Bonnet–Honey Glaze

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Scotch bonnet chiles are nuanced. They range in color and flavor (yellow and red chiles tend to be spicier, and green ones more herbaceous), but most have a crisp, fresh, herbal flavor that makes them essential to Caribbean cuisine in general — and to the region’s barbecue in particular.

As a child, Haitian chef Dayana Joseph watched her mother use Scotch bonnets to add heat and fruity notes to fish, chicken, and rice and peas. “In Haiti, we love to build bites,” she notes. “We do it in a way that slowly builds as you eat, and using Scotch bonnet chiles is the best way to do that.” In Atlanta, where she now lives, Joseph finds seafood to be the perfect template for ongoing peppery experimentation.

Joseph remains true to lessons from her Haitian upbringing: You catch what you eat, and in her view, seafood deserves as much a place in the barbecue canon as does pork, lamb, or chicken. Her grilled lobster tail makes an exceptional case for including the fruits of the sea on the barbecue grill.

For this recipe, Joseph channels memories of boukannen, a Haitian style of barbecue in which fish or a piece of meat is smoked over an open fire, allowing it to develop a slight char. The lobster is spread with a shallot-garlic-butter mixture that takes inspiration from traditional Haitian epis, a green blend of herbs, spices, and aromatics. But the true star of the show in Joseph’s recipe is the sweet and spicy Scotch bonnet–honey glaze, a mixture of mustard, honey, and olive oil, enlivened with a bit of lime and stemmed Scotch bonnet chiles. Each bite of the glazed and grilled lobster tail starts sweet and delightfully sticky and ends with a spicy touch. — Kayla Stewart

Ingredients

Scotch Bonnet–Honey Glaze

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 to 2 Scotch bonnet chiles (unseeded), stemmed and halved lengthwise (see Note)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Lobster

• 4 (4-ounce) fresh lobster tails
• 8 (12-inch) wooden skewers, soaked
• 5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (about 2 1/2 ounces), melted
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Pimento wood chunks or applewood chunks

Directions

Make the Scotch Bonnet–Honey Glaze

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium until hot, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and add Scotch bonnet chiles. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. Transfer oil-chile mixture to a blender, and process until well combined, about 30 seconds. Pour oil mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, and discard solids. Wipe the blender clean. Set chile oil aside.
3. Combine lemon juice, honey, and mustard in blender, and process until smooth, about 15 seconds. With blender running, slowly pour in reserved chile oil, processing until mixture is thickened and emulsified. Set glaze aside.

Make the grilled lobster tail

1. Using kitchen shears, cut 1 lobster tail lengthwise through top of shell. Spread lobster shell open, and remove meat. (Discard shell, or reserve for another use.) Uncurl lobster tail meat, and skewer lengthwise using 2 (12-inch) wooden skewers to keep tail straight. Repeat process with remaining lobster tails and remaining skewers. Place skewers on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Stir together parsley, cilantro, shallot, thyme, and garlic in a medium bowl. Stir in melted butter, salt, and pepper. Spread about 2 tablespoons butter mixture evenly over each lobster tail. Cover and chill lobster until butter mixture solidifies, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, open bottom vent of a charcoal grill completely. Light charcoal chimney starter filled halfway with charcoal. When charcoal is covered with gray ash, pour it onto bottom grate of grill. Scatter wood chunks over hot coals. Cover and adjust vents as needed to maintain an internal temperature of 350°F.
4. Grill lobster tails, covered, until meat starts to turn opaque, 4 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through grilling time. Uncover and brush each lobster tail with about 1 tablespoon Scotch bonnet–honey glaze. Continue grilling, uncovered, flipping skewers occasionally, until lobster tails are lightly charred in spots and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of meat registers 135°F, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer lobster tails to a platter.
5. Brush each lobster tail with about 1 tablespoon glaze. Season with additional salt to taste. Serve immediately with remaining glaze on the side.