The best sous vide lobster tails are sweet and buttery, delicate and meaty. In this recipe you’ll learn the best time and temperature for sous vide lobster tails and how to finish them on the grill. Let’s sous vide!
I’ve done a lot of experimenting with sous vide seafood! The texture of lobster cooked sous vide style is somewhere between shrimp and crab. It melts in your mouth and will never be chewy is you stick with this recipe.
Love to cook this way? Get inspired with ideas from my 2020 sous vide cookbook.
Ingredients for sous vide lobster
Here’s what you need to sous vide lobster tails. To make four servings, get about 6 pounds of lobster tails – about 4 tails at 1.5 lbs each. The lobster tails are cut in half lengthwise then skewered, which makes them easier to grill.
Here’s a tip for purchasing lobster tails – Don’t be fooled by the largest lobsters when purchasing them. Often, the smaller lobsters are the most flavorful.
For flavoring, you’ll need salt, garlic, and butter. It’s quite simple, but delicious.
To finish and plate, you’ll need a little olive oil and fresh parsley.
New to sous vide techniques? Learn why is sous vide so popular.
How to sous vide lobster – step by step
Skewer lobster tails and season them with salt. Add lobster to vacuum sealed bag with garlic and butter. Vacuum seal in a flat layer, using multiple bags if needed.
Time and temperature to sous vide lobster tails
Sous vide lobster tails at 130ºF for 25 minutes. When cooking is done, move the vac seal bag to an ice bath for a couple minutes to stop the cooking process.
Then remove sous vide lobster tails from the bag, keeping them on the skewers, and pat the lobster dry. The lobster tails are ready to eat now, or you can grill them.
How to grill sous vide lobster
Preheat grill to 500° F. Lightly brush lobster meat with olive oil. Add lobster tails to the grill directly over heat with the meat facing down. Grill lobster for 1 to 2 minutes, then move lobster meat perpendicularly to create crossing grill marks for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from grill and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Seasoning ideas for sous vide lobster
- Garlic lemon butter
- Old Bay (hey! We’re from Maryland so OB is always an option!)
- Rosemary
- Garlic – tons of fresh garlic!
What to serve with lobster
- Sous vide corn
- Broccoli
- Mashed potatoes
- Bacon-wrapped asparagus
- Garlic dill carrots
- Sous vide fingerling potatoes
How to refrigerate leftover lobster
Remove the lobster tails from shells and store in a covered container for 2-3 days. Leftover lobster is great in salads the next day.
Which wines pairs with lobster?
Lobster can be paired with either white or red wine. Go for a wine that’s low on acidity. Try a Riesling for white or Gamay for red.
Plating tips for lobster tails
The most important thing about plating lobster is to keep some element of the lobster’s shell or claw. The bright red color is beautiful on a crisp white plate.
Love all things lobster? Hear from Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls founder Dan Beck as he chats with me about his story and lobster obsession.
Tasty tips for lobster tails cooked sous vide
- Store leftover lobster tails in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
- To plate, keep an element of the lobster shell or claw. Serve lobster tails on these white rectangular plates.
- Wine to pair with lobster includes Riesling and Gamay.
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Tools to help with sous vide cooking
- A big sous vide bucket to hold the water “sous vide bath” that the food cooks inside.
- Vacuum sealer and bags or plastic gallon bags to cook food.
- A sous vide machine like the Anova, Joule, Instant Pot Slim
- A big sous vide bucket or stock pot to hold the water the food cooks in
- Egg bites and desserts need small mason jars to cook in and the kind that does *not* curve (like this particular mason jar) – is my favorite because it makes it easier for the egg bites to pop out.
- Metal tongs to remove food from the sous vide bath.
- Protect natural stone countertops from the heat of the water bath with a cutting board.
Include #sipbitego and tag @sipbitego on Instagram – I’d love to see your pic. Check out my sous vide cookbook on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook. And for updates, get news from Sip Bite Go.
Sous Vide Lobster Tails Recipe (Sip Bite Go)
Ingredients
- 6 lbs lobster tails (about 4 pieces at 1.5 lbs eaccut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 4 tbsp butter unsalted, cubed
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat sous vide machine to 130ºSkewer lobster tails and season them with salt. Add lobster to vacuum sealed bag with garlic and butter. Vacuum seal in a flat layer, using multiple bags if needed.
- Sous vide lobster tails at 130ºF for 25 minutes. When cooking is done, move the vac seal bag to an ice bath for a couple minutes to stop the cooking process. Remove sous vide lobster tails from the bag, keeping them on the skewers, and pat dry. The lobster tails are ready to eat now, or you can grill them according to the next step.
- Preheat grill to 500° Lightly brush lobster meat with olive oil. Add lobster tails to the grill directly over heat with the meat facing down. Grill lobster for 1 to 2 minutes, then move lobster meat perpendicularly to create crossing grill marks for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from grill and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
- Store leftover lobster tails in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
- To plate, keep an element of the lobster shell or claw. Serve lobster tails on these white rectangular plates.
- Wine to pair with lobster includes Riesling and Gamay.
Nutrition
Are these lobster tails 1.5 lbs each total 6 pounds???
I didn’t realize that the smaller lobsters have more flavor. I love how simple you kept the seasoning so that the taste of the lobster doesn’t get lost.
I love how thorough and informative this post is! My husband loves lobster so I know he’ll appreciate how tender these lobster tails are!