Easy Lobster Tempura Sushi Recipe: How to Fry Lobster Tail with Mayo?

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Ignite all of your senses with this sophisticated, easy lobster tempura, which enrobes succulent lobster meat in a light and crisp batter. With just a few simple steps and tips, you’ll be serving up this restaurant-worthy dish while feeling like a total rockstar in the kitchen.

Making your own lobster tempura recipe at home is easy and rewarding. Using pantry staples like flour and cornstarch, this lobster recipe brings incredible texture to every bite while still letting the lobster’s natural sweetness shine.

Airy, crunchy, light tempura batter is a classic pairing with sweet and succulent lobster tails. Famed restaurants such as Nobu may have popularized the creation, but tempura fried seafood dates back to the 16th century when Portuguese Jesuits brought this method of cooking seafood and vegetables back from the Japanese Nanban trade.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Tempura Fried Lobster

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The beauty of lobster tempura lies in its simplicity of ingredients. Combining the freshest Maine grade A lobster with staples like corn starch, soda water, and a high smoke point oil for frying, such as vegetable oil or canola oil, you only need a handful of ingredients. This basic tempura batter recipe from Food Network Kitchen is easy and also totally accessible.

Tempura Batter Recipe Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups seltzer water or soda water, cold
Kosher salt
High smoke point oil for frying, such as sunflower oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil

Fresh Lobster Tail for Tempura

When it comes to picking what part of the lobster to use for your lobster tempura recipe, there really is no wrong answer. Best Lobster tail is the most popular choice. You will want to pick larger size tails such as our 8-10 oz. jumbo lobster tails or 16-20 oz. colossal lobster tails. This will allow you to cut the tail meat into generous-sized pieces. Don’t feel like shucking your lobster tails? Go ahead and pick lobster tail meat. In addition to making this recipe that much easier, you don’t have to worry about losing any of the meat in the process of removing the shell.

Besides lobster tail, lobster claw, tail, and knuckle meat are also options for your fried tempura lobster. These will give you perfect bite-sized chunks every time. Finally, you can always go with Maine live lobsters. This will give you a little bit of everything from that sweet and succulent claw meat to the meaty bites of lobster tail.

Dipping Sauces (Including Mayo Variations)

Remember the dipping sauces for your lobster tempura! You can keep it simple with melted clarified butter or create lobster tempura with spicy mayo. The options are endless. Here are some ideas below.

Tempura Dipping Sauce — Spicy Mayo for Lobster Tempura

Kewpie mayo mixed with chili sauce or sriracha and a squeeze of lime
Ponzu
Duck sauce
Sweet chili sauce
Ginger-infused soy sauce
Wasabi aioli

Seafood Variations and Substitutions

You can make this recipe completely gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free flour. Look for one marked 1 to 1. This means the measurements will remain the same without needing to add any additional ingredients.
This tempura batter recipe works for all types of seafood, such as langoustines or shrimp. Double up on the celebration of the sea and use it to make shrimp tempura with our colossal shrimp or super colossal shrimp.
Make this a complete feast. Dip your favorite vegetables in the tempura batter. Green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, and zucchini are just some of the options to use for this tempura batter.

Equipment Required to Fry Lobster Tail in Hot Oil

Large bowl for your tempura batter
Bowl with ice to keep the batter super cold
Chopstick to mix the batter
Large pot for frying, such as a Dutch oven
Thermometer to monitor the temp of your oil
Kitchen shears to remove the lobster shell
Rack with paper towels to drain the tempura lobster tail

Preparation Steps for Tempura Lobster Recipe

Preparing your mise en place for your lobster tempura involves only a few simple steps. You’ll need to properly prepare your lobster prior to battering and frying it, and you’ll also need to mix together your tempura batter.

If you’re using lobster tails for this recipe, you’ll need to remove the meat from the shell. Place the first lobster tail on your work surface, top side up. Using kitchen shears, carefully ease it under the shell. Carefully cut down the top of the shell and through the tail fin.
Flip the tail over and repeat the process on the bottom side of the shell. Once you have cut through the shell, use your fingers to gently loosen the meat from the shell and remove it.
Just like shrimp has a vein that needs to be removed, so does the lobster tail. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut the top of the meat. Remove the vein with your fingers, and then give the meat a quick rinse. Repeat with the second tail.
To make your tempura batter, add the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Using a chopstick stir together the batter as you pour in the seltzer water. You want it to be lumpy, not smooth. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Place the bowl into a bowl with ice. Ice-cold batter equals a light and airy texture.

How to Deep Fry Lobster Tail for Tempura?

Now that you’ve prepared your batter and lobster tails, it’s time to make your lobster tempura.

