobster tails with a melting lid:
Scallops on the Grill
Then, drizzle a little more oil or butter and spread it around with the spatula and set the scallops on the hot oil:
Many people think that scallops are these tiny, dainty, morsel that cooks in no time. Nope. It takes a little bit to get a nice crust on the outside. Thus, by the time the salmon is ready to flip over with a great flavor crust, the scallops should be ready too:
In addition, check the scallops too by flipping one:
I probably could’ve left that one for another 60 seconds, although the rest looked pretty good:
Take the lid off the lobster and brush with a little more melted butter and squeeze a half a lemon over the top:
Then, put the melting lid back over the lobsters to finish them off.
Target temp of the lobster is between 145F-155F. Same with the salmon.
Although, the scallops can be a little less done in the 135F-145F range.
When the salmon skin has a little browning on it, and the temps are in your target range, remove the salmon, lobster and scallops off the grill:
Although, if something is done before the rest, slide it over to the side of the flat top grill set to low:
In fact, that burner set to warm on my flat top is a life saver and reliever of anxiety, particularly when doing seafood on a flat top grill.
Finally, platter with some greenery and lemons:
Seafood on a Flat Top Grill Summary
Indeed, the key to this cook is that one burner set to low. It’s insurance. I can slide food over to that burner as it gets done and not dry it out and at the same time keep it warm. Hence, no matter what, all that seafood is coming off the grill hot, tender and juicy. Additionally, make sure to serve the melted butter in a small bowl for dunking that seafood.
I partnered with Loco Cookers on this post and am SOOOOO happy I did. I have no room on the deck for that massive griddle, but you can pry it from my cold, dead hands, because I’m not parting with that beast!
If you have any questions or comments about seafood on a flat top grill, feel free to leave them below or send me an email.
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How to Clean a Flat Top Grill
Take the flat edge of the spatula and scrape the food bits and excess grease into the drain hole on the front left side of the griddle. Once the griddle grill cools, take paper towels and wipe up any excess grease. Then, season the grill.
How to Season a Season a Flat Top Grill
After cleaning the excess grease and food bits off the grill, drizzle some vegetable oil over the griddle and work it around with paper towels giving every square inch a bit of a sheen. Then, close the lid and the grill is seasoned and ready for the next cook.
Seafood on a Flat Top Grill
Equipment
- 1 Pair of kitchen shears
Ingredients
- 3 5 ounce Lobster tails
- 3 4-6 ounce Salmon filets
- 6-10 U20-U24 Scallops
- Your favorite seafood seasoning
- ¼ cup Salted butter, melted
- Salt, optional
- A little vegetable oil
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
- With kitchen shears, slice down the top of the shell from the base of the lobster tail to the fan. Then work your fingers around the flesh of the tail and separate it from the shell except at the end of the tail. Slip the tail up through the cut in the top of the tail and trim any little bits of lobster tail that will dry out before the rest is done
- Season the tails and brush lightly with melted butter
- Cut the salmon into 4-6 ounce filets and season
- Remove the abductor muscles from the sides of each scallop and then place the scallops on paper towels and season on top and bottom
- Prepare the grill for two zone grilling with one burner set to low and the other two set to 400F
- Once the griddle is up to temp, drizzle some olive oil or butter on the hot side of the griddle and spread with the flat bottom of the spatula
- Place the salmon meat side down on that hot vegetable oil or butter
- Set the lobster tails on the hot side of the flat top grill and cover with a melting lid
- Drizzle more vegetable oil or butter and spread with the spatula and set the scallops on the hot oil or butter
- When the salmon has a crust, flip the filets over to crisp up the skin side
- Lift the lid on the lobster tails and brush with more butter and squeeze a half a lemon over the tails and cover again with the melting lid
- Flip the scallops
- Once the salmon skin is slightly browned and crispy, slide over to the low temperature side of the grill. Move the rest of the seafood over to that side once each piece of seafood is done
- Platter and serve with the melted butter on the side and another drizzle of the lemon
Video
A few more pics of the process:
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