If you are hungry for seafood but still want a meaty meal, lobster tails are the most elegant yet chic meal you can indulge in. It is the easiest dish if you are new to sea dishes, and trust me, after eating lobster tails, you will fall in love with seafood dishes and want them more and more.
Lobster tails are elegant, yet they taste great with many things. The most popular of everything is a buttery sauce with herbs and lemon. You just have to make it perfectly, or else you will end up with rubbery, overcooked lobster tails.
Making these tails seems pretty easy, yet skilled chefs can ruin their lobster tails if cooked with no attention. That’s where an air fryer comes to your rescue. It needs no hectic timing or preparation for the oven or the grills; you just simply pre-heat it and you will have no mess and, of course, hassle-free cooking.
How to cook a deliciously air-fried lobster?
To make a delectable and fancy seafood dinner to impress your family in no time, you should choose lobster tails because they are the easiest to make. Here is how you can make five-star tasty tails in the air fryer.
Ingredients:
- Lobster tail
- Butter
- Lemon zest
- Chopped parsley
- Grated garlic clove
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon wedges
Preparation:
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 Fahrenheit or 195 Celsius.
- Butterfly the lobsters by cutting them through the top hard shells and meat with kitchen shears; cut to the bottom of the shells but not through them; spread the lobster tails in half; and then put them in the air fryer basket with the meat facing up.
- Put butter, garlic, and lemon zest into a pan and cook them until the garlic is fragrant and translucent. Make two parts of the mixture.
- Brush the mixture onto the uncooked lobster tail and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes in the air fryer. (remember to discard this mixture because there are high chances of cross-contamination).
- Cook it until the meat is opaque and juicy.
- Drizzle the remaining garlic butter over the lobster tail and serve it hot with lemon wedges.
Check the video below to see how this recipe is made:
Lobster Tail Nutritional Facts
The buttery melt in our mouth makes us forget about the nutrition which is going inside of us. This could be harmless for some or a worrying part for others.
Either way, it is important to know about the nutritional value of the meal you are munching, and here are some of them, so you don’t have to wander for it.
| Nutritional facts | Per serving |
| Protein | 18.1g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.3g |
| Fat | 25.8g |
| Cholesterol | 128.7mg |
| Vitamin A | 923.7IU |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1mg |
| Vitamin C | 13mg |
| Calcium | 73mg |
| Iron | 0.5mg |
| Magnesium | 33.1mg |
| Potassium | 340.3mg |
| Sodium | 590.4mg |
Lobster tail with a calorie count of 312.6 indicates that it completes the half-quarter of the daily calorie count, which is almost 2000 for one person.
These lobster tails are high in calcium, which means we are gaining bone strength just by having the delicious meal; lobster is also packed with vitamin B6, providing uncountable advantages to your body, like better immunity, little to no brain illnesses, and better mental health.
Do I cut the lobster tail before boiling it?
Cut the lobster tail along the top of the shell, straight down the middle from the edge of the tail to the bottom of the tail lengthwise. if you are boiling the lobster tail. If you are boiling it for one minute per ounce, and if you are air frying it, then put the tail on the air frying basket directly.
Even if you buy a fresh or frozen lobster tail from the market, you have to scrub the exterior shell of it to ensure that lobsters are clean and good to eat. You do not submerge or wash the meat part of the lobster, as it can absorb the water and would taste watery with no flavor after cooking.
How long do you cook the lobster tails?
It depends upon the way of cooking them; if you choose to broil them, the small one takes 6-9 minutes and the big one takes 7-10 minutes with pre-preparation of them.
If you choose to use an air fryer, it takes only 5-7 minutes with preheating at 380 Fahrenheit. When the meat is opaque and slightly brown, it is ready to be served.
The best side dishes to serve with lobster tails are mac and cheese, baked potatoes, coleslaw, pasta salad, steamed clams and mussels, and white rice. More of them are butter with infused garlic, French baguettes, and, of course, the lifeblood of the lobster tail is champagne.
