Butter Poached Sous Vide Lobster Tail Food

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.

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 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.