Popularized by Japanese cuisine, tempura originated in Portugal. Commonly used for frying seafood, we couldn’t resist experimenting with our Maine lobster tails! Consider the delicious nature of tempura fried shrimp or prawns, then expand your mind and replace the crustacean with lobster tails. Yes, folks, this is a break away from the traditional steamed Maine lobster with butter, lemon or mayo. It is very decadent, a lot of fun, and truly deluxe! Serve this as an appetizer and see if anyone stops talking about it!
This application really showcases the processing that our Maine lobster tails go through. Because our tails are de-veined and hydrostatic pressure processed, this recipe is easily attainable (versus the alternative steps needed if starting with a live lobster).
Once the tails are thawed, carefully use a large knife to split the tails down the middle. Press the tail, belly-side down on a cutting board, and work the knife into the shell at the smaller end/fin-side of the tail, then slice down through the middle toward the body side.
Once cut in half, the raw tail meat is easily removed from the shell (this is because the tails are pressure processed! The pressure creates a separation between the meat and the shell, allowing for easy meat removal, even without any cooking!). Lay the raw tail meat halves on a towel until ready to batter and fry!
In addition to lobster tails, sea scallops make for an excellent tempura fried seafood as well! Simply remove the side muscle from each scallop, batter and fry (if you want smaller fried pieces, larger scallops can be cut in half)!
Unsurprisingly—tempura fried vegetables are delicious. We’ve listed a number of vegetable options in the ingredients list, but feel free to substitute your favorites! Soy sauce is a fine dipping sauce for these fried bites, and adding some ginger or garlic can ‘spice’ it up a bit. If you feel like adding even more fun flavor to this dish, try one, some or all of our dipping sauces (see link in recipe)!
These tails can be served as a striking starter, or a main dish alongside a large green salad. The golden, crispy batter contrasting the tender, supple lobster is an unforgettable combination!
Go wild and make lobster po’ boys (simply follow the recipe for frying the lobster tails, and add to a roll/baguette with tartar sauce (or sauce of your choosing) and greens! Regardless of what you choose to pair with these crispy, tempura-fried Maine lobster tails, we have a feeling they’ll be unforgettable!
Tempura Batter Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups ice cold seltzer/soda water
2 eggs
Pinch or two of salt
Olive oil (enough to submerge your fry basket)
Ingredients to Fry
–Greenhead Lobster tails; split lengthwise, see beginning of video for how to cut tail in half: Grilled Lobster Tails , then remove raw meat from shell and place on paper/cloth towel. Compost (or discard) tail shells
-Sea scallops; side muscle removed, pat dry with paper towel
-Shrimp; devein and peel
-Bell peppers; remove seeds and stem, slice into strips
-Carrots; peel and slice into medallions
-Squash; peel, de-seed and slice into medallions or medium dice
Eggplant; slice, salt, let drain in colander (20/30 minutes), rinse and pat dry
Green beans; trim ends
Mushrooms; cut into strips
Onions; peel, cut into large dice
Potatoes; peel, cut into rounds/slices
Optional Dipping Sauces
This dish takes tempura to the next level! Batter is sufficient for approximately 6 servings of seafood/vegetables.
Cooking Directions
- Prepare all ingredients entirely before making batter or heating oil
- Mix dry batter ingredients (flour, corn starch, salt)
- In small bowl, beat egg
- Heat olive oil to 325˚F (sizzling, but not smoking) in either a heavy, deep-sided skillet/Dutch oven or in a fryer
- While oil is heating, combine all batter ingredients. Stir as little as possible, a few lumps are okay. If you’ve made enough batter for multiple rounds of frying, hold excess in the refrigerator until ready for use (best when used at coldest temperature possible!)
- When oil is ready, coat items, don’t overcrowd, as it will hinder even cooking
- Fry until batter appears golden and crispy, approximately 2 minutes.
- Remove fried items to plate/bowl lined with a paper towel and eat immediately!
- Serve with dipping sauces: https://greenheadlobster.com/easy-dipping-sauce-recipes/ (or soy sauce!)