Air Fryer Lobster Tails is a show-stopping delicious, restaurant-style meal in the comfort of your own home! This lobster tail recipe is a decadent dinner made with large or medium lobster tails smothered with a buttery garlic lemon herb sauce then air-fried to perfection in under 10 minutes making the lobster tails tender, juicy, and beautifully caramelized.
Air Fryer Lobster Tails
Cooking with an air fryer is much more healthy than deep frying, and it is also the best way to make deliciously exquisite lobster tails. Air frying keeps it tender and moist throughout, resulting in juicy and succulent lobster meat. You can even cook frozen tails in roughly half of the time in the air fryer versus what it would take when cooked on conventional ovens or stoves. If you're feeling adventurous in your kitchen, give Air Fryer Oysters a try too.
Lobster tails make a romantic date night at home all the more achievable, because who needs reservations anyways... when you have your own personal chef in your kitchen!
Preparing the Lobster Tails for Air Frying – How to Choose, Clean, and Cut
How to choose
When shopping for fresh lobster tails, make sure you pay attention to their color. Live lobsters should be dark blue-green and their shells should have red highlights. Avoid any tails that have black spots or moldy tails. Avoid any tail with a condition known as "gray shell disease," where the color of the shell is dull, light gray or yellowed.
As for size, opt for larger tails when possible as smaller ones will likely contain less meat. Lobster tail experts suggest going by count rather than weight when selecting a lobster as they yield approximately the same amount of meat per tail.
Important tip - smell around! A truly fresh lobster tail should smell like clean ocean water, not like an aquarium tank!
How to cut Lobster Tails
Next, using durable kitchen shears (I used KitchenAid stainless steel shears), cut down lengthwise the top hard shell of the lobster through the center all the way to the tail fins. This method is called "Butterfly lobster". Here's a good video tutorial on how to butterfly lobster tails.
How to clean Lobster Tails
Rinse out any remaining veins under cold running water, pat the meat dry, and voila - your lobster tails are squeaky clean and ready to cook!
After your beeping lobsters are cut and cleaned, tailor your dish to become an exquisite gourmet meal. Done properly, no one would know you were an amateur chef just moments ago!
The Best Way to Cook Lobster Tails in an Air Fryer – Tips and Tricks
Ingredients
- 2 Whole lobster tails, 6-8 oz each, thawed. If your lobster tail is a different size, please refer to the Lobster tails cooking guide by size, below.
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 lemon wedges
Instructions
1. Using durable kitchen shears (I used KitchenAid stainless steel shears), cut down lengthwise the top hard shell of the lobster through the center all the way to the tail fins. This method is called "Butterfly lobster". Here's a good video tutorial on how to butterfly lobster tails.
2. Spread the tail halves apart. (Picture 1).
3. Using your fingers (or a small fork or spoon), get under the shell and push the meat out of the shell. Do this on both sides. (Picture 3).
4. Once you pushed out the meat with your fingers, take the whole lobster tail meat and pull it out of the shell and lay it on top of the empty lobster shell. (Picture 3).
5. Preheat air fryer to 390F/195C for 3 minutes.
6. While the air fryer is preheating, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add lemon zest and garlic; heat until garlic is tender. About 1 minute.
7. Place tails in the air fryer basket (tray) with lobster meat facing up and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Transfer 2 tablespoons of butter mixture to a small bowl and brush onto lobster tails. (Picture 4).
9. Cook lobster tails until lobster meat is opaque and slightly brown in spots, 6 to 8 minutes.
10. Spoon reserved butter from the saucepan over cooked lobster meat.
11. Top with parsley and serve with lemon juice and lemon wedges. YUMMO!
Should I extract the meat from the lobster tail before cooking?
Pulling meat from the lobster tail and placing it on top of the shell is optional and is usually done for a show-stopping presentation. You can butterfly lobster, spread the tail halves apart, and leave the meat inside. Cook at the same time and temp. I have done both methods and both are equally good. (Please see the picture above). I feel that the extracted meat placed on top of the shell has more caramelized edges and a better-looking lobster tail overall.