Tips to cook air-fried lobster tails:
The art of cooking requires legit tips and tricks to achieve a five-star rating from everyone. Here are some tips to get the buttery and juicy lobster tails every single time:
- If using frozen lobster tails, make sure to thaw them before cooking.
- Clean and devein the lobster before cooking it.
- Make sure you don’t cut through the bottom of the lobster shell.
- Cooking time varies on the size of the lobster. Generally, 4-6 ounces of it take 6-8 minutes.
- The meat should be whiter, tender, and juicy; if inserting the thermometer to check the cooking state, the temperature will be around 135 to 140 Fahrenheit.
- If you don’t have an air fryer, then you can make them in an oven. Simply preheat the oven until broil, place them on the baking sheet, and bake them for 5–10 minutes.
Questions asked frequently
Are lobster tails good in the air fryer?
If you are wondering if lobster tails are good in the fryer, yes, they taste irresistibly good. It is also a great way to prepare a juicy and flavorful meal without any mess or any hassle of grilling or even preparing an oven.
The outcome is perfect for a quick meal in under 5-10 minutes. They have plenty of benefits, such as omega 3 and more, which can be retained by cooking for a lower time and not as much as you cook in the oven.
Do you Need To remove the legs from the lobster tails?
For a smelt-free meal, it is necessary to remove the legs and fins of the lobster. It is how you do it; first cut off the tail fins at the bottom and the little fins at either side and discard them.
They are the sourest parts of the lobster. Do this to each of the tails and you will notice that the nasty smell of them is not there anymore.
How do you know when lobster tails are done?
To check if the lobster tail is done, cut through the soft underside of the shell into the thickest part of the meat. If it appears completely white with no translucent (greyish) color, then it is completely done and dusted. If it’s translucent, then to the cooking it goes.
Is lobster healthier than shrimp?
The lobsters are healthier, as they are high in protein and low in fatty acids while packed with B6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart and brain diseases while contributing more to immunity. Lobsters and shrimp have almost the same amount of calories and protein per serving, but shrimp are higher in cholesterol.
Can you put foil in an air fryer?
Yes, you can put foil in an air fryer for cooking a mess-free meal; it is said that the process of rushing hot air from an air fryer and the meal that is put in the foil won’t be affected by the heat on the foil.
Bonus tip: if you don’t want your meal to be stuck to the basket, then spray some butter on the base of the fryer.
Is It Possible To Save Leftover Lobster?
It’s ideal to consume the lobster tail as soon as it’s cooked.
When you reheat lobster meat, it gets tough and tastes bitter. Simply purchase a few more lobster tails and fry up some fresh ones if you want this the next day as well! This dish is so simple that preparing more fresh lobster is a breeze.
How to Select Lobster Tails
To prepare a restaurant-quality meal at home, you must first learn how to select the best lobster tails to cook in your air fryer! Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when selecting tails at the store.
- Cold Water Lobster Tails: Cold water lobster tails should always be purchased. They taste better and are sweeter. Simply inquire as to whether the lobster tails are in cold water or warm water. Look at the shell if they don’t know. The shell of a warm-water lobster features black or yellow markings. Cold water tails lack them.
- Sodium Tripolyphosphate: Avoid buying lobster tails that have been soaked in this before freezing. They will taste like ammonia.
- Size: Look for lobster tails weighing between 5 and 12 ounces. This is a wonderful size since it has a good amount of meat without sacrificing the exquisite flavor.
- More Money: When you find several pricing for lobster and one is more expensive, get it. This means the quality is higher, and believe me, the extra cost will be worth it once you realize how much better good grade lobster meat can taste!
Summary
- Air-fried lobster tails have the juiciest taste of all the cooking methods. It gives you freedom of time and allows you to check if it’s ready. Making the lobster in butter and garlic makes it tender and delightful to eat without hesitation.
- If you truly make sure to follow the tips and tricks in this blog, then I assure you the finger-licking good lobster tails every time with no hassle and no mess within the cooking process.
- However, you might want to look out for your calorie intake from the lobsters, it can cost you your health.
With this, I am signing off from this recipe until next time.