Fried Lobster–You Bet!

Have you ever thought of frying lobster?

I never did since the thought never occurred to me. When I prepared lobster, it was broiled and served with lemon and butter. Now that’s very very good and I love it that way.

Recently, I saw a photo of fried lobster. Coated with cornmeal no less. Well, it looked delicious and I had some small lobster tails in the freezer so why not try it.

This Louisiana deep fried lobster is a bit fussy to make, but I think it’s worth it. Once you try it, you will too.

Here’s a video on how to prep lobster tails if you don’t already know how.

Bread With Cornmeal

This was the thing I found most interesting about this lobster dish.

I’ve seen cornmeal added to flour in some things for use as a coating, but I’ve never seen a “breading” that was almost totally cornmeal.

It adds a delightful bit of crunch to the lobster. It also has a great flavor from the seasonings you put in. Keep in mind this has a little heat attached to it from the cayenne pepper. So if you only want a bit of zip without burning the house down, go easy with it. I’d suggest starting out with no more than 1/2 teaspoon in the coating. Put in 1/4 teaspoon then taste it. Just keep adding until you’ve reached the point where it’s got just enough zest for you. Of course, if you’re into heat, then use more!

Frying And The Oil

OK this is where the fussy bit comes in. It’s not complicated, but it is time consuming.

Each lobster tail must be fried one at a time. The reason is you just can’t let the oil dip that much in temperature otherwise it won’t turn out right. The positive side of this is the lobster tails cook quickly. If you use small ones maybe six inches in length and about 4 ounces/115g, they only take 3 minutes to cook.

And sadly, this is one frying job where you just cannot recycle the oil, unlike with shrimp. It will be so dark and full of sediment from the cornmeal, that it’s impossible to use again. And since there’s no real way to get lobster tails completely dry, the oil will swell so make sure you use a deep pan (I used a high-sided 3 QT saucepan filled 1/3 up the side with oil) so the oil doesn’t boil over.

The Recipe

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Louisiana Deep Fried Lobster

A real treat for lobster lovers

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time0 minutes mins

For Each Tail4 minutes mins

Total Time24 minutes mins

Course: Main, Main Course, Seafood

Cuisine: American

Keyword: deep fried lobster, lobster tail recipes, louisiana lobster

Servings: 4

Calories: 470kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp garlic Powder
• 1 tsp onion Powder
• 4 lbs lobster tails cleaned in the shell
• 2 qts oil for deep-frying approximately

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a gallon size zip-lock bag, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder. Shake well.
• Clean lobster tails while keeping tail in the shell. Set aside.
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large, deep skillet such as a cast iron pan. The oil needs to reach 365 degrees.
• Place half of the lobster tails in the bag, shake well to coat the tails complete. Remove tails, set on a rack over a tray to catch any drippings and keep the work area clean. Repeat with remaining tails.
• Deep fry one lobster tail at a time in the oil for about 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Let fried tails dry on paper towels.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 542mg | Potassium: 546mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 208IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 3mg

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