Lobster tails cooking guide by size
The secret is knowing exactly how long to cook the lobster tails and not overdoing it. Once you get the timing right, you'll have a delicious seafood meal ready in no time. You can do this by boiling or steaming, but I love air frying the lobster tail since they typically provide a more decadent taste and texture.
3-5 oz lobster tail, air fry for 5 minutes
6-8 oz lobster tail, air fry for 6-8 minutes
8-10 oz lobster tail, air fry for 8-10 minutes
10-12 oz lobster tail, air fry for 10-12 minutes
On average, 8-ounce lobster tails will take about 8-10 minutes at 390-400°F to fully cook. If you're worried about over or undercooking your meal, I recommend using a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tail - when it reads 140°F, your lobster is ready to be devoured!
Recipe Notes
- You can use frozen lobster tails. They need to be completely thawed.
- You can cook the lobster tails on aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- There’s no need to flip/turn lobster tails in the air fryer.
- This Lobster tails recipe is low-carb and keto-friendly.
- Watch this quick video tutorial on how to butterfly lobster tails. It helped me to prep my lobster properly and to extract the meat out of the shell.
I feel that air frying also locks in the moisture and flavor of the lobster meat, so you can guarantee every bite is as flavorful and juicy as the last. All you need for this recipe is your favorite seasoning blend, butter for basting, and some lemon juice for brightening! Please let me know in the comments below if you were able to recreate restaurant-level lobster tails from the comfort of your own home.
More air fryer seafood recipes
Air Fryer Oysters with Cheesy lemon garlic butter
Air-Fried Salmon with Garlic Maple Dijon topping, perfectly tender juicy, and flaky.
Air Fryer Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 2 Whole lobster tails thawed
- 4 Tablespoons butter melted
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 lemon wedges
Instructions
- Using durable kitchen shears (I used KitchenAid stainless steel shears), cut down lengthwise the top hard shell of the lobster through the center all the way to the tail fins. This method is called "Butterfly lobster". Here's a good video tutorial on how to butterfly lobster tails.
- Spread the tail halves apart. (Picture 1).
- Using your fingers (or small fork or spoon), get under the shell and push the meat out of the shell. Do this on both sides. (Picture 3).
- Once you pushed out the meat with your fingers, take the whole lobster tail meat and pull it out of the shell and lay it on top of the empty lobster shell. (Picture 3).
- Preheat air fryer to 390F/195C for 3 minutes.
- While the air fryer is preheating, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add lemon zest and garlic; heat until garlic is tender. About 1 minute.
- Place tails in the air fryer basket (tray) with lobster meat facing up and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer 2 tablespoons of butter mixture to a small bowl and brush onto lobster tails. (Picture 4).
- Preheat air fryer to 390F/195C for 3 minutes.
- Cook lobster tails until lobster meat is opaque and slightly brown in spots, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Spoon reserved butter from the saucepan over lobster meat.11. Top with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. DELISH! Enjoy!
Notes
Lobster tails cooking guide by size
The secret is knowing exactly how long to cook the lobster tails and not overdoing it. Once you get the timing right, you'll have a delicious seafood meal ready in no time. You can do this by boiling or steaming, but I love air frying the lobster tail since they typically provide a more decadent taste and texture. 3-5 oz lobster tail, air fry for 5 minutes 6-8 oz lobster tail, air fry for 6-8 minutes 8-10 oz lobster tail, air fry for 8-10 minutes 10-12 oz lobster tail, air fry for 10-12 minutes On average, 8-ounce lobster tails will take about 8-10 minutes at 390-400°F to fully cook. If you're worried about over or undercooking your meal, I recommend using a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tail - when it reads 140°F, your lobster is ready to be devoured!Recipe Notes
- You can use frozen lobster tails. They need to be completely thawed.
- You can cook the lobster tails on aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- There’s no need to flip/turn lobster tails in the air fryer.
- This Lobster tails recipe is low-carb and keto-friendly.
- Watch this quick video tutorial on how to butterfly lobster tails. It helped me to prep my lobster properly and to extract the meat out of the shell.
Vlad
This was easy and delicious. I will never go back to boiling
Angela
I live in Maine and I am a huge fan of lobster! I had never thought about making lobster tails in the air fryer until I came across this recipe. They were incredible and I loved the buttery garlic herb sauce! I will definitely be making this again!