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Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

Restaurant-Style Fried Lobster Tails

Published: Jul 5, 2020 · Modified: Aug 2, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley

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What could be better than crispy fried lobster tails? Golden brown, succulent and oh-so-delicious!

During my restaurant days, Fried Lobster Tails was one of the more popular specials I ran on my selections of daily specials. Served with cocktail or tartar sauce or if you’re throwing caution to the wind, melted butter.

fried lobster tails on a white plate with lemon slices, cocktail sauce and tartar sauce


 

Lobster is a favorite with many people and frying those sweet little tails is a delicious way to enjoy them. You can also make my delicious stuffed lobster tails as well, they are a crowd pleaser.

Table of Contents:
  • Ingredients
  • Do I have to Fry the Lobster Shell?
  • How do I make an Egg Wash?
  • What type of breadcrumbs should I use?
  • Can I fry other seafood using this method?
  • Recipe FAQ’s
  • More fried seafood recipes
  • Recipe: Fried Lobster Tails

Ingredients

ingredients to make fried lobster tails

Let’s start by gathering the simple ingredients we need to make my Fried Lobster Tail Recipe. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

When looking for lobster tails, cold-water lobster is always preferable to warm water lobsters. Cold water lobster has more flavor, is sweeter and more tender.

split lobster tails on a white platter

The first step is defrosting the lobster tails and then carefully splitting them in half using a chef’s knife or kitchen shears.

lobster tails in flour in a stainless steel bowl

Start by dredging the split lobster tails (including the shell) in the flour mixture.

**Season the all purpose flour with sea salt and black pepper. You can add onion powder, garlic powder, or Old Bay seasoning to the flour to add additional flavor.

Do I have to Fry the Lobster Shell?

No, you don’t. You could freeze the uncooked shells to use the next time you make seafood stock or lobster sauce and just bread and fry the lobster meat.

The reason I include the shells is simply for the visual impact. Lobster meat by itself is small and isn’t as impressive without the shell. Remember that people eat with their eyes so looking good is as important as tasting good.

floured lobster tails in eggwash

Next dip lobster tails into the egg wash. Completely coating the lobster and shell in the liquid.

How do I make an Egg Wash?

You can make an egg wash many different ways, and there is no right way or wrong way as long as whatever you’re frying gets completely immersed in your choice of egg wash.

  • just eggs – well-beaten
  • eggs and milk
  • eggs and cream
  • eggs and water

Use about 1 ounce of liquid for every egg used. A little extra liquid won’t hurt the mixture you just don’t want to water it down too much.

lobster and shells in seasoned bread crumbs

The last step before frying is to place the lobster tails in a seasoned breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to completely cover the lobster and shells with the bread crumbs.

What type of breadcrumbs should I use?

I like using seasoned regular breadcrumbs, but that’s just a personal choice. You can use any of these options for your fried lobster tails or any food you’d like to fry.

  • Plain breadcrumbs. (you can add your own seasonings if you like)
  • Panko breadcrumbs (seasoned or unseasoned)
  • Cracker meal
  • Gluten-free breadcrumbs of any style

With the exception of fried chicken, you can forgo the flour step of the breading process. It does add a little more of a crust to the fried food, so if you like a lighter appearance and taste, just use the egg wash and bread crumbs.

breaded lobster tails with the shells on a white platter

When all the split lobster tails have been breaded, you’re ready to begin the frying process.

Chef Dennis Tips for Home Frying

When you fry foods, the oils you use need to have a high smoking point. *Smoking point is the temperature it takes for the oil to start to break down and smoke.

The oils I recommend for frying foods are peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil, or vegetable oil. My oil of choice is corn oil for home frying and canola in professional kitchens.

Make sure you have enough oil in the pot to fully submerge the food you are frying. Leave enough room for the food you’re frying with an extra few inches at the top for safety. The hot oil will bubble, and you don’t want to get burned or have a mess to clean up.

Never add liquid to the fryer, and keep a Kitchen fire extinguisher (rated for oil) nearby.

For most deep-fried recipes, you’ll want to heat your oil to 350 – 375 degrees F. Use a long-stem thermometer to check the temperature of the oil. If you’re cooking in batches, make sure to give the oil time to recover before adding more food.

Drain the fried food on baking racks over sheet pans (or baking sheets) or on a paper towel. Allowing fried food to drain removes much of the fat associated with deep-frying. Most of the fat will not penetrate the food, staying only on the outer layer (as long as the oil is hot enough)

You can reuse the oil if you filter it, cleaning out the residue that sinks to the bottom of the oil. Using big coffee filters in a stainless steel strainer will work. Just make sure the oil has cooled to a temperature you can safely handle it at.

