Moreton Bay bug is the Australian name for the flathead lobster, a slipper lobster named after Moreton Bay; Brisbane menus serve it in dumplings, spring rolls, a bug roll and with garlic butter.

Moreton Bay bug is the Australian name for Thenus orientalis, a slipper lobster of the Indian and Pacific oceans that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization calls the flathead lobster; the name comes from Moreton Bay in Brisbane. It lives on muddy and sandy bottoms from northern New South Wales around to Shark Bay in Western Australia and is caught mainly between Cairns and Bundaberg as bycatch of the prawn and scallop fisheries. It is sometimes confused with the Balmain bug.

Where to eat Moreton Bay Bug in Brisbane

4 editor picks for Moreton Bay Bug in Brisbane, ranked by editorial score. All Brisbane signature dishes · Moreton Bay Bug across every city.

Book food experiences in Brisbane

See all 514 food experiences in Brisbane

Make it at home

Serves 225 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 4 fresh Moreton Bay bugs, around 200g each
  • 80g unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Place bugs belly-side up on a chopping board. With a heavy sharp knife, halve each bug lengthways through the head and tail.
  2. Combine softened butter with garlic, lemon zest, parsley, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  3. Heat a chargrill or barbecue to medium-high. Spread garlic butter generously over the cut side of each bug half.
  4. Place flesh-side down on the grill for 2 minutes. Flip to shell-side down, top with more garlic butter, and grill another 4 minutes until tail meat is opaque.
  5. Squeeze lemon juice over and serve with extra wedges and crusty bread.

Editor tip. Buy live or fresh-frozen bugs from Brisbane fish markets. Tail meat overcooks fast; pull off the grill the moment it turns opaque white.

Common allergens: Crustacean.