Place a large Dutch oven or deep cast iron skillet over medium heat and fill it halfway with oil. Allow the oil to heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To measure your temperature, use a candy thermometer or instant-read digital thermometer.
Once the oil has come to temperature, dip your lobster piece into the cold tempura batter. Carefully lower the dipped lobster into the hot oil. Repeat with a couple more pieces, being careful not to overcrowd the pot.
Allow the tempura lobster bites to fry for 2 minutes on one side, and then gently flip them using tongs or a spider. Allow the second side to fry for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown and puffy.
Remove the fried lobster bites from the hot oil and place them on a cooling rack lined with a paper towel, allowing the excess oil to drain.
Sprinkle kosher salt or flaky sea salt over the top.
Repeat the process with any remaining lobster pieces.
To serve, serve with your favorite dipping sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice or a sprinkle of fresh lime zest.

Serving Suggestions for Tempura Lobster as an Appetizer

Make the perfect tempura the star of the show, and keep the plating simple. Garnish with chives, scallions, or fresh citrus zest.
Have fun with the lobster tempura and the incredible texture of the fried sweet and succulent lobster tails. Serve these up in toasted split top buns with a drizzle of spicy mayo for a fun twist on the classic lobster roll.
Make the lobster tempura part of a complete meal and serve it with a warm cup of miso soup and a crisp light salad dressed with ginger-carrot dressing.
Create the ultimate seafood appetizer platter. Serve your lobster tempura bites with shrimp cocktail, steamed lobster, coconut shrimp, bacon-wrapped scallops, or any of your favorite seafood.
Add shrimp or extra-large sea scallops to the tempura batter for even more tender seafood hugged in a light and airy batter.
Start off your tempura feast with a cup of lobster bisque or New England clam chowder.
Love sushi? Add your fried lobster to create lobster tempura sushi rolls, bringing texture and excitement to sushi night.

Nutritional Information for Tempura Fried Lobster

This recipe uses regular, all-purpose flour. If you have gluten sensitivities or Celiac disease, substitute the flour for 1 to 1 gluten-free flour. The measurements will be the same.
If anyone you plan on serving the tempura to has a shellfish allergy, make sure that the other items you plan on battering and frying aren’t cross-contaminated with the lobster. Have a separate bowl for battering the other items, such as mushrooms, green beans, and broccoli. You will also want to fry those items in a separate Dutch oven or skillet and not use the same oil.
This recipe is naturally dairy-free.
Unlike many tempura batter recipes, this one doesn’t contain eggs. If anyone you plan on serving this has an egg allergy, use a plant-based mayo for the base of a spicy mayo dipping sauce, or pick another sauce, such as ponzu.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Tempura Batter and Frying

For the lightest, airiest, tender batter, make sure your batter remains cold, and don’t over-mix it. It should still be a little lumpy and not smooth.
Don’t overcrowd your pot or skillet! It’s better to work in batches, frying only a few pieces at a time, than to crowd the pan.
Always make sure your oil is at the right temperature before frying your lobster. If the temperature is too low, the batter will absorb the oil and become greasy. If it’s too hot, the batter will burn and become acrid.
If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the temperature of the hot oil in two ways. The first is to place the handle of a wooden spoon into the hot oil. If bubbles immediately start forming around it, you know you’re good to go. The second way is by adding a few drops of the batter to the hot oil. If they immediately float and begin to turn golden, you’re good.
This is an all-purpose tempura batter that can be used for a variety of different seafood and vegetables.
Always use the freshest lobster for your lobster tempura. Here at LobsterAnywhere, we only source the freshest Maine Grade A hardshell lobster. They’re always sustainably sourced directly from local lobstermen and are never batch-frozen. The proof is in the taste and texture. With over 5,400 five-star reviews from verified customers, we truly deliver on our happy-cracking promise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my lobster tempura greasy?

Your tempura could be greasy for one of two reasons. The first is that your oil wasn’t hot enough. You want to heat the oil to 350 degrees before adding your battered lobster, seafood, or vegetables. The second reason could be that you didn’t properly drain the lobster. Once you have removed it from the hot oil, place it on a cooling rack lined with paper towels. This will absorb the excess oil while allowing air to circulate, keeping the batter crispy.

How do I store lobster tempura?

Lobster tempura is best eaten the same day. However, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. To reheat, place leftovers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and reheat in a 325-degree oven for about 10 minutes or until just warmed through.

Can I use frozen lobster for this recipe?

Absolutely! Make sure that your lobster is fully defrosted. The best way to do this is by allowing the lobster tails to defrost in the coldest part of the refrigerator overnight, up to 24 hours in advance. Never fry frozen lobster. Not only will the texture of the finished product be bad, but it can cause the hot oil to splatter as it defrosts.