Grilled Moreton Bay Bugs with Jalapeño Orange Butter

CUSTOMS DECLARATION. Goods: bugs. Colin requested clarification. They are the good kind.

INSPECTEDGoods: bugs
C.

Crew of 4 · Prep 15 min · Cook 6 min · Sting: medium to hot. Works for halved crayfish too, with a longer cook, until opaque all through.

Fresh off the fire.

Jump to the recipe · All Christmas BBQ recipes

Give this a go. Trust the thermometer, not the clock.

The Cargo (ingredients)

• 8 green Moreton Bay bugs, halved lengthways and cleaned
• 120 g softened butter
• 1 tbsp Four Saucemen Jalapeno & Sweet Orange Rub
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Lime wedges to finish

The Run (method)

1. Mix the butter, rub, zest and chives. Set a third aside in a clean bowl for finishing, away from the raw bugs and the brush.
2. Heat the grill to high. Brush the flesh with a little of the butter.
3. Grill shell-side down, lid closed, for 5–6 minutes, spooning on more butter halfway, until the flesh is almost opaque.
4. Flip flesh-side down for 1 minute, until opaque all through. There's sugar in this rub, so watch it closely.
5. Finish with the last of the butter and a squeeze of lime.

Cook It With

Four Saucemen Jalapeno & Sweet Orange Rub
Made in New Zealand. Sweet orange up front, proper jalapeño kick after.

Four Saucemen Hawkes Bay Lime & Ancho Chilli
Hawke's Bay lime first, slow smoky ancho after.

The Aftermath. The butter got out.

Where It Goes Wrong

• Dry bugs. A bug waits for no one. Neither does a good dinner guest, I'm told.
• Burnt butter. Sugar in the rub. Move to a cooler part of the grill.
• Someone won't eat something called a bug. Excellent. More for you.

Darryl's Secret

Make the butter a day ahead. It only improves, and you can pretend you were organised.

Store it: Keep bugs refrigerated until cooking. Eat straight away. Check the label for allergens.

Cap'n Darryl. I'd have been here earlier but the butter needed time.