Create an impressive yet easy air fryer lobster tail with steak dinner in just 6 minutes of cooking time! Steak and lobster is always a great way to impress a special someone. Serve with our delicious garlic butter sauce. We promise this is easy! It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
Can you think of a dinner for two that's more romantic than steak and lobster? While you could just air fry lobster tail (which is amazing of course) since air fryer steak bites have the exact same cooking time, why not impress your sweetie by cooking both and making surf and turf?!
We love to serve the air fryer lobster tails with a garlic butter seafood sauce (recipe below) but you can also make our divine seafood boil sauce recipe too.
Air fryer brie with honey makes the perfect romantic starter and then serve the air fryer steak and lobster with our avocado kale salad that's easy to make in advance. And don't forget to finish off your meal with 15-minute Valentine's Day chocolate covered strawberries!
Can You Air Fry Lobster Tail?
To be honest, your very first question might be "can you air fry lobster tail?" I mean, who wants to buy expensive ingredients like steak and lobster and not have the recipe turn out, especially when surf and turf recipes are commonly reserved for special occasions and romantic dinners? Rest assured, we've tested this air fryer lobster tail recipe multiple times plus we've cooked it at the same time as broiled lobster tail, and the taste and quality are similar and delicious every time!
Why You'll Love This!
- Romance...duh! Nothing is better than surf and turf when you want to show your love via a meal.
- The steak bites and lobster basically have the same cooking time and can be cooked together.
- Air fryer lobster tails with steak are perfectly seasoned just with oil, salt, and pepper but why not take it up a notch with our garlic butter seafood sauce?
- Other than butterflying the lobster tail, the air fryer surf and turf dinner cooks in less than 15 minutes.
Ingredient notes
We show you how to cook air fryer lobster and air fryer steak bites, you can of course leave the steak out and just make air fryer lobster tails.
Our garlic butter sauce is highly recommended but optional too! It cooks on the stove for 3 minutes while the main dish is air frying.
- lobster tails - 2 store bought lobster tails, they usually range in size between 3 oz and 8 oz. We purchased frozen lobster tails that were each 4 oz at Krogers. Defrost before using.
- sirloin steak, ribeye steak or steak tips - you want to use a high-quality steak that just needs seasoning and no marinating. Buying steak tips is the fastest method since the cutting into bite size pieces is already done for you.
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- minced garlic cloves
- butter
- chopped fresh parsley
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Variations
Air fryer lobster with lemon garlic butter sauce- Our garlic butter sauce listed below leaves out the lemon since we served it with steak too and wanted one sauce for surf and turf dinner. Just add 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice while cooking to make a lemon garlic butter sauce if preferred.
Equipment
An Air Fryer- We have a Cosori XL basket style air fryer, an Omni Plus oven style air fryer, and a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker air fryer combo. The Cosori air fryer was used in this recipe.
How to Cook Air Fryer Steak and Lobster
Once you butterfly the lobster (it's way more simple than it sounds!), the air fryer lobster tail and steak dinner come together super fast. Just cube the steak, lightly season the meat and seafood, air fry for 6 minutes, and simmer a 3-minute sauce while your dinner cooks in the air fryer.
Prep
If you have a whole steak, the easiest way to cut it into cubes is to freeze it for 30 minutes before cooking. Cut it into 1" x 1 ½" cubes and set aside.
Butterfly the lobster tails by gently cutting the top shell lengthwise through the center with kitchen scissors (not a knife). Don't cut all the way to the end of the tail.
Spread the tail apart with your fingers and gently loosen and pull the lobster meat from the shell. Place the whole lobster meat section on top of the lobster tail. Be sure to read our in-depth tutorial on how to prep lobster tails.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
Toss the steak bites with olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the lobster meat side of the lobster tail.
Air Fry
- Place parchment paper or foil on the bottom of the air fryer basket. Add the steak bites and the lobster tails to the air fryer.
- Cook lobster tails and steak bites at 400 F for 5-6 minutes, they should get done around the same time. Stir the steak after 3 minutes of cooking. The lobster will be tender when done with an internal temperature of 140 F.
Make Garlic Butter Sauce
- While the steak and lobster are air frying, make the garlic butter sauce on the stovetop. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and chopped parsley. Simmer for 3 minutes or until cooked. Drizzle some over steak and lobster before cooking and reheat and add more after cooking.
- Remove the air fryer lobster tails and steak and transfer them to a plate, loosely cover with foil and let them rest for 5 minutes. Drizzle the garlic butter sauce over the meat and seafood right before serving. Sprinkle with more fresh parsley and serve the lobster with lemon wedges.
Recipe notes
- The cooking time can change for the lobster tails based on their size. They're commonly sold between 3 oz-6 oz in size, each. The internal temp should be 140 F when tested with a digital meat thermometer.
- We chose to serve the air fryer lobster with steak bites since they have a similar cooking time. You could also make something like an air fryer ribeye steak and get that started before adding the lobster tails since the cooking times differ.
- You can also drizzle the garlic butter on the steak and lobster before it cooks in the air fryer, plus add more right before serving.
- If you have frozen lobster tails, be sure to defrost them in the fridge overnight before prepping the lobster tails or cooking them.
- When you go to butterfly the lobster tails, remove the lobster vein if it's there. Ours didn't have a vein and was removed by the grocery store.
Common Questions
what to serve on the side?
Popular sides to serve with air fryer lobster tail and steak include roasted or air-fried vegetables, mashed potatoes, a fresh green salad, and rice dishes. For a lighter option, steamed vegetables such as broccoli are always a fantastic choice for rounding out your meal.
How to store?
Cooked lobster should always be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s best if consumed within two days of cooking for optimal flavor and freshness. If you want to freeze cooked lobster, it should be stored in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag and used within two months.
More Seafood Recipes
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Garlic Butter Air Fryer Lobster Tail with Steak
Create impressive yet easy air fryer lobster tails with steak dinner in just 10 minutes of cooking time! Steak and lobster is always a great way to impress a special someone. Serve with our delicious garlic butter sauce. We promise, this is easy!
Ingredients
- 2 (3-4 oz) lobster tails
- 1 sirloin steak, ribeye steak or steak tips
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cube butter (½ cup)
- 1-2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- If you have a whole steak, the easiest way to cut it into cubes is to freeze it for 30 minutes before cooking. Cut it into 1" x 1 ½" cubes and set aside.
- Butterfly the lobster tails by gently cutting the top shell lengthwise through the center with kitchen scissors (not a knife). Don't cut all the way to the end of the tail. Spread the tail apart with your fingers and gently loosen and pull the lobster meat from the shell. Place it on top of the lobster tail.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
- Toss the steak bites with olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the lobster meat side of the lobster tail.
- Place parchment paper or foil on the bottom of the air fryer. Add the steak bites and the lobster tails to the air fryer basket.
- Air fry on 400 F for 5-6 minutes, they should get done around the same time but can vary within 1-2 minutes of each other depending on how you like your steak and the size of the lobster tail you're using. Stir the steak after 3 minutes of cooking. The lobster will be white and tender when done with an internal temperature of 140 F.
- While the steak and lobster are air frying, make the garlic butter sauce on the stovetop. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chopped parsley. Simmer for 3 minutes or until cooked. Drizzle some over steak and lobster before cooking and reheat and add more after cooking.
- Remove the air fryer steak and lobster and transfer them to a plate, loosely cover with foil and let them rest for 5 minutes. Drizzle the garlic butter sauce over the meat and seafood right before serving. Sprinkle with more fresh parsley, and serve the lobster with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
Yes, it is possible the steak and lobster could be done at different cooking times (within 1-2 minutes of each other), it all depends on the size of the lobster tail you buy and how you like your steak. In a Cosori air fryer, 4 oz lobster tails and 1 ½" steak bites took 6 minutes.
The cooking time can change for the lobster tails based on their size. They're commonly sold between 3 oz-6 oz in size, each. The internal temp should be 140 F when tested with a digital meat thermometer.
We chose to serve the air fryer lobster with steak bites since they have a similar cooking time. You could also make something like an air fryer ribeye steak and get that started before adding the lobster tails since the cooking times differ.
You can also drizzle the garlic butter on the steak and lobster before it cooks in the air fryer, plus add more right before serving.
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