Do you want to learn how to make easy 5-minute air fryer chili lime buttered lobster tails? Yes, you can air fry lobster tails in just minutes, and they turn out perfect every single time!
The spicy buttered lobster tails have a flavorful burst of chili lime butter, which I’ll also share the recipe for, as it is the game-changer flavoring of these lobster tails that sets them apart from any other lobster tail you have tasted before!
When you make easy air fryer lobster tails, you won’t burn the lobster or dry it out, unlike grilling and broiling. Instead, our air-fried lobster tails with lime chili butter turn out soft and succulent lobster meat.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Air-Fried Lobster Tails With Lime Chili Butter
The short reason you’ll love the spicy buttered lobster tails is truly the ease of prep.
- A perfect Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Brunch offering, and you can make more than 2 at a time!
- An easy air fryer lobster tail for any surf and turf night that you choose
- the ingredients are easy to find
- You only need the air fryer to make the recipe
- you can transport your lime and chili-buttered lobster tails once you make them
- you can use the buttered lobster tails for parties, holidays, football parties, etc.
- The butter used in the recipe can be changed to ordinary everyday butter for a more flat taste
- unlike lobster tails cooked other ways, these won’t be dry and tough
- You’ll make lobster tails faster than any other way, and they will turn out perfectly every time!
What Kitchen Tools Will I Need TO Make Easy Air Fryer Lobster Tails?
Here are the kitchen essentials we use every time we make this recipe, and we make it at least once a month!
- kitchen scissors – for slitting the lobster shell for even cooking (Lobster scissors)
- a colander for rinsing the lobster shell once split
- a fork
- an air fryer
Reasons You’ll Prefer Easy Air Fryer Lobster Tails
Lobster is not inexpensive, but the typical price tag on lobster tails is often higher than some cuts of meat, so it is essential that when you prepare it, you don’t dry it out or burn it, and the air fryer is the perfect appliance to meet your needs.
- Broiling lobster is a committed task to ensure you don’t dry it out; air frying is easier.
- Grilling is generally an issue as it dries the lobster meat out and makes it tough.
- Steaming leaves a funk in the house, no matter if you run the exhaust fan or not
Ingredients For Air Fryer Chili Lime Buttered Lobster Tails
First, you’ll need to make my easy recipe for Chili Lime butter, and you can eliminate or use the edible flowers incorporated into the butter.
You’ll also need lobster tails, as many as you prefer; you can make these in batches. If you want to learn how to buy lobster tails, we suggest reading the article on how to buy frozen lobster tails.
Depending on the size of your air fryer basket (circle, square) you can fit anywhere from 2-4 in each basket; I tend to err on the side of less so they cook without being blocked by too much blocking them!
How To Make Air Fryer Chili Lime Buttered Lobster Tails
Let’s run through the ease of preparing air-fried lobster tails with lime chili butter so you can see how easy this recipe is.
Step 1: Chili Lime Butter Prep
You’ll need to prepare my chili lime butter, it is a simple-to-make recipe, and you can use any leftover spicy butter on other seafood, steaks, bread, veggies, and more!
Step 2: Preheat The Air Fryer
It matters that your air fryer is at the proper temperature. If the air fryer is not preheated, your cooking time will differ.
Step 3: Prep Your Lobster Tails
You must butterfly the TOP hardshell of the lobster tails, but don’t cut the underside, and we suggest using these seafood shears for a safe and full cut.
After snipping open the shell, you’ll spread the opening with your hands or use 2 forks, whatever works for you.
Add some chili lime butter to the spread lobster opening.
Step 4: Air Frying The Spicy Buttered Lobster Tails
Place each prepared lobster tail (4-6 oz) into the air fryer basket.
Arrange space between each, then close the air fryer basket.
Cook the lobster tails for 5-7 minutes* (if you open up the air fryer at the end of the cycle and for some reason the lobster meat is not OPAQUE, cook a few minutes more.
Once you have achieved opaque meat, pull out the air-fried lobster tails, and while they are warm, you can add more lime chili butter, and if you want to zest a lime lightly atop the lobster.
Serve and enjoy!
*if you use larger lobster tails, you will need to increase the cooking time.
Pro Tips For Lobster Tail Prep
- Rinse your lobster tails after cutting them to ensure no shell is attached to the exposed meat.
- Try To Slit the exposed meat as well (great area to insert the spicy butter)
- These Seafood shears make this work fast, safer, and easy.
- To be safe when cutting the lobster, use a paper towel to steady the lobster tail.
- Never cut through the lobster tail, or you will have two pieces.
- Once you cut the shell, stretch it open to expose more lobster meat.
Popular Substitutions To Try In Our Recipe
- use cilantro instead of other herbs
- add in oregano
- use chili powder and zest of jalapeno for a real fire
- Try lemon zest instead of lime
Other Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Want To Try
- Crazy Good No-Knead Air Fryer Crusty Herb Bread In 1 Hour
- SIMPLE Air fryer breakfast sausage wraps!
- Fail-Proof Crab Cakes Fast via the Air Fryer
- Funfetti French Toast in an Air Fryer
- Healthy and Delicious Air Fried Salmon
- Air Fried S’more Burritos
- Margherita pizza air fried. It’ll rock your pizza socks!
- Air Fryer Snowmen with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling
- Air Fryer Calzone Pockets
- Easy Air Fryer Twisted Pepperoni Bread
- Air Fryer Breaded Eggplant Cutlets
- Air Fryer Coconut Chocolate Puff Pastry Treats
- Delicious Cinnamon Sugar Air Fryer Donuts
- Air Fryer Parmesan Dusted Garlic Knots
What To Serve With Your Air-Fried Lobster Tails With Lime Chili Butter
- serve our arroz verde
- Use plain old rice
- Serve a side salad
- Steamed corn is delicious as a side.
- Use a smoked potato salad
- Try our Italian potato salad for a room-temperature offering.
- Serve with our Hasselback zucchini
- Try out our Hasselback mushrooms
Make Sure To Come Back And Tell Me How Your Air Chili Lime Buttered Lobster Tails Turned Out
What did you serve your spicy buttered lobster tails with?
Did your air fry more than four at a time?
Did you change the butter flavor, and if you did, what did you add to the ingredients?
We love hearing what you did the same and different, and if we test out and love your suggestions, we will add them with credit to you, so tell us here!
Recipe For Air Fryer Chili Lime Buttered Lobster Tails
Bookmark our recipe and print it, so you have it when you are ready to make this simple recipe. We hope you love the recipe as much as we do. XO Dana ~
Air-Fried Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 4 – 6 oz lobster tails
- Chili Lime Butter use my recipe provided
Instructions
- Butter needs made ahead of this and is not counted into the air-frying time or this recipe.
- Preheat Air Fryer to 380°F
- Butterfly the HARD top shell of lobster but do not cut through the tail.
- Do cut through the meat as well, and don't cut the shell part underneath (use kitchen shears and see blog post for other tips)
- Now, use your hands to spread that cut.
- Use about 1 tablespoon of Chili Lime Butter per lobster.
- Once prepared, place each lobster in the air fryer basket.
- Close the air fryer basket
- Program for 7 minutes and cook to OPAQUE *
- Once the cycle is done cooking and the lobster meat is opaque, pull out and serve immediately.
- You can add more Chili Lime Butter if desired.
- Enjoy. ` Dana XO
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