WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
cooking lobster was not always considered gourmet food. Until the mid-19th century, lobsters were so plentiful that they were held in particularly low regard. In fact, eating them was a symbol of poverty. No longer, these days, when you want to cook a meal to impress—and we mean really impress—lobster is your friend. But cooking these crustaceans at home can be a daunting task. Traditional boiling and steaming techniques can lead to an overcooked, rubbery lobster. But start with widely available frozen lobster tails and add sous vide? It's a breeze. With sous vide we are now able to cook lobster tails to exactly our preferred level of doneness—140°F/60°C—without having to worry about them going over. And by adding butter and fresh tarragon to the bag, we are able to impart even more flavor to our lobster.
GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS
- Four 5- 6-ounce lobster tails
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 6 sprigs fresh tarragon
KEY EQUIPMENT
- Shrimp peeling tools
- Sous vide machine (Immersion circulator)
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
For melting frozen lobster tails, let them sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours or either bag them up and submerge the tail in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with lemon cut and extra melted butter.
INSTRUCTIONS
Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 140°F/60°C in a 7-quart container.
Using kitchen scissors, cut lengthwise through the soft shell on the underside of the tail. With lobster tail cut side up, grasp each side with hands and crack outer shell, opening cut side to expose the meat. Lift the meat from the shell and remove it. Sprinkle the lobster with salt; Transfer tails, butter, and tarragon sprigs to a zipper-lock freezer bag. Arrange the tails in a single layer, seal the bag, and press out as much air as possible. Gently lower the bag into a prepared water bath until tails are fully submerged and then clip the top corner of the bag to the side of the water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to the top of the bag. Reopen one corner of the zipper, that helps to release the remaining air bubbles, and reseal the bag again. Cover and cook for 45 min.
Transfer lobster tails to plates; discard cooking liquid. Serve immediately.
We don't recommend making this recipe ahead of time unless if it's using for chilled lobster salad. In that case, lobster tails can be rapidly chilled in an ice bath and then refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
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