Sous Vide Lobster Tail Recipes

SOUS VIDE LOBSTER TAILS RECIPE (+VIDEO)

Steps:

• Add water to the sous vide container or a large pot, set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 140°F (60°C). (Set the temperature to 150°F if you prefer the traditional firmer texture.)
• Prepare the Lobster Tail: Using sharp scissors, cut along the middle of the top shell towards the fins of the tail (don't cut through the end). Make sure to cut in a straight line.
• Use the handle end of a spoon to separate the meat from the shell, and slowly pull out the shell. Gently lift the meat up and out from inside the shell while the end is still attached to the shell.
• Season the meat with salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Then push the meat back in the shell.
• Add butter pieces on top.
• Sous Vide Lobster Tail: Place lemon slices in one single layer in a large zip-lock bag. Add seasoned lobster tails on top.
• Vacuum seal the bag using "water displacement" technique: seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, making sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
• Cook the lobster for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• When the timer goes off, remove the lobster tail from the bag. As lobster tails can be served right after sous vide cooking with no need for searing.
• Optional: Lift the meat up and out from inside the shell for a beautiful presentation.
• Serve immediately with lemon wedges and melted butter for dipping.

SOUS VIDE BUTTER-POACHED LOBSTER TAILS

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with warm water. Attach the sous vide cooker to the pot and set the temperature to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius) and the time to 30 minutes.
• Cutting the underside of the lobster tail with kitchen shears and remove the fins; carefully lift the meat out.
• Place 1 slice of lemon in the bottom of a resealable zip-top bag. Place lobster tail over lemon and spread with butter. Season with a pinch of parsley and garlic. Seal the second half of the lemon, lobster, butter, and seasonings this way in a second bag.
• Use the water immersion method to remove all air from the bags and place into the pot, securing with tongs so they are fully immersed.
• When the time is up, remove the bags from the pot, open, and move the tails onto a warm plate.

BUTTER POACHED SOUS VIDE LOBSTER TAIL

Steps:

• Preheat a water bath to your desired temp (reference the table above) using an immersion circulator. We like 135 degrees F.
• Remove the meat from the tail. Use kitchen shears to cut down the middle of the underside of the lobster tail (you know it's the underside because this part of the shell is soft and relatively easy to cut through). Do the same on the sides of the underside, where the soft part of the shell meets the hard part. Peel off the underside of the tail. Slide your fingers between the meat and the hard part of the shell to loosen it. Gently lift up to remove the meat.
• Lightly season the lobster meat with kosher salt.
• Place the lobster meat in a bag. Add 2 tbsp of butter for each lobster tail, evenly distributing through the bag. I like a handheld vacuum seal bag for lobster - it's more gentle than a standard vacuum sealer because you can control the suction. You could also use a zipper top bag + the water displacement method. Click here to learn more about air removal options!
• After sealing, add the bag to the preheated water bath, making sure to keep the zipper on the bag above water (I use a chip clip and clip it to the side of my container!). Cook for 45 minutes.
• While the lobster is cooking, make the garlic butter sauce. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a small saucepan. Add the garlic, and cook until just browned and fragrant. Remove from heat, squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the sauce, and add 1 tbsp chopped parsley.
• When the lobster is done, it's ready to serve! Remove from bag and serve with the dipping sauce. Garnish with additional parsley and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over the lobster.

