Home » Recipes » Main Course » Perfect Butter Poached Lobster Tail
posted by Michelle Gothon Dec 4, 2019 (updated Jan 30, 2024)
This Butter Poached Lobster Tail recipe is a restaurant-quality lobster tail recipe! It produces tender lobster every time with very little effort! Perfect for a special occasion.
If I’ve ever made you this butter poached lobster recipe, know that I love you very much! This is one of my most prized recipes. I love to make this luxurious dish for special occasions, holiday dinners, or date nights at home.
It’s exactly the recipe you need for that upcoming date night or Valentine’s Day! Impressive, but not hard to make. We love that, right?
Once I tried butter poaching lobster tails, I won’t use another method! There are so many different ways to cook lobster tails. I’ve even seen recipes for air fryer lobster tails!
I stick with butter poaching because lobster is expensive and easy to overcook. So, I want to get it right! It only takes 30 seconds to take a lobster tail from perfect to overcooked! This is especially true when you’re cooking with high heat, like on a grill or under a broiler!
I love poaching a tender lobster tail in a butter bath because it’s so forgiving! This method gives you JUICY lobster tails, every single time. It’s one of my favorite lobster recipes because it is very difficult to overcook the tails. No stress!
If you’re a landlocked Midwesterner like me, it’s fine to buy your Maine lobsters at the grocery store. I prefer to buy them frozen, then thaw them myself. If you’re a lucky coastal dwellers, check out your local fish market!
” I tried this recipe last night. I added juice from one lemon to the butter/water and a bit of “garlic wine butter spice” to the butter/water as well while it was heating up. I didn’t use the sticks. What a fantastic recipe…and I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I did make sure I used a digital thermometer.“
Michele
Recipe Additions:
Make sure you use high quality butter for this easy lobster recipe! I’ve kept the recipe simple, but here are some suggestions to enhance the butter bath!
- Add a splash of white wine
- Add fresh herbs (I like rosemary and thyme)
- Add a clove of chopped garlic
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- A pinch of red pepper flakes to the butter broth for a bit of heat
Best Side Dishes for Delicious Lobster Tails
This easy recipe is the perfect main course. I recommend pairing the sweet flavor of the lobster meat with simple sides, like:
- Julie’s Italian House Salad: Made with romaine lettuce and Parmesan cheese.
- Goat Cheese Twice Baked Potato with Herbs
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes
- White rice or rice pilaf
- French fries: A classic side dish with simple, French dishes!
- Crusty bread: Great for sopping up extra melted butter!
- Bisquick Cheddar Biscuits (Cheddar Bay Biscuit Copycat): Yes, these taste like the yummy biscuits at Red Lobster! Or, try this Air Fryer Garlic Bread.
- Fattoush Salad: This fresh, crisp salad combines tomato, lettuce, cucumber, radish and more fresh produce with a slightly sweet, acidic dressing. It’s the perfect side dish to balance out the richness of the lobster!
- Double up on the lobster by purchasing store-bought lobster ravioli and topping with this Creamy Sauce!
For me, the perfect dinner combines the buttery, sweet meat of the lobster with a crisp green salad. And, a nice glass of dry white wine! I like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio with this lobster recipe.
Ways to use Leftover Lobster Meat (and Shells):
- Save the shells and simmer them in water for 1-2 hours to make lobster stock.
- Then, use the seafood stock to make lobster risotto or lobster bisque. Add bits of leftover lobster meat if you have it!
- Add to lobster mac and cheese
- Make a lobster salad for some tasty Maine Lobster Rolls
- Use in lobster tacos!
Perfect Butter Poached Lobster Tail
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
This Butter Poached Lobster Tail recipe is a decadent, fun cooking method that produces perfectly tender lobster every time!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 pound of butter, salted
- 4 lobster tails (4-6 ounces each)
- (optional) juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Prepare the lobster tails:Shuck the lobster tails. Using kitchen shears, cut up the middle of the inside of the tail. Then, gently pry the meat from the shell with your fingers. This is slow work, so allow for enough time to get it done without compromising the lobster meat.
Skewer the lobster tails (optional): To keep the lobster from curling up, put it on a wooden or metal skewer. If your wooden skewer is too long, you can shorten it by breaking or cutting it to fit in your pot.
Prepare the butter bath:To a large stockpot or Dutch oven, add water and heat over medium for about 1 minute.
Reduce heat to low and add butter, whisking constantly. Do not allow the butter and water mixture to come to a boil.
Poach the lobster:Add the lobster tails to the butter bath and cook over low heat. Spoon butter over the top of the tails every 30 seconds. Cook for 6 minutes total (3 minutes on each side) flipping the tail in the middle of the cook time. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to cook the tails in two batches.
Remove lobster tails from the pot when they hit 140 degrees Fahrenheit. I prefer to use an instant read thermometer for this.
Serve warm.
Notes
The nutrition information is auto calculated on this recipe, and it is too high. Most of the butter will be leftover and not consumed.
Save the lobster shells! They make a wonderful homemade stock that you can then use to make a delicious lobster bisque.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 935Total Fat 94gSaturated Fat 59gTrans Fat 4gUnsaturated Fat 28gCholesterol 320mgSodium 922mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 23g
The nutrition for this recipe is calculated by an app, and may be incorrect.
Did you make this recipe?
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Christmas Main Course
originally published on Dec 4, 2019 (last updated Jan 30, 2024)
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22 comments on “Perfect Butter Poached Lobster Tail”
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Charlene Connor — Reply
Where can you get good lobster in Jefferson City?
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Michelle —
Hi Charlene! I would hit up Schnuck’s and see what they have! It’s definitely okay to buy frozen when you have to. I buy frozen here if/when our local Asian market doesn’t have any fresh lobster!
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Kevin —
@Charlene Connor, I get frozen lobster tails at Aldi and have for years and they are always good.
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Michelle Goth —
This is exactly where I get mine too! When Aldi has them, I’ll buy a few packs for the freezer. You can’t beat the price.
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annie — Reply
We are doing Lobster for Christmas and I’m trying this!
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Dorothy Reinhold — Reply
I am saving this for NYE! This will be the perfect meal to ring in the new year!
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Vikki — Reply
That lobster tail looks beautiful! So tasty and buttery
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Bill — Reply
Looks delicious, I will try this for my wife’s birthday. You can get good fresh lobster delivery from Alaska or the east coast.
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Michelle —
Yes! There are definitely good delivery options out there, and worth it for a special occasion. I hope that she enjoys them!
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Catalina — Reply
Yum! Such an awesome and fancy dinner idea! So yummy!
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Michelle —
Thank you Catalina!
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Sara Welch — Reply
This is everything a gourmet meal should be, and then some! Looking forward to making this over the weekend!
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Beth — Reply
I have actually never made lobster tail because I felt a little intimidated by it! You make it looks so easy that I now need to give it a try!
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Hannah — Reply
This looks so delicious! I’ve decided to try this for my Christmas Eve dinner. I’m not lucky enough to live near a coast, which means this is going to take a little extra effort (for anyone else who buys online: https://qualityseafooddelivery.com/lobster/), but this looks well worth the effort. I also loved the gorgeous pictures of your final result!
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Karla Schlagel — Reply
Do you only use 2 tablespoons of water?
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Michelle Goth —
Hi Karla! Yes, only two tablespoons. Just a hearty splash. You’re doing this just to help the butter mixture loosen up a bit.
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Mama Michele — Reply
I tried this recipe last night. I added juice from one lemon to the butter/water and a bit of “garlic wine butter spice” to the butter/water as well while it was heating up. I didn’t use the sticks. What a fantastic recipe…and I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I did make sure I used a digital thermometer.
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Michelle Goth —
Isn’t it amazing how easy it is and how GOOD they turn out? Thanks for letting me know how they turned out!
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Debra — Reply
Yes. 100% yes. I will never cook lobster any other way! Thank you!! Minor prep, easy cook and easy clean up. Winner!
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Charlene Connor — Reply
Madmade this again this year with a big lobster from Sam’s Club. Turned out great!
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Rebecca A. — Reply
so so good. I bought a couple of frozen 3 oz lobster tails on sale at Acme for Valentine’s Day. I made a midline cut in the fat part of the tail to make it lie flat, cook evenly, and keep it from curling. I used the lobster butter afterward to drizzle on baby red bliss potatoes as well as a little on our porterhouse steak (Valentines day – surf and turf!). I will NEVER cook a lobster tail any other way – this keeps it moist and tender. Thank you
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