If you’re serious about home frying, I suggest the T-Fal Deep Fryer. It’s the one I use at home for any deep-fried foods.

fried lobster tails on a white plate

Now that’s a plate full of deliciousness! And definitely a show-stopper. Wouldn’t you like to sit down to a plateful of these fried lobster tails?

Can I fry other seafood using this method?

Yes, you can. Here are some other of my favorite seafood that would be perfect for frying:

  • Oysters
  • Shrimp
  • Scallops
  • Flounder
  • Calamari

Recipe FAQ’s

Can I freeze breaded seafood?

Yes, you can. Lay out your breaded seafood on a sheet pan or flat pan and place it in the freezer. Once the breaded food has completely frozen, place it into ziplock bags until you’re ready to fry.
***When you do fry the food, do not defrost it first. Fry while still completely frozen.

Can I bread lobster tails or other seafood ahead of time?

Yes, you can. The only problem you’ll run into is that while sitting any prebreaded foods begin to get wet as the moisture from the food releases.
To overcome this you would need a quick trip back into more breadcrumbs. This will add to the coating. You will also be losing moisture from the food making it dryer and less flavorful.
If you do need to bread ahead of time, try not to let the breaded product sit for more than 4 hours.

More fried seafood recipes

  • cold water lobster meat
    Lobster Fra Diavolo Bianco Recipe
  • hand scooping out Cheddar lobster dip with a Mission Tortilla chip
    Creamy Cheesy Cheddar Lobster Dip
  • golden brown fried shrimp on a white plate with tarter sauce, cocktail sauce and lemon slices
    Crispy Fried Shrimp
  • fried flounder filets on a white plate with lemon circles
    Easy Fried Flounder Recipe

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fried lobster tails on a white plate

Fried Lobster Tails

When it comes to seafood, lobster is the king. And my fried lobster tails is the perfect restaurant-style dish to showcase sweet petite lobster tails. They're easy to make and will WOW your friends and family
5 from 49 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 6 minutes mins
Total Time 16 minutes mins
Course Entree
Cuisine American
Servings 2
Calories 880 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 6 3-4 ounce lobster tails split in half, pulled out of the shell
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
  • 3 large eggs whipped to make egg wash
  • 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
  • ½ cup milk
  • corn oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Preheat cooking oil to 350 -375 degrees F.
  • split lobster tails down the middle and pull the meat out of the shell, but leave the meat attached.
  • pat dry lobster tails with paper towels.
  • dredge lobster tails in seasoned flour, completely coating meat and shell.
  • dip lobster and shell in egg wash completely covering tails, remove and allow to drain briefly.
  • coat egg wash lobster tail and shell in seasoned bread crumbs. Lightly pat bread crumbs onto lobster and shell to completely coat both.
  • place the breaded lobster tails in prheated oil and fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
  • carefully remove the lobster from the oil and allow to drain on a baking rack for 1 minutes.
  • serve lobster with cocktail sauce, tartar sauce or drawn butter

Nutrition

Calories: 880kcalCarbohydrates: 133gProtein: 45gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 367mgSodium: 2006mgPotassium: 655mgFiber: 8gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 735IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 392mgIron: 10mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    5 from 49 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Laura D Sog says

    September 08, 2024 at 6:19 pm

    Today 9/8/2024, I made your recipe for Fried Lobster Tails. Instead of bread crumbs I used House Autry coating. They were spectacular. A squeeze of lemon to finish and they were over the top delicious…..Thank you…my husband loved them….

    Reply
  2. Duane says

    August 23, 2023 at 10:37 am

    5 stars
    I season my breadcrumbs with old bay seasoning and wow, did it give a rustic flavor! I’ll make it a staple at home for family and friends.

    Reply
  3. Laura Catlow says

    February 14, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    Love this recipe But what is the milk for? Some recipes use a buttermilk soak but I find it unnecessary.

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      February 14, 2023 at 2:14 pm

      the milk goes in the eggwash

      Reply
  4. Tish says

    April 19, 2021 at 10:26 pm

    5 stars
    Easy to follow directions for a first-timer.
    Turned out great even though I forgot to season the flour. Maybe the melted butter compensated.
    I’ll try this again!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      April 20, 2021 at 8:17 am

      I’m happy to hear your fried lobster came out well Tish! Seasoning the flour will add a little more flavor the lobster, but I’m sure the butter more than made up for it.

      Reply
  5. Barbara Williams says

    November 18, 2020 at 8:58 am

    I eat two fried lobster 🦞 tails and they were delicious. So now I want to cook my own.

    Reply
  6. Natalie says

    July 13, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    5 stars
    This sounds amazing. Look at that crispy edges. SO yummy! I must give this a try. My family loves seafood. I will definitely make this.

    Reply
  7. Jo says

    July 13, 2020 at 3:30 am

    5 stars
    I haven’t tried fried lobster before and oh my those pictures of the lobster is so tempting. Looks absolutely delicious

    Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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