SOUS-VIDE-QUE LOBSTER WITH CHIMICHURRI BUTTER RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Prepare a sous vide immersion circulator, such as Joule by ChefSteps, according to the manufacturer's instructions and set the water temperature for 131°F. Take the butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temp. Cut the lemon in half. Chop the parsley. Finely mince the garlic.
• For the chimichurri butter, combine the butter, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl and blend well. Set aside until ready to use.
• For the lobster, place the tails in a sealable freezer bag. Carefully submerge the freezer bag in the water bath until most of the air has been removed and then seal. Submerge the bag completely in the water bath and cook the lobster tails for 35 minutes.
• Fire up. As the lobster tails near completion in the water bath, prepare a grill for 2-zone cooking. On a charcoal grill, place a chimney full of pre-heated charcoal briquets to one side of the grill's charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. You want one side scorching hot and the other side at about 225°F. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is as hot as possible and the other half is approximately 225°F.
• Remove the lobster tails from the freezer bag and run under cold water until the shells are cool enough to handle comfortably. Place the lobster tails on a sturdy cutting board with the softer bottom shell facing up. Use a sharp cleaver or chef's knife to split each lobster tail in half lengthwise.
• Grill. Place the halved lobster tails meat side down on the hot side of the grill. Grill until the meat is lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Flip the lobster tails over and continue to grill for another 2 to 3 minutes, basting with chimichurri butter. If the grill starts to flare up, move the lobster tails to the cool side of the grill to finishing basting with chimichurri butter.
• While the lobster grills, place the lemon halves cut side down on the grill over direct heat and cook until lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside as you finish grilling the lobster.
• Serve. Remove the lobster tails from the grill, plate, and brush once more with the chimichurri butter. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately with the charred lemon for squeezing.

SOUS VIDE LOBSTER TAILS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add uncooked lobster tails and cook for exactly 1 minute. Immediately transfer cooked lobster tails to an ice bath. Chill for 2 minutes.
• Use kitchen shears to cut lengthwise along the bottom of the tail, from top to bottom, being careful not to cut into the lobster meat. Place lobster tail cut side up, then firmly grasp both sides of the shell and pull away from each other until the tail cracks open. Gently remove tail meat. Wearing kitchen gloves makes this much easier.
• Preheat water bath with a sous vide circulator to desired temperature. We recommend 130F for a juicy, tender lobster tail. 140F will yield a slightly firmer lobster, similar in texture to a steamed lobster.
• Place peeled lobster tails in a vacuum seal bag along with butter, crushed garlic cloves, and any fresh herbs, if desired. Using a vacuum sealer, remove any air from bags until vacuum sealed.
• Once temperature has been reached, submerge bag with lobster tails in water bath. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes. Remove immediately and serve lobster tails with melted butter from bag or clarified butter, lemon wedges, and chopped parsley.

SOUS VIDE LOBSTER IN GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Set sous vide machine to 55C/131F.
• Place the lobster in a freezer bag with butter and garlic, and remove the air through a vacuum sealer or the displacement method. Drop lobster in the bath for 45 minutes.
• Remove bag from bath. Gently take lobster tails out of the bag and place on a serving platter. Pour melted butter from the bag on to the lobster. Garnish with fresh chives, fresh squeezed lemon, a pinch of salt and enjoy!

SOUS VIDE LOBSTER TAIL

Steps:

• 1 Preheat water bath to your desired temperature, based on the chart to the left.
• 2 Submerge frozen lobster tails in bowl of cold water for approximately 30 minutes to defrost and loosen up.
• 3 Cut shell down the middle with kitchen shears and slowly but firmly pull shell apart, ensuring not to rip the meat.
• 4 Gently remove lobster meat from shell and de-vein, if necessary.
• 5 Place lobster tails, fresh parsley, and 2-3 Tbs of butter into a heavy duty Ziploc bag. Vacuum sealing is possible, however we prefer using the water displacement method as it is less likely to deform the shape of the tail.
• 6 Cook for 1 hour.
• 7 Melt 6-8 Tbs of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. If you prefer clarified butter, heat until boiling and the butter fat separates.
• 8 Serve clarified butter on plate beneath tail, or in a separate bowl.

SOUS VIDE LOBSTER TAIL RECIPE

Steps:

• Step One: Buy the very largest tails you can find. Here in Dallas I've found that the Canadian lobster tails sold at Central Market are the biggest around.
• Step Two: Separate the tails from their shells by bringing a pot of water to a boil. While you're waiting on the water go ahead and fill a large bowl with ice and water. Place each tail in the boiling water for 30 seconds - just long enough to cause it to separate from the shell but not long enough for it to start to cook. After 30 seconds plunge each tail in the ice water bath to stop the tail from cooking.
• Step Three: Remove tails from shells and place each in a vacuum bag along with a tablespoon of salted butter and any desired aromatics (Previously I've used tarragon, but more recently I decided I prefer to cook my tails without aromatics).
• Step Four: Cook the tails at 140°F for 30 minutes and they'll be ready to serve.