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–+ servings
Three sous vide lobster tails garnished with parsley are arranged on a parchment-lined tray with lemon slices and a small bowl of melted herb butter for dipping.
4.77 stars from 17 reviews

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Butter Poached Sous Vide Lobster Tail

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2 -4 servings
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Sous Vide Lobster Tail sounds fancy, but is shockingly easy to make! With the magic of sous vide, you can't mess lobster up, so no need to worry about a rubbery disaster. Use this sous vide lobster tail recipe to eat lobster tails as is, or make delicious lobster rolls!

Ingredients
  

  • 2-4 lobster tails
  • Kosher salt
  • 8 tbsp butter, divided
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 lemon, for sauce
  • Chopped parsley, for garnish
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat a water bath to your desired temp using an immersion circulator.
    130 degrees F: This will produce lobster that’s meaty, but more tender than lobster you’d get at a restaurant.
    135 degrees F: This temperature is still tender, but a little closer to that traditional texture and not at all soft. (My favorite)
    140 degrees F: This will produce a lobster with “traditional”, old-fashioned texture.
  • Remove the meat from the tail. Use kitchen shears to cut down the middle of the underside of the lobster tail (you know it's the underside because this part of the shell is soft and relatively easy to cut through). Do the same on the sides of the underside, where the soft part of the shell meets the hard part. Peel off the underside of the tail. Slide your fingers between the meat and the hard part of the shell to loosen it. Gently lift up to remove the meat.
    Hands removing raw lobster meat from its shell over a wooden cutting board with two lobster tails on a bright yellow surface.
  • Lightly season the lobster meat with kosher salt. Usually I encourage heavy seasoning with sous vide, but not seafood.
  • Place the lobster meat in a bag. Add 2 tbsp of butter for each lobster tail, evenly distributing through the bag. I like a handheld vacuum seal bag for lobster - it's more gentle than a standard vacuum sealer because you can control the suction. You could also use a zipper top bag + the water displacement method.
    A hand uses a small white vacuum sealer to seal a clear bag containing cubes of butter, pieces of ginger, and a sous vide lobster tail on a bright yellow surface.
  • After sealing, add the bag to the preheated water bath, making sure to keep the zipper on the bag above water. A chip clip or sous vide magnets work well. Cook for 45 minutes.
    A vacuum-sealed bag with food, possibly sous vide lobster tail and butter, is submerged in a clear container of water for sous vide cooking. The container rests on a bright yellow surface.
  • While the lobster is cooking, make the garlic butter sauce. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a small saucepan. Add the garlic, and cook until just browned and fragrant. Remove from heat, squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the sauce, and add 1 tbsp chopped parsley.
  • When the lobster is done, it's ready to serve! Remove from bag and serve with the dipping sauce. Garnish with additional parsley and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over the lobster.
    A hand dips a piece of sous vide lobster tail into a small bowl of melted butter, surrounded by lemon slices and parsley on a parchment-lined baking tray.

Notes

Cold water lobster tails are best if available.
Frozen lobster tails are okay to use, thaw before cooking.
If you have leftovers, make sure to try Lobster Benedict for brunch the next morning.
Cuisine: American
Course: Sous Vide
Author: Chelsea Cole
Calories: 483kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 46g, Saturated Fat: 29g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 201mg, Sodium: 671mg, Potassium: 287mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1589IU, Vitamin C: 47mg, Calcium: 101mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @chel.seacole on Instagram or tag #aducksoven.