Sharing “The Love”
Original Ocean’s Baby Lobster Tails
By Jan Walsh Photography By Beau Gustafson
Ocean Restaurant was a founding member of Birmingham Restaurants. In fact, Chef George Reis was the first chef to sign up during prelaunch in 2007. Its membership ended when the new owner took over in 2026. And now after 20+ years Ocean Restaurant closed this week.
I have great memories dining at the original Ocean as well as in the kitchen with Chef George for cooking demos. And I have a library of these experiences and recipes in Birmingham Restaurants archives. But the dish that most people will always crave are Chef George Reis’ original, off the menu, Baby Lobster Tails. As a tribute to the original Ocean, I am sharing the recipe, the blend of spices Chef called, “The Love,” and how to build Ocean’s hickory wood fire.
The Fire:
1. Build a fire using split hickory wood in a wood burning grill, 90 minutes before grilling the lobster.
2. Once you have a good coal base with a lot of hot coals, you will see a white fire spot in the center of the coals.
3. When lobster is prepped and ready for cooking, wipe grill down around the white fire spot, using tongs and pumice oil on a cloth to grease the grill. This is where you will cook the lobster, around the perimeter of the white spot.
The Love:
In a small bowl mix the following:
1 Teaspoon chopped oregano
1 ½ Teaspoons kosher salt
¾ Teaspoons cracked black pepper
2 Lemons, quartered
1 Teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Fresh juice of 1 lemon
The Lobster:
1. Split eight 3 to 4-ounce Canadian cold water lobster tails by putting the point of a knife into the back edge of the lobster tail. Cut forward away from the tail, cutting all the way through the tail.
2. Pull the meat away from the tail until you reach the tip. Remove any veins.
3. Lay the lobster back in the tail. This will keep the lobster in the tail for cooking but make it easy to remove for eating.
4. Spoon pumice oil over lobster meat.
5. Brush in “The Love” seasoning, rub it in, and pat on top.
6. Place lobster tails on the grill around the white spot but not on it, skin side down and cook for three to four minutes. If the edge of the tails near the white spot start to cook too fast or have fire flaming on them, spray with water bottle.
7. Roll one lemon on the counter with hands to break the inside and release the juice.
8. Flip lobster over to shell side down.
9. Brush with “The Love” seasoning and squeeze one lemon over the lobster meat. You may flip again if needed. If so repeat step 9 with meat side up.
The shell buffers the meat from the direct heat as it diffuses the heat. It also keeps the moisture of the lobster and the liquid of “The Love” inside. And the lemon flavors the meat and creates a steam action. You do not want the lobster to go from intense heat to serving plate.
10. Remove the lobster tails before finished cooking and place in a holding pan near the heat, meat side up.
11. Brush with lemon juice and “The Love” for a slow finish.
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