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With no exaggeration, these succulent butter poached lobster tails over linguine are one of the best meals I’ve ever had. They take a tiny bit of patience and discipline, but the result is well worth it.
Why this recipe works
The key to this recipe is creating a beurre monté, which sounds — and feels! — a little fancy but isn’t hard at all. Butter normally “breaks,” meaning the liquids separate from the fats, at 160°F. But by leading with a little bit of hot water and whisking the butter in a piece at a time, you can create a gorgeous, velvety poaching liquid that holds its own up to 190°F.
We’ll keep this beurre monté at about 180°F and season it with everything good in the whole world:
- Garlic
- Truffle salt (or regular salt, if you insist)
- Red pepper flakes
- A bay leaf
Then we’ll poach the lobster in this silky goodness. The low temperature keeps it mind-bendingly tender. Afterward, we’ll stir in some lemon juice and pepper and use the poaching liquid as a sauce for pasta (or to dip crusty bread into, if you prefer).
Truth be told, nothing has ever been dreamier.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make lobster poached in butter. If you’d rather serve the tails straight from the pan with crusty bread for sopping up the sauce, you can omit the pasta from your shopping list.
- Buy cold water lobster tails. I like to use smaller tails for this recipe, about 4 ounces each. They tend to be less expensive than larger ones, and it looks nice to serve two per person. See the section below for more information on sourcing.
- If possible, use a good cultured butter from grass-fed cows. It sounds posh but doesn’t have to be — Kerrygold is my go-to brand at the supermarket and isn’t overly expensive. The wildly superior taste is really worth seeking out. I use salted butter, but if you have a lower salt tolerance you can use unsalted and adjust the seasoning as you go.
- You don’t have to use truffle salt, but I really like to. Having a little jar of it in the house is a nice way to treat yourself regularly. (Try it on hard-boiled eggs and popcorn to feel like a queen every day.)
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make lobster poached in butter. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
Removing shells from lobster tails
Prepping the tails is easier than you may think. You can see the whole process in action in our sous vide lobster tails video. First, use kitchen shears to cut straight down the clear underside of the shell, all the way from end to end.
Then pry open the shell, gently wiggle your thumb between the meat and the shell, and remove the meat. Check to see whether there’s a visible “vein” (actually the digestive tract) running down the length of the tail, and remove it if so.
Creating the beurre monté and poaching the lobster
- Set a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in the water at let it heat up. Add one piece of butter and whisk into the water until melted. Then whisk in the second piece. Whisk in the garlic, truffle salt, red pepper flakes. Then whisk in the remaining pieces of butter one by one. Use an instant read thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature of the beurre monté. You’ll need to keep it between 160°F and 189°F, aiming for 180°F.
- When all butter is incorporated, add lobster tails in a single, snug layer. Poach until opaque throughout, turning every 1-2 minutes, for a total of about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, boil the linguine (if using) in well-salted water according to package instructions.
- Remove tails to a plate and discard bay leaf. Add lemon juice, pepper, and parsley to the pan with the poaching liquid and stir to incorporate.
- Add cooked pasta and toss to coat. Place some pasta into each serving bowl, top with two lobster tails, and serve.
Expert tips and FAQs
Cold-water tails come from the varieties of lobster raised in cold water — the ones with edible claw meat that many of us in North America expect when when we think of lobster — and, in my opinion, the far superior kind for a recipe like this. Warm-water tails come from the clawless varieties of spiny/rock lobster raised in warmer seas.
Cold-water tails have firmer, sweeter, cleaner-tasting and more consistent meat. They’re also much less likely to have undesirable additives.
Fresh seafood is ideal when you can get it, but it’s perfectly fine to buy flash-frozen cold water tails, too. As long as they’re defrosted properly, they’ll retain the vast majority of their excellent taste and texture. Previously frozen tails at a good grocer or fish market will have been defrosted properly, or you can buy them still frozen and defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
This dish is best prepared shortly before serving. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days and reheat gently before serving.
More favorite lobster recipes
- How to choose, steam, and devour a whole lobster
- Sous vide lobster tails
- Maine lobster rolls
- Connecticut lobster rolls
- Lobster salad
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Butter Poached Lobster Tails
Ingredients
- 8 4- ounce 113-gram lobster tails
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water
- 16 tablespoons (224 grams) butter, cut into 16 pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon truffle salt, see note 4
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound linguine
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Remove the tails from their shells: Use kitchen shears to cut all the way down the underside of the shell and then pry the shell open like a book. Wiggle your thumb between the meat and the top of the shell and remove the meat in one piece by gently but firmly prying it out of the open shell. If you see a "vein" (actually the digestive tract) running down the center of the tail, cut a slit into the underside of the tail and remove the vein.
- Make the poaching liquid / beurre monté. Set a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat (180°F if you have an induction burner or other way of keeping the heat constant). Pour in the water and let it heat up a bit. Add one piece of butter and whisk into the water until melted. Then whisk in the second piece.
- Add the garlic, truffle salt, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf and whisk to incorporate.
- One by one, whisk in the remaining pieces of butter, waiting for each one to melt before adding the next. Use an instant read thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature of the beurre monté. You’ll need to keep it between 160°F and 189°F, aiming for 180°F.
- When all butter is incorporated, add lobster tails in a single, snug layer.
- Poach until opaque throughout, turning every 1-2 minutes, for a total of about 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, boil the linguine (if using) in well-salted water according to package instructions.
- If serving straight from the pan with crusty bread, sprinkle on the lemon juice, pepper, and parsley, and serve.
- If serving over pasta, remove tails to a plate and discard bay leaf. Add lemon juice, pepper, and parsley to the pan with the poaching liquid and stir to incorporate. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat. Place some pasta into each serving bowl, top with two lobster tails, and serve.
Notes
- Cold-water lobster tails have better flavor and texture. See the detailed section in the post above to learn more. You can use any size tails, but since smaller ones are usually more affordable and it's easy to serve multiples, I like to use smaller ones in this recipe.
- Fresh seafood is ideal when you can get it, but it's perfectly fine to buy flash-frozen cold water tails, too. As long as they're defrosted properly, they'll retain the vast majority of their excellent taste and texture. Previously frozen tails at a good grocer or fish market will have been defrosted properly, or you can buy them still frozen and defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- Use a really good cultured butter from grass-fed cows for best results. This sounds fancy but absolutely doesn't have to be. I buy Kerrygold butter from the supermarket. It's reasonably priced and excellent quality. 16 tablespoons of butter is 2 sticks / 1 cup.
- Truffle salt is wonderful, but you can substitute regular fine sea salt if you prefer. Salt level is subject to personal preference, so please taste and adjust as you go.
- Poached lobster meat is very tender compared to boiled lobster. Trust the directions and your instincts and don't be shy about removing the pan from the heat as soon as tails are opaque throughout.
- I've pictured broccoli microgreens instead of parsley. Either is a great choice.
- This dish is best prepared shortly before serving. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days and reheat gently before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Just made this last night for my wife and I (I also made it surf & turf with a nice little prime sirloin cooked in a blazing cast iron and finished with flavorful beurre monté). Since I was just cooking two tails, I adjusted the quantities and used a smaller skillet. It was fantastic. We did make a little bit of pasta (I didn’t have linguine, so I used spaghetti) and tossed with some of the beurre monté. My wife thought I was a superstar!
Thank you, Chris! I’m so glad.