Name: Butter Poached Lobster Tails
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 -4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2-4 lobster tail (cut in half or removed from shell); salt and pepper (to taste); 5 oz butter; ¼ cup diced garlic; ½ cup white wine or stock; 1 lemon (sliced into thin rounds, and then wedges)

I designed this recipe to be super simple – like my top rated Broiled Lobster Tails recipe – so anyone can cook a gorgeous lobster tail dinner, without a ton of experience in the kitchen. This is The One Way I Make Butter Poached Lobster Tails That Never Fails!

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

How to Poach Lobster Tails In Butter

Lobster tails are my favorite way to make lobster at home – they are often on sale (I live in Colorado, where live lobster is something of a rarity), they are easy to prepare, and they seem incredibly indulgent, even though they cook in less than 10 minutes!

This recipe is really so simple, you’ll be pleased when you see just how quickly you can make a restaurant-quality shellfish dinner at home.

Butter Poached Lobster Recipe Ingredients:

To make this recipe, we will need the following ingredients:

Lobster Tails (2-4, cut in half or removed from shell): Provides a delicate, sweet, and succulent meat that is the star of the dish.
Salt and Pepper (to taste): Enhances the natural flavors of the lobster, providing a balanced taste.
Butter (5 oz): Adds a rich, creamy texture and flavor, ensuring the lobster remains tender and moist during poaching.
Diced Garlic (¼ cup): Infuses the butter with a savory, aromatic depth that complements the lobster.
White Wine or Stock (½ cup): Adds a subtle acidity or savory depth, balancing the richness of the butter and enhancing the lobster’s natural sweetness.
Lemon (sliced into thin rounds, then wedges): Provides a bright, tangy contrast that cuts through the richness of the butter, enhancing the overall flavor.

Steps to Poach Lobster Tails in Butter:

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use this process:

Prep Lobster & Heat Butter

Cut lobster tails down the middle, and then gently peel back lobster tail shell. OR cut tails in half, in shell, lengthwise. Salt and pepper lobster tails, and set aside.

Poach Lobster

Add lobster tails to pan, and increase heat to medium high, to a gentile rolling boil. Ladle sauce over lobster tails and flip over to all sides to help lobster cook faster.Stir sauce frequently to prevent it from breaking.

Cook to Done

When lobster is slightly curled up into itself and is opaque and bright red on the bottom side, it is done – do not overcook. (If in shell, shell will be bright red and meat will be bright white and opaque.)

Tips and Tricks Perfect Poached Lobster Tails

Don’t Overcook. Don’t overcook lobster – it takes on a fishy flavor and gets gummy and tough when cooked too long. Once the lobster is opaque, like a shrimp, and curls back a bit on itself, it’s ready!

Know When Lobster is Done. If you’re cooking the lobster without the tail, it’s not going to be bright red – so don’t wait for it to turn bright red – rather, it will turn bright white and slightly pink (and redder on the underside.)

Use Regular Butter. Stay away from clarified butter for this recipe – you need regular butter to help your sauce not break. Use real butter when making the sauce – not clarified butter. I’ve made this recipe a couple of times, and a couple times I didn’t have butter on hand, but used clarified butter. This causes an over-oily sauce, which usually breaks. Use the real stuff in this dish.

Lobster Done Temp. Lobster is done between 135 and 140 degrees when measured with a digital meat thermometer.

Serve With Pasta or Rice. This dinner is delicious ladled over rice or noodles, and great with vegetables.

How Many Lobster Tails to Make Per Person

This recipe is pretty versatile – and has one noted serving size issue. In the recipe, I am calling for 2 to 4 lobster tails – this is using a medium-sized lobster tail (ones regularly found fresh-frozen at the grocery store).

You might wonder why I say 2-4 – and it’s a sauce issue!

If you want a lot of sauce (so you can ladle it over spaghetti, vegetables, or rice for a creamy dinner), stick with two lobster tails, so there is more sauce for your dinner.

If you want just enough sauce for a creamy lobster tail, go ahead and add 4 into the recipe! You can always add more cream and butter for additional sauce for pasta enough for 4 people.