Fried Lobster Tails with Garlic A?oli Tartar Sauce ‘My Life on a Plate’

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Photograph by David Loftus

By Kelis

Fried Lobster Tails with Garlic A?oli Tartar Sauce
Serves 4

The first time I ever had deep-fried lobster tails was at a really nice restaurant in Georgia. I’m more of a crustacean person than a fish person myself, so when I saw fried lobster tails on the menu, it seemed like the obvious choice. It’s so decadent and indulgent, it almost seems rude. When you serve it to friends, they’re always excited by the idea. Fried. Lobster. Now that’s luxury. You will need four wooden skewers for deep-frying the lobster tails.

Canola or vegetable oil for deep-frying—lots!
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 lobster tails
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 recipe Garlic A?oli-Tartar Sauce (see below)

Fill a large saucepan with oil and heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. On the counter, create a bed of paper towels.

Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of the flour into a medium bowl. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Whisk the eggs in a second bowl. Mix the remaining ? cup flour with the cornmeal in a third bowl.

Remove the top and bottom shells of the lobster tails but leave the ends of the tails intact. Dredge each tail in the seasoned flour, then dip it in the beaten egg, then into the flour-cornmeal mixture. Run a skewer through the lobster tails and cut the skewers so they don’t stick out more than 1 inch on each side of the tail.

Carefully drop each lobster tail into the oil and fry for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Transfer the tails to the paper towels to drain and keep warm. Remove and discard the skewers and serve hot, with the a?oli on the side for dipping.

Garlic A?oli-Tartar Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

Being a saucier, I’ve made a?oli a million ways. So many different combos can bring something simple to life.

4 large egg yolks
1 ½ cups olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
½ cup finely chopped sour dill pickles
½ stalk celery, finely chopped

Put the egg yolks in a glass or stainless steel mixing bowl that fits over a medium saucepan. Fill the saucepan halfway with water and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and place the bowl with the egg yolks on the pan. (If there is so much water in the pan that the bottom of the bowl touches the water, pour out some of the water.) Whisk the egg yolks to break them up.

Add one third of the oil slowly, whisking constantly to form an emulsion. Add a few drops of the lemon juice and continue whisking. Whisk in the remaining oil. Add the remaining lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes, and whisk to combine. Stir in the pickles and celery. Season with more salt to taste.

Reprinted with permission from My Life on a Plate: Recipes From Around the World by Kelis (Kyle Books).

More seafood recipes:

Pull-Apart Lobster Rolls from ‘Martha Stewart’s Appetizers’

Vegetable Paella with Chorizo & Prawns

A Spicy Lobster and Clam Boil to Finish Summer Strong