Moreton Bay Bugs with Garlic Butter
Sweet, succulent Queensland Moreton Bay bugs split and grilled fast on a hot barbecue with rich garlic, lemon, and parsley butter.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Total
- 21 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 360 kcal
Equipment
- •Barbecue or cast-iron chargrill pan
- •Heavy chef knife
- •Pastry brush
- •Small mixing bowl
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- fat
- 28 g
- carbs
- 2 g
- fibre
- 0.5 g
- protein
- 26 g
- calories
- 360 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Split each Moreton Bay bug lengthways down the centre using a heavy chef knife.
- 2
Rinse out the head cavity under cold water and discard the dark intestinal vein.
- 3
Pat the cut bug halves dry thoroughly using paper towel.
- 4
Mix the softened butter, minced garlic, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- 5
Preheat a barbecue hotplate or heavy chargrill pan over high heat.
- 6
Brush the cut flesh of the bugs lightly with olive oil.
- 7
Place the bugs flesh-side down on the hot barbecue for two minutes until lightly marked.
- 8
Turn the bugs over so they sit shell-side down on the hotplate.
- 9
Spread a generous spoonful of garlic butter over the flesh of each bug half.
- 10
Cook shell-side down for three minutes until the butter melts and the meat turns opaque.
- 11
Transfer the bugs to a platter and pour over any melted garlic butter from the grill.
- 12
Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.
Chef's tips
Always buy raw (green) bugs rather than pre-cooked ones for grilling, as pre-cooked meat will turn rubbery when reheated. Keep the shells on while grilling because they protect the delicate tail meat and hold in the bubbling garlic butter.
Ingredient substitutions
- Moreton Bay bugs → Balmain bugs, rock lobster tails, or large green king prawns split lengthways
- unsalted butter → plant-based block butter for a dairy-free option
Storage
Store leftover cooked bugs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Reheating
Eat leftovers chilled in a salad, as reheating cooked bug meat easily dries it out.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overcooking the shellfish, which makes the sweet tail meat dry and tough.
- •Grilling pre-cooked bugs instead of fresh raw ones.
- •Failing to clean out the head cavity and vein before cooking.
Serving suggestions
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