Description
This butter poached lobster tail recipe delivers restaurant-quality results right in your own kitchen! Tender, succulent lobster infused with rich butter sauce makes for an easy but impressive dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 16 tablespoons butter, chilled
- 1 sprig tarragon, optional
- 4 4-5 oz lobster tails (or 16 oz uncooked lobster meat)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Chives or tarragon, diced, for garnish
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat water in an 8-10 inch skillet until simmering. Add crushed garlic and cook for 90 seconds. Reduce heat to low (barely simmering) and add butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking to emulsify. It usually takes 20-30 seconds for each tablespoon to melt into the sauce, so this process will take 5-6 minutes total.
- Add lobster meat to the butter sauce and poach gently over low heat for about 4 minutes, just until the seafood begins to firm. Gently flip the lobster and cook another 2 minutes, or until the meat is just cooked through.
- Remove lobster and add lemon juice to the sauce. Taste and add a pinch of salt, if needed.
- Serve poached lobster in butter sauce over pasta, rice or with steamed veggies, along with a fresh lemon wedge and crusty bread. Garnish with diced chives or tarragon leaves.
Notes
- Save That Butter! Any extra lobster-infused butter sauce is liquid gold. Use it in pasta sauces, for fish basting, or tossing with steamed vegetables. I often freeze it in ice cube trays. Trust me, future you will thank present you for this flavor bomb waiting in the freezer.
- Temperature Check: The single biggest mistake with butter poaching is heat that's too high. Your butter should never boil or separate. If you see bubbling, take the pan off the burner and lower the heat.
- Perfectly Done Test: Lobster is cooked when it turns opaque and reaches an internal temperature of 135-140°F. If you don't have a thermometer, look for meat that's firm but still slightly springy when pressed.
- Prep Ahead Option: You can make the butter emulsion (beurre monté) up to an hour in advance and keep it warm. Just don't let it get too hot or cool completely, as it may separate.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 8
- Category: Easy Recipes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4
- Calories: 374
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 503.4 mg
- Fat: 35.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.1 g
- Protein: 14.3 g
- Cholesterol: 197.4 mg