Recipe Box, Lobster Tempura with Sweet Chili Aioli
Okay, this is just a tad bit sinful. I mean lobster is pretty much a perfect food. You really don’t need to do much to it except cook it and eat it with maybe a little butter…but sometimes I just can’t leave well enough alone~
we actually had some grilled lobster tails the other night and the meat was sweet as candy. Since everybody was in the lobster mood anyway, I decided to try a recipe that has been on my recipe bucket list off and on for a while now, Lobster Corn Dogs
I mean really, does this not look goooood? You can see why I was tempted. The recipe for this can be found on the Food Network website, click here.
I went to the store and bought all the ingredients, lobster, cornmeal, buttermilk, creamed corn…but when it came down to it, I just couldn’t pull the trigger!
It seemed soooooo wrong, putting a heavy corn batter all over that delicious innocent lobster tail…BUT, I was committed to try something unusual so I remembered a dish I had earlier this year that was incredible…Lobster Tempura.
oh yeah!
HH and HHjr were asking, “You are going to fry lobster?”…”Really?”…Nice Guy, my son in law, never doubts what I’m doing, and he would have loved it but, alas he didn’t arrive until the next day.
I read several different versions of the lobster corn dog recipe and they all said to cook the lobster first. Not sure why, it was going to be battered and fried. That was another thing that turned me off from trying the recipe, it just seemed like way too much trouble. I decided to just remove the lobster meat from the tail and cut it into large pieces, then batter it and fry, cooking just once.
Use kitchen shears to cut down both sides of the tail, releasing the center membrane and pull the meat out. If you’ve done your cutting thoroughly, the meat should come right out. I cut each tail into 3 large pieces. I don’t have photos of all this because my hands were all lobster juicy and I was focused on not ruining this beautiful lobster I just bought. I bought 4 smallish tails, and cut them each into 3 pieces, about 2″ x 2″ My tails were not quite as large as the ones pictured above, so you’ll have to adjust according to what size tails are available.
I used my handy dandy favorite tempura batter mix. You just mix it with ice water and boom, you’re set to go. Put the lobster tail pieces into the batter to coat and then drop them into a fryer or deep pan with oil to cover. I like to use peanut oil to fry, it produces a light, non-greasy result.
Make a sweet chili aioli sauce for dipping and you will have
heaven on a plate!
Just mix light mayonnaise with a little sweet chili sauce, taste, and then add more chili sauce until you get the taste you want.
Add a squirt of lemon and you are on a trip to paradise!
HH and HHjr are now big fans! It was a truly decadent meal, we had a little steak and salad too, and it was fun for a special occasion. Which this wasn’t. Which is why it was so decadent. We were on vacation, does that count?
Serve this as an appetizer or as a part of surf and turf. As divine as it is, it is obviously very rich so you don’t need but 2-3 pieces per serving.
Here’s the recipe:
LOBSTER TEMPURA with SWEET CHILI AIOLI
Ingredients
- 4 small lobster tails about 6-8 inches in length
- Tempura batter mix
- 1/3 cup Sweet Chili Sauce [ I like Taste of Asia]
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- Cut lobster tails down both sides of shell with kitchen shears to release the meat. Cut meat into 3-4 large chunks, about 2″ x 2″. Prepare batter mix as directed. Put lobster in batter to thoroughly coat and drop into hot {375-400} oil. Cook until puffed and golden, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels, salt immediately with kosher salt. Prepare aoli by mixing the mayonnaise with sweet chili sauce to taste. Serve with lemon wedges.
- Makes about 4 servings
I apologize if I have offended any one by this sinful treatment of lobster! But I can’t promise I won’t do it again!
________________________________________________
I’m sharing with these fab parties:
Rattlebridge Farms Foodie Friday
Easy Life BBQ Block Party
The Tablescaper Seasonal Sunday
Comments
17 Responses to “Recipe Box, Lobster Tempura with Sweet Chili Aioli”Trackbacks
Check out what others are saying...-
[…] Then later, surprise him with a fancy appetizer like this Lobster Tempura with Sweet Chili Aoili […]
-
[…] lobster corn dogs were really more like Lobster Tempura, but I paid no attention to the lobster until every last little precious green morsel was […]
RSS - Posts
Oh my goodness, this looks soooooo good. I would love it. Remember the Broasted chicken from a while back where it was battered and then fried in a deep fry pressure cooker. I had broasted lobster at a restaurant one. It was totally to die for. Loved it. I don’t have one of those deep fry pressure cookers or I would probably make it all the time. Hugs, Marty
Hi Jenna,
Lobster, oh my what a treat for this land locked group, your recipe looks delicious. Thanks for stopping by and sure hope you enjoy that Fried Chicken. Hope you have a great weekend and thanks for sharing!
Miz Helen
Oh wow, my friend! Thank you so much for this récipe, as I just bought a tempura box and haven’t made anything..this is perfect!!! Thanks a ton and thanks for your sweet visit too. Enjoy your weekend.
FABBY
I know how good this is. Many restaurants here in New England have fried lobster tail on their menu…it is one of my favorite ways of eating lobster.
Oh, thank you Karen! I feel so much better about the whole thing now!! Ha!
mmmm this looks really yummy! I recently used panko bread crumbs for some tilapia fillets but your lobster tempura simply looks divine! Thanks for the recipe and for leaving the sweetest comment. Happy Sunday!hugs,Poppy
What a great compromise with Lobster Tempura as opposed to Lobster Corn Dogs! I suppose if you lived in Maine where lobster was as available as shrimp is here, it wouldn’t seem to criminal to put it on a stick and batter it 🙂
Yum! My husband would go nuts over both the grilled lobster and the Lobster Corn Dogs! I am going to have to give both a try. Thanks for sharing on the BBQ Block Party.
The first time I have had Tempura Lobster was at the Key West Lobster Fest. There they have you dip it in honey butter. This is still one of our favorite ways. Thanks for sharing it on BBQ Block Party.
Hi, this recipe looks so yummy! I pinned it and I would love to try it sometime. Thanks for sharing.
Julie
I totally have to try this!! I’ll have to wait until my man gets home in a few days so I can talk him into buying the lobster…
your pics show a cooked lobster tail, did you cook it before you fried it?
hi Deb, no I didn’t cook it first, just cut it up, battered and fried it~
Thank you, I can’t wait to try it as I am spoiled and get many FL tails. My son is an avid fisherman and just caught a 150+# pumpkin swordfish. any ideas?
Wow! No ideas here, good luck! >