Butter Poached Lobster

Dreaming of indulgent lobster tails but intimidated by the process? This butter poached lobster recipe is about to make your gourmet fantasies a delicious reality by breaking this down into super easy steps.

Think poached lobster is the sort of thing that you can only pay big bucks for at a restaurants? Guess what, it’s so easy to make at home! We’ve demystified the art of cooking lobster so you can master this delicacy. Our step-by-step method will walk you through tender, succulent lobster bathed in butter (what could be better than that?!) – all without the fuss or the hefty price tag of dining out.

Overhead of poached lobster in a white bowl.

What is butter poached lobster?

To put it simply, these are fresh lobster tails that have been cleaned, cut, and gently simmered in liquid, a term known as poaching. In this case, the poaching liquid is a mixture of water, unsalted butter, and garlic. Poaching in water and butter is also known as beurre monté—a French term to explain the process of melted butter being cooked longer than on average.

Poached Lobster Tail ingredients

Water
Unsalted butter
Cloves of garlic – skin removed
Sprigs of fresh tarragon
Cold Water Maine Lobster Tails – We source our lobster tails online, but Costo lobster tails work just as well for this recipe. We look for labels that read cold water and/or Maine lobster. For more info, check out our guide to buying meat online. If using frozen lobster tails, make sure they are completely thawed before cooking.

To Serve:

Lemon wedges
Fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Toasted crusty garlic bread

How to Make Butter Poached Lobster Tails

1. Cut the lobster Tail:

Take the whole lobster tail and rinse it with cold water. Pat them dry with paper towel for easy handling.

Using sharp kitchen sheers, carefully remove back fins from the cold water lobster tails and additional appendages if on the underside, if needed.

Then, use the sheer to snip under the middle of the shell, flip, and repeat along the top of the shell.

Next, carefully, cut the meat in half in the middle. This divides the lobster into two even portions with the meat exposed.

2. Prep the butter

Place a large saucepan with high walls over medium-low heat. We use our favorite braiser for this.

Add the wet ingredients by pouring in the water and a little of the butter. Always see our notes in as instructed in the detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Add remaining butter and whisk to emulsify over low heat until melted through, and add the garlic and tarragon. Make sure the butter never comes to a rolling boil, and adjust the heat as needed accordingly.

Close up of butter. — Start with a little butter, to combine.

Melted butter, herbs and garlic. — Start with a little butter, to combine.

3. Poach the lobster tails

Add lobster tails to the melted butter mixture and rotate them and flip lobster tail often in the buttery sauce, so the lobster cooks evenly. Occasionally spooning more butter over the shells when moving the lobster.

Use an instant read thermometer and remove the butter poached lobster when it reaches 140 degrees F. The lobster meat should be white and opaque.

Lobster tails in a pot of butter. — Add in the lobster.

Red lobster shells in butter. — Add in the lobster.

4. Time to serve!

Place lobster on the serving dish, spoon more butter over the lobster, and garnish with lemon wedges. Season with salt and pepper as desired. You can also add extra flourish by including minced parsley or chives as a garnish sprinkled over top.

Serve immediately, and consider pairing it with toasted garlic bread to sop up the extra butter!

EXPERT RECIPE TIP

Instead of cutting the lobster tails in half, which we did for the bright red presentation, you could remove the meat entirely from the shell by cutting off the bottom shell along either side and then the top shell in half. Using a spoon or your fingers, gently release the meat from the shell and place it directly into the heated butter to poach.

Poached Lobster Substitutions

Tarragon: If you don’t have tarragon, other mild aromatic herbs like thyme or chives work beautifully in this recipe. We find rosemary too strong to pair well with this light dish.

Butter: We only recommend unsalted butter for this recipe; plant-based or margarine alternatives will work. Also, spend a little extra on high-quality butter with a higher fat content for this recipe. We like Kerrygold butter (also found at Costco) for poaching.

How to Store Poached Lobster Tail

Refrigerator: Store leftover lobster tails in an airtight container or double-wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Leftover lobster is best eaten fresh but can be enjoyed within 2 days if stored correctly and in the refrigerator.

Reheat: To reheat, you can wrap in aluminum foil and bake for five to ten minutes at 350 degrees F. However, once cooked through, lobster tends to get tough when reheating. It’s great to mince up in use in fried rice or risotto as leftovers tho!

What to serve with Poached Lobster

For best results, pair this lobster tail recipe with rich delicious garlic bread. A simple risotto and green beans would work too. Most light salads, vegetables, and rolls will work well. You might also consider one of the easy recipes below: