Sous Vide Lobster Tail Recipe

sous vide lobster tail on butter sauce in a white bowl

4.52 from 43 votes

Sous Vide Lobster Tail Recipe

Sous vide lobster tail couldn't be easier to make, and it's incredibly tender and flavorful. Don't miss this special recipe.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Fish + Shellfish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sous vide lobster tail

Servings:

Calories: 532kcal

Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Equipment

Ingredients

8 4- ounce cold-water lobster tails
8 tablespoons cultured salted butter
Lemon wedges for serving

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.
Place the tails and the butter into a gallon-size zip-top freezer bag. Squeeze out some of the air and partially seal the bag.
Fill a deep pot or food storage container halfway with water.
Submerge the partially sealed bag into the water so that all ingredients are covered with water but no water gets into the bag. Now you'll perform the water displacement method of sealing the bag. Use one hand to help squeeze air out of the bag (the water itself does the heavy lifting here, but you'll help it out) and the other hand to finish sealing the bag's zip top. Remove bag from water and set aside.
Clamp your sous-vide cooker to the side of the pot and set the temperature to 135°F and the timer for 45 minutes.
When water is preheated, carefully place the sealed bag back into the water. Cook for 45 minutes.
When timer sounds, remove bag from water. Tender, buttery lobster is ready to 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, salted 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.
Lobster is so special on its own that it really doesn't need any additional flavors to shine. That said, here are a few additions you can make to gently jazz things up if you like. Add ingredients directly to the bag before sealing. A few sprigs of fresh basil, chervil, chive, cilantro, parsley, scallion, sorrel, or tarragon // ¼ cup shaved fennel or 1 teaspoon dried fennel seed // A pinch of saffron threads and a pinch of vanilla seed // Half of a very thinly sliced small shallot (or 2 tablespoons minced) // Two crushed garlic cloves // Two strips of lemon zest removed from a lemon with a vegetable peeler
To serve, I like to spoon some of the buttery sauce into a wide, shallow bowl, set the tails on top, and serve with lots of lemon wedges to squeeze. A little sprinkle of truffle salt makes a beautiful addition, and the tails are pictured here garnished with a sprinkle of radish microgreens.
You can cook the lobster in advance. Immediately after cooking, place the bag into a large bowl of ice water to chill completely, then transfer to the refrigerator. Keep refrigerated for up to four days. Just before serving, reheat in 120°F water until warm. The same applies to leftovers. Freshly cooked tails will keep up to four days tightly sealed in the fridge.
If you have leftover sauce after finishing all the tails, store it tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a few days and toss with pasta or rice.

Nutrition