Butter Poached Lobster Tails with Risotto (video)

A bowl of risotto with lobster tails on top

This butter poached lobster recipe with simple risotto is the pinnacle of gourmet cooking at home! It’s a 5-star, restaurant quality seafood dish that is not only easy but fun to make at home for a special occasion. The lobster tails are first poached in water, then peeled and poached in herbed butter, served over a bed of risotto. This easy risotto recipe is the perfect complement to the buttery lobster!

Watch My Lobster Video Tutorial!

Watch my video recipe to learn how to peel lobster tails like a pro! Want to receive new recipe updates? Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!

Perfect for a Special Occasion!

Serve this butter poached lobster recipe with a side of champagne for the ultimate dinner! Surprise your guests or that special someone with this elegant and delicious lobster tail dish at home for a special occasion, holiday, birthday or celebration. Nothing says ‘I love you’ with food like lobster!

Ingredients for the Recipe

Here are the main ingredients you’ll need for this seafood recipe:

  • Lobster Tails: use large, fresh (or frozen and thawed) lobster tails for best results.
  • Butter: both unsalted or salted butter will work great for poached the lobster.
  • Parsley: use fresh parsley for the best flavor.
  • Lemon: add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the lobster tails when serving for a bright and refreshing flavor.
  • Arborio Rice: this is the type of rice you need for making risotto.
  • White wine: for making the simple risotto.
  • Broth: you can use seafood, chicken or vegetable broth for making the risotto.
butter poached lobster tails with risotto

How to Make Butter Poached Lobster Tails

Here’s how I make butter poached lobster tails at home:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Place thawed, not frozen, lobster tails into the boiling water and set a timer for 7 minutes for 5 oz lobster tails (adjust the timing according to size; increase time by 30 seconds for each additional ounce). Remove the tails from water and place into a bowl of ice water immediately.
  2. Once the tails have cooled down enough to handle, peel them using the help of a tea towel. Place lobster facing down into the palm of your hand and give the shell a few gentle squeezes to crack the shell. Use kitchen shears to split the shell in half on the underside. Peel the shell gently away from the meat.
  3. Melt the butter of poaching a small sauce pot just big enough to accommodate the tails. Season the butter with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and parsley. Once the butter comes up to a simmer, add all the tails in and poach in the butter for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, rotating the tails frequently. Serve the tails immediately over a bed of risotto and pour a few tablespoons of butter over the top. Add a squeeze of lemon juice right before enjoying.
poached lobster tails with herb butter over risotto

Tips for Preparing Lobster Tails

Preparing butter poached lobster at home can seem very intimidating, I know! I didn’t attempt to make lobster tails at home for a long time, but now I wish I had been making this wayyy more often! It’s super, duper easy! The one thing to you need to watch out for is over-cooking the lobster.

  • Make sure to set a timer once the lobster hits the boiling water, then immediately remove the lobster once it’s done cooking and…
  • Shock the lobster tails in a bowl of ice water. The ice water stops the lobster from cooking further and becoming rubbery.
  • Use cut-resistant gloves and a clean kitchen tea towel to hold the tails and crack the shells gently. The edges of the shells can be very sharp so be careful!
lobster tail dinner with champagne for special occasion

Serve with Simple Risotto

Since lobster is so flavorful and delicious on its own, serving it with this simple risotto is the best way to enjoy it. For this video recipe, I made a Parmesan cheese risotto, but you can also switch this recipe up and add diced mushrooms to the mix, or even try adding some smoked gouda cheese! And the broth can be adjusted, too. You can use chicken, beef or vegetable for this recipe. The key to making creamy risotto is whisking, whisking, and whisking some more. The more the rice is mixed, the creamier it gets. Risotto is a labor of love, but well worth the work! This recipe will be enough for 4 servings.

More Recipes!

Looking for more seafood recipes? Check out some of my other special occasion dishes you’re sure to enjoy!

  • King Crab Rolls – the best crab rolls ever, with brioche bread and smoky garlic butter