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close up of a butter poached lobster showing the oink lobster and the golden flavored butter around it surrounded by lemon slices

Butter Poached Lobster

Butter Poached Lobster is a luxurious lobster recipe that's restaurant quality, succulent, gourmet and so easy to make at home. In fact, you'll realize that it's the easiest and tastiest way to cook lobster and you'll never go back! Heres a video and step by step tutorial on cooking succulent lobster tails.
Course main, Main Course, Main Dish, Seafood
Cuisine American, French
Keyword butter poached lobster, butter poaching, how to cook lobster, how to cook lobster tail, lobster, lobster recipe, lobster recipes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 318 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

Lobster

  • 4 lobster tails shells removed as below.

Butter Poaching

  • 10-12 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 6 cloves garlic crush or sliced into half
  • 3-4 sprigs Rosemary fresh
  • 4-5 sprigs thyme fresh
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt sea salt or citrus salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish

  • 1 lemon slices and zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 2 tablespoons chives minced or fresh herbs

Instructions

  1. Similar to our Lobster Stock, we need to prepare the lobster first by removing the meat form the shells.
    A hand holding a scissors and cutting through the back of the lobster to cut it open
  2. To do that, start by wearing gloves to avoid being scratched by any sharp bits of the shell.
  3. Use a sharp scissors and cut along the inside of the tail (where the shell is thinnest).
    A hand pulling out the meat entirely out of the shell
  4. Use your hands to gently pull away the meat from the shells and separate them.
  5. Then again, use your hands to gently pull away the meat out of the shell entirely.
    A hand holding a plate of lobster meat ready to butter poach
  6. You should be left with whole lobster tail meat, and plenty of shells.
  7. You're going to start the butter bath by adding in your unsalted butter to a sauce pan over medium heat.
    Butter cubes are added to a skillet and beginning to melt softly
  8. Once the butter begins to melt, you're going to remove the foam on the top. And then you'll begin to flavor the butter by adding the herbs and garlic. Drop the heat to medium low and swirl the pan to infuse the butter.
    Crushed garlic cloves and fresh herbs are added to the melted butter in the skillet
  9. Now add the lobster tail meat, and season them with salt, pepper, citrus salt.
    lobster tails are added to the butter mixture in the saucepan
  10. Take a spoon and spoon the flavored melted butter right over the tails while swirling the pan. This will help the lobster cook all the way through.
    A spoon drenching the tops of the lobster tails with the butter sauce to help it cook the way through
  11. Flip the lobster, swirl the pan and keep basting the tops with the melted butter until the lobster has cooked.
  12. It's crucial before serving to strain the melted butter. First you're going to remove the cooked lobster out of the sauce pan.
    The butter sauce being poured over a sieve over a bowl to strain
  13. Over a medium bowl, place a sieve and then pour the butter sauce over the sieve.
  14. You're going to be left with this liquid gold. Utterly delicious, luscious, rich and flavorful melted butter sauce that you're going to LOVE!
    A bowl with the strained butter sauce looking like liquid gold
  15. Now on a plate, place the cooked lobster and drench in that butter sauce.
  16. Garnish with lemon slices, chopped chives, chilli flakes, lemon zest and extra salt or pepper if needed.
    A spoon pouring some of the extra butter sauce right over the butter poached lobster
  17. Serve this luscious succulent butter poached lobster by spooning more and more of the butter sauce on top. SO GOOD!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Pro Tips for Butter Poached Lobster

  1. Use Lobster tails for this recipe as they have the most meat, and save the shells to make Lobster Stock.
  2. Watch the tutorial above to remove the meat from the shells carefully, and always use gloves.
  3. To control the saltiness of your recipe, we recommend using unsalted butter.
  4. Make sure to drop the heat once the butter has melted to avoid browning or burning. 
  5. We prefer crushing the garlic rather than mincing or slicing it, tis is also to prevent burnt garlic in the sauce. 
  6. Keep basting the lobster in the butter as you cook it to make sure it cooks well. 
  7. Straining the sauce makes for a luscious, silky finish to the dish.
  8. Keep any excess lobster meat or butter sauce in the fridge and use them endlessly! 
  9. It's best to serve the dish right away while the butter is still warm. 

What to Serve with This dish?

How to Use Leftover Lobster Meat, Shells and Butter?

Can I make this dish in advance?

You can make the recipe in advance, and store the meat and butter separately in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, simply warm up the butter with the lobster in a sauce pan, covered over medium low heat until warm. 

What is the difference between warm and cold water lobster tails?

Depending on where the fish is sourced from, so warm water lobster will be sourced from coastlines of California, Florida and warmer coasts. They're usually more affordable and smaller in size compared to cold water ones. 

The cold water lobsters, sourced from colder coastlines like Maine and Canada have claws, bigger size, more meat and more expensive to buy. 

When it comes to taste, the cold water is far more superior with a sweeter, cleaner taste and delicate meat. Feel free to experiment with both and decide based on your taste and the price point.

How Long to Butter Poach Lobster?

  • 4–5 oz tail: 5–6 minutes
  • Larger tail: 7–8 minutes
  • Claw meat: 4–5 minutes
  • The meat should be opaque, slightly firm but yielding and it should not curl tightly.

Sous Vide vs Butter Poaching

  • Sous Vide: More precise, but it requires equipment
  • Butter Poaching: It's the traditional way, faster and requires no special equipment

Both aim for 135–140°F internal temperature.

Why Is My Lobster Rubbery?

Butter was too hot or overcooked.

Why Did the Butter Brown?

Heat too high.

Can I Reuse the Butter?

Yes ! strain and refrigerate. Great for seafood sauces.

Can I Freeze Butter Poached Lobster?

Not recommended because texture changes.

Nutrition Facts
Butter Poached Lobster
Amount Per Serving
Calories 318 Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 18g113%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 156mg52%
Sodium 568mg25%
Potassium 213mg6%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 1076IU22%
Vitamin C 18mg22%
Calcium 86mg9%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.