Air Fryer Garlic Butter Lobster Tail

I love seafood! Recently I made a seafood feast with crab legs, lobster tails, mussels and clams and it was so delicious! I call it “working” on content but it’s a delicious way to work if you ask me! Anyway, I love lobster and I decided to try to switch up how I make it! These were cooked in the air fryer and I must say they came out phenomenal. So quick, so tender and so delicious.

The best way is to butterfly the lobster. I started doing this a while back to my tails and I love how they come out. It looks pretty professional, too but it’s so simple! Start by cutting the top of the shell, pull the shell open and using your fingers pull the meat out and lay on top of the shell. You still want the meat attached to the shell slightly to keep it in place.

This recipe has a very simple garlic butter. You can just use butter and lemon and keep very simple. Check out the recipe and cooking instructions below.

Air Fryer Garlic Butter Lobster Tails

Ingredients:
2 lobster tails, butterflied
1/2 stick salted butter, melted
1 garlic cloves, grated
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp parsley
sprinkle salt
sprinkle pepper

Directions: Preheat the air fryer. (Mine preheats for 3 minutes at 400°) Add the lobster tails to an air fryer safe pan. Add the butter, garlic, parsley, lemon and salt & pepper to a bowl and mix well. Using a brush, brush the butter mixture over the lobster. Add into the air fryer and cook at 380° for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, brush more butter onto the lobster and cook another 4-5 minutes until fully cooked. The tail is done when the meat turns a milky white and the shell is a bright red. Note: Cook time will vary depending on the size of the lobster tail. These lobster tails were only about 5 oz each, anything larger make take 10-12 minutes to fully cook. Avoid overcooking as the lobster will become chewy and rubbery if over cooked.

Garlic & Wine Butter Mussels

I love a nice comfy bowl of delicious goodness! This recipe is exactly that. It’s a little splurge meal because of the sauce but it’s totally worth it. Growing up my Dad use to order mussels in a red tomato sauce at pizza places in his home town of Bayonne, NJ! I can still picture him eating those mussels. Every time he’d go into town on business it was pizza and mussels for one of his meals! I definitely thought of my Dad while I was making this dinner!

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. So Delicious!

Garlic Wine Butter Mussels

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs mussels, cleaned (Fresh or frozen, partially thawed)
16 oz bay scallops (I used Magdalena), optional
1 1/2 sticks salted butter
1 cup white wine
2 shallots, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped (I like to keep pieces a little big)
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 T Italian seasoning
1 t salt
1 t pepper
2 T olive oil

Directions: Heat a large deep sauté pan on high heat. Add it 1 tablespoon of olive oil and let heat 2 minutes. Next add in the bay scallops and let cook 4-6 minutes mixing often. (No need to cook till they get a sear as they will be going in the sauce.) Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside.

Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan. Next add in the shallots and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Next you add in the butter and let melt fully. Add in the juice of 1 lemon and then add the lemon halves to the sauce, pour in the white wine and parsley and let cook about 6-7 minutes on medium high heat, stirring often. Discard the lemon halves from the sauce. Season the sauce with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.

Add the bay scallops back into the pan and add in the mussels and cover with the lid. Cook the mussels about 5-7 minutes until they open. Discard any mussels that don’t open.

Spoon mussels with sauce into a deep bowl serve with crusty bread for dunking! Enjoy!

Crispy Skin Pan Seared Alaskan Salmon

Funny story about salmon is I just started eating it probably 2 months ago. I got some from an organic meats monthly membership and ever since then I’ve made it probably 8 times. I’ve been buying it when it’s on sale and just vacuum sealing it to freeze it. It thaws really quickly so you can take it out in the morning and have a healthy protein to cook up after work. I never liked salmon at all. To me it was always so fishy tasting and SMELLING. I completely stayed away from it. I’m loving it now. Maybe it’s just that my taste has changed, maybe I realized how good it was for me, maybe the way I prepare it just takes away the fish flavor…..I don’t know what it is, but I’m SO happy I tried it. It’s a much meater fish and I think that’s why I enjoy it.

Here’s what I do to make my Alaskan salmon with the crispy skin. I’ve yet to make skinless salmon. I’m not really sure I ever will. I want those nutrients and the flavor of a crispy salmon skin, is delicious. Wow, I never thought in a million years I’d be saying that.

So, if you like salmon, this is probably a simple recipe for you. If you don’t like salmon or are on the fence about the flavor just TRY it. The simplicity of this recipe just makes the taste that much better. I know that doesn’t mike sense. Haha!! But just give it a try!

Crispy Skin Alaskan Salmon

Ingredients:
4- 5-6 oz Alaskan Salmon portions, skin on
1/2 T dried parsley
2 t salt
2 t pepper
2 t garlic powder
4 T salted butter, cut in slices
1 lemon, juiced
3 T olive oil

Directions: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel on both sides. Especially the skin side. (Note: A wet skin will not get crispy) Season both sides of the salmon with parsley, garlic powder and salt and pepper. (Add more seasonings to taste) Once pan is hot enough, add in olive oil and let heat 1-2 minutes.

Add salmon to the hot pan skin side down. I like to give it a little push to make sure the skin fully makes contact with the pan. Complete with all pieces of salmon. The cooking time is always going to depend on the thickness of your salmon. You are looking for an internal temperature of 145. You want the inside of the salmon to look translucent and pink at the same time. Lower the heat to medium.

I cook mine for about 10-12 minutes on skin side and about 7-8 minutes on the other side. The side with the skin should be cooked a little longer to make sure it’s done. You can use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature.

After you flip the salmon and have skin side up and after cooking for about 7 minutes you will want to add the butter and the juice from the lemon right into the pan. Make sure to not flip the salmon again or you’ll lose that crispy skin. Move the butter and lemon juice around to make sure it’s evenly coated on the bottom of the pan. Cook another 3-4 minutes. I like to brown the butter personally it give is a nice flavor. Watch to not burn it.

Once salmon is done, move to plates and drizzle a little lemon juice and any butter left from the pan over the salmon. Make sure it’s the side with no skin. Serve and enjoy! Let me know how you like this recipe!

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Buttery Garlic Baked Drumsticks

Today I’m sharing a simple Buttery Garlic flavor drumsicks!

The good thing about drumsticks is you can usually find them at a very reasonable price. I’ve gotten for less than a dollar a pound at the big name box stores. Chicken drumsticks don’t have a ton of meat on them, so make sure to plan accordingly, an adult may need 2-3 drumsticks. Drumsticks only weigh about 4oz and only yield about 1-2 oz of actual meat.

I prefer to bake in the oven. The chicken always comes out super moist.

Buttery Garlic Baked Drumstick

Ingredients:
6 chicken drumsticks
1/2 (4T) stick salted butter, melted
4 T garlic, minced or grated
2 t dried parsley
2 t onion powder
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Direction: Preheat oven to 400°. Pat dry the drums. Try and pull the skin over to completely cover the drum. Sometimes the skin starts to slide off and does not cover completely.

In the bowl add melted butter, add in the garlic and parsley. Mix well and set aside. Grease the cooking pan with cooking spray. This will keep the chicken from sticking. Even if using the disposable pan, still spray it.  It doesn’t hurt!  Lay out the chicken on the baking pan and season with salt, pepper and onion powder.

Bake chicken in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush butter mixture on the drumsticks and place back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes. (Note: Cooking times will vary depending on oven temperatures and size of drumsticks.) The chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temp of 165°. Remember, the drumstick is the dark meat so it won’t be white in color like a chicken breast. Let set a few minutes and then enjoy with your favorite sides or a salad.

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