You’re probably so used to meat and chicken on the grill that the thought of anything else puts you into panic mode.  Give you a burger, chop, steak, hot dog or even a whole fish to throw on the barbecue and you’ve got no worries, right?  Well, go pop a tranquilizer or find your happy place cause its time to consider something on the grill you’ve never even dreamed about:  Shellfish!

Crustaceans on the grill, who’d've thunk it?  Crabs, lobster and even shrimp don’t have to just be boiled or steamed to death.  They’re delicious on the grill, too.  You’ve just got to work fast, because it’s very easy to overcook and over-handle your shellfish.

Shrimp or prawns can be skewered if they’re small or put directly on the rack, so long as they don’t fall through.  You can also create foil packets for them with seasoning and olive oil.  Shrimp needs no more than 2 or 3 minutes for each side; just cook them till they’re no longer translucent.  Don’t remove the shells, though, they help hold in moisture.

To cook a lobster on the grill, you need to first cut it down the middle, and then slather the exposed flesh with some flavored-butter.  Four to 5 minutes is enough on one side then flip it over and give it a quick brush with more butter for another 5 minutes or so.  The claws need a bit longer, because of the density of the shell, so remove them from the carapace and put them back onto the grill.

The easiest of all are clams, oysters and mussels; just lay them flat and remove them as they open, then add your sauce, butter or seasoning.

Oh, and fooled ya!  Delicious on the grill, but all of that shellfish is really still being steamed.  But isn’t it more fun to do it outside?