Tandoori Lobster is made with lobster tails marinated in spices, aromatics, and yogurt grilled in an indoor tandoor grill and served with yogurt and mint sauce. These grilled lobster tails taste as good as the clay tandoor oven-grilled ones and are the perfect appetizers for any elegant meal!
Walk into almost any Indian restaurant, one of the most common menu items is the tandoor. Whether it is bread, meat, or seafood, you will generally find some form of tandoor on the menu. I will, of course, post more tandoor recipes, but one of the things that you must realize is that without an actual tandoor oven, you will get close but not get the same flavor profiles of restaurants that use a tandoor oven.
Origin of the tandoor:
The history of the tandoor is as old as humankind. Archaeologists have found evidence of this form of cooking back to the Mesopotamians and even the Egyptians. The use of the clay urn makes it the pit of choice for barbeques from Iran to Georgia. The most well-known version is the Indian (from Punjab) tandoor oven.
Unlike, many restaurants that use artificial food coloring to get the red smoky look, I prefer to use natural ingredients and retain the flavor, regardless of the color. The tandoor is presently synonymous with Indian cuisine. Would it surprise you that it was virtually unknown outside Punjab as late as 1947 even though it was made famous throughout the Mogul era in India? It was not until Partition and the arrival of Punjabis to Delhi that the commercialization of the tandoor took off.
What is a tandoor oven?
The tandoor oven is a cylindrical clay oven shaped like an urn. A charcoal fire is added to the urn and heated for several hours. Marinated meats can be skewered with the point of the skewer inserted into the charcoal, or damp, unleavened bread can be stuck to the wall of the urn. The narrow top reduces heat loss while also controlling the amount of air to ventilate through a clay, charcoal pit.
The interesting thing about the tandoor is that it cooks the dishes in several different ways. While the meat is being grilled over charcoal, the radiant heat trapped in the urn is also baking it. Additionally, as the meat fats and marinade drip onto the charcoal, there is also the flavor of meat smoking. While that cooks the meat, what is equally interesting is that the unleavened bread, heated by the walls of the urn is essentially cooked. This is because clay’s thermal (heat) conductive properties allow the bread to cook while retaining moisture. Like a pizza oven, the tandoor can get to almost 700oF.
My inspiration for the Tandoori Lobster:
The Tandoori Lobster is about blending two things that my son loves: the tandoor method and lobsters. Lobsters are my son’s favorite seafood. I love experimenting with lobsters. My inspiration for this dish came from visiting a famous seaside resort in Mahabalipuram, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Chennai (formerly Madras) in India. Growing up, my family and I used to visit the iconic Shore Temple every year and spend the day playing and picnicking there with all my cousins. It was one of those highlighted memories that warms me to this day.
It was when I was talking about this with my children that I remember thinking of using the tandoor for the lobsters. And thus began this tradition. Now, you’re about to ask me, how on earth can I make Tandoori Lobster without the actual oven? The short answer is that you can get close. I’ve outlined below alternate methods that a home chef could easily do. You will love these moist Tandoor Lobster tails that are grilled to perfection with a unique blend of homemade spices.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How do I clean the lobster tails?
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to clean and cut lobster tails.
- Make a slit using a sharp knife on the the lobster tail.
- Cut the lobster tail into halves along the slit.
- Clean out the inside of the tails.
- Optionally, snip the swimmerets using a pair of shears. Wash the tails and drain the water. The tails are ready for the marinade.
2. What are the other methods of cooking the Tandoori Lobsters?
- The indoor electric grill
- Baking in a convection oven (see recipe notes)
- Pan-fry on low heat for 25 minutes on both sides with a little oil
- Outdoor barbecue
- Air-fry (see recipe notes)
If you’ve tried this recipe or have questions, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share (below) your thoughts, comments, or any questions that you might have. And if you like my recipes, you could subscribe to my mailing list for the latest recipes that will be delivered straight to your inbox. From my pen to your table, Bon Appetit!
Ingredients:
- Spices: coriander seeds, white whole peppercorns, turmeric powder
- Aromatics: ginger, birds eye chili
- Dairy: whole yogurt (full fat or Greek)
- Lemon juice and cashew nut flour: substitute with lime juice and ground almonds
- Fat: melted butter; ghee or coconut oil can be substituted
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this dish. Please refer to the recipe card below for the measurements.
How to make the Tandoori Lobster:
- How to make the marinade:
- Place the ingredients for the marinade in a coffee grinder or mixer.
- Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste and marinate the tails for at least 30 minutes.
2. How to grill the Tandoori Lobster:
- Preheat the indoor tandoor oven. Place the tails in the tandoor oven and grill for 10 -13 minutes.
- Baste with melted butter on both sides and flip them over. Grill again for 10-13 minutes on the other side.
1. Marinating the lobster tails is key to making any tandoori dish.
2. This indoor tandoori grill has a water bath at the bottom that helps seal the moisture in the meat. I like to grill on low heat on one side and then increase the heat to medium and grill for 10-13 minutes on the other side.
3. Basting with melted butter helps keep the lobsters juicy and tender.
4. For a smoother paste, grind the dry ingredients first and then the wet ones.
Serving suggestions:
Tandoori Lobster is usually served with Mint and Tamarind Chutneys. In this recipe, I have served them with yogurt-mint sauce. This appetizer pairs well with Dum Biriyani for the main course.
Storage:
Tandoori Lobster must be consumed within a day of cooking them. You could refrigerate leftovers for a day in an airtight container. I have frozen the cooked lobster tails for a month.
Other gourmet seafood recipes that you might like:
Tandoori Lobster
Equipment
- 1 Indoor tandoor oven or air fry
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 16 lobster tails halves
- 2 tbsp cashew nut flour
- 2 birds eye chili
- 1½ tbsp ginger chopped
- 2 tbsp plain whole yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
- 1½ tsp white peppercorn
- 1 tbsp McCormick coriander seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp melted butter for basting
Instructions
How to make the marinade:
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Place the ingredients for the marinade in a coffee grinder.
- Grind the ingredients to a smooth paste.
How to grill the Tandoor Lobster:
- Preheat the tandoor oven. Place the tails in the tandoor oven and grill for 10-13 minutes on low heat.
- Baste with melted butter on both sides and flip them over. Grill again for 10-13 minutes on the other side on medium heat.
Video
Notes
- If using a convection oven, preheat to 400 degrees F. Place the lobster tails on a greased foil-lined tray and cover with another sheet of foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Baste with melted butter and flip them over. Bake again by removing the foil sheet for another 12 minutes on the other side.
- If air-frying the tails, follow the instructions on how to marinate the lobsters. Then, place the tails on a foil-lined tray and baste with half of the melted butter. Air-fry at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Flip the tails over, baste with the remaining melted butter and air-fry again for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Nutrition
As a student, it was easy for me to marinate these lobster tails and bake them. Quite simple. Thanks!
Hi Abby, I’m happy that you found the recipe useful.
Yogurt mint sauce tasted great with the lobsters.
Thanks,
Ram
These are perfect party appetizers! Thanks Kanchan!
Hi there,
I live in the west coast of Ireland. My family fishes lobster, crab and shrimp. 95% of all catch in Ireland is exported to the European contintent.
For years now i’ve been thinking how could this prime seafood be sold locally. I’m investing in a woodfired pizza oven and trying to come up with some seafood recipes I could cook in the oven and sell to order. This receipe looks good, I would my have the claws pre-cooked and shelled and include in the serving.
I’m a bit confused where do you introduce the marinade in your recipe. Do you marinade the tales for X amount of time before cooking?
Great site. best wishes Martin
Hi,
I wanted to clarify the step about marinating the lobster tails – you make the marinade per my instructions and then marinate the tails for at least 30 minutes. Good luck with your new business venture, and I hope you could leave a rating for this recipe after you have tried it. Thank you!
This is a great recipe, thanks for sharing!