This Butter Poached Lobster Recipe is the perfect addition to any special occasion. Tender lobster tails poached in buttery sauce full of garlic and fresh herbs and enjoyed with pasta in a creamy white wine sauce. In under an hour, you'll have juicy and delicious lobster tails, packed with flavor!
For more seafood recipes, try this Maryland Style Crab Cakes, Lobster Mac and Cheese and Pan Seared Shrimp!
This Butter-poached lobster tails recipe is cooked over low heat in a garlic butter sauce, or beurre monte, which makes the lobster tail meat tender, juicy, and flavorful. It's a pretty simple recipe that comes together in under an hour and makes the most juicy lobster tails!
As the lobster cooks, the meat soaks up all of that delicious buttery flavor and makes for an incredible dish that's the star of any spread.
This is not your typical lobster recipe - it's even better! If you've never made a lobster tail recipe,
Save this recipe for date nights, Christmas dinner, Valentine's Day, or any special occasion where you want a meal that will "wow" your guests.
Butter poaching is a cooking method where food is submerged in melted butter, as opposed to water, and cooked at a low temperature/simmer. Poaching lobster in butter is a great option for cooking lobster because it keeps the meat tender and juicy and makes it difficult to overcook (although still possible).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Lobster Tails - you'll want to use frozen North Atlantic cold water lobster tails. They tend to be larger, have a creamy texture, and delicate flavor. Frozen lobster is also caught and frozen at peak freshness. If using Fresh Lobster tails, be sure use them within 1-2 days from purchase.
Salted Butter and Olive Oil - a mix of butter and olive oil are used to prevent the butter from burning. Also, you'll want to ue a high quality butter such as Kerrygold Butter or Vital Farms Butter. If watching salt intake, use unsalted butter instead.
Shallots - shallots have a flavor that's a cross between an onion and garlic. They're slightly sweet and really give the poaching liquid a beautiful flavor.
Fresh Garlic Cloves - for best results, use fresh garlic.
Seasonings - Herbs de Provence and Red Pepper Flakes give this lobster recipe a nice balance of flavor. If you don't have herbs de provence, you can also use Italian seasoning.
Pasta - use whatever pasta shape you'd like. I used bucatini.
White Wine - a dry white wine works best, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. If you'd like to avoid using alcohol, you can us chicken broth or seafood stock.
Heavy Cream - to give the sauce that super creamy texture.
Parmigiano reggiano Cheese - avoid buying pre-grated cheese. Buy a block of parmesan and grate it just before adding to the sauce.
Parsley - for both flavor and garnish on top.
Lemons - I like to squeeze fresh lemon juice into the sauce and on top of the lobster before serving.
When the lobster meat is no longer translucent and is slightly curled, the lobster is done. For added assurance, you can also check the internal temperature with a kitchen thermometer. The temperature should be between 135 and 140 degrees F.
Lobster is great with a variety of dishes. Some of my favorites are serving this with a house salad and homemade garlic bread. Another great option are brioche dinner rolls and honey sriracha brussels sprouts.
You can also eschew the pasta and make a simple risotto instead and serve with a cold glass of white wine sangria. Make the ultimate seafood feast and serve this hot crab dip recipe!
Store this dish in an airtight container for up to three days.
When you're ready to reheat, heat the pasta and the lobster separately. Cover lobster in aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350 degrees F for five to ten minutes. The pasta can be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until warm.
I recommend making this dish when you're ready to serve it for the best flavor and freshness. Seafood is always best served fresh. However, you can make it a day in advance and reheat according to the instructions above.
Butter poached lobster is lobster that's cooked in butter at a low temperature so that the meat is tender and juicy.
Deep poaching and shallow poaching are two types of poaching. With deep poaching, the food is submerged in poaching liquid. With shallow poaching, the food is only about ⅓ submerged in the poaching liquid.
Poaching in butter adds a rich and buttery flavor to your seafood. It's cooked at a lower temperature and yields tender and juicy seafood without much risk of overcooking.
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This was such a treat but surprisingly easy to make. The lobster came out juicy, tender, and buttery!
I’m a sucker for lobster so I was super excited to try this recipe and it did not disappoint! The flavors from the creamy cheesy pasta paired perfectly with the lobster. I can’t wait to make this one again!
This dish was rich yet the flavors weren't overpowering. And I love that it was served over pasta. It was simply delectable.
I'm always intimidated to make lobster at home, but not any longer! This recipe was so easy and the lobster was perfectly cooked. This was awesome for date night in!
I made this for my boyfriend and I on our anniversary and it came out perfectly. I added shrimp too, phenomenal recipe Britney!
Hey Britney, I made your butter-poached lobster for a special dinner and it was phenomenal! Your instructions were so easy to follow, and the dish turned out super tender and flavorful. Thanks for making me look like a pro in the kitchen!xx
Our son aced all of his finals so I made this butter poached lobster as the main course to celebrate (it's his favorite). He was more excited about eating it than he was his grades, LOL! It was so rich and flavorful so I think it will be our go-to celebration recipe.
I'm so honored that this was your celebration dish! Thanks so much!
Amazing recipe! So delicious and tasty!
Thank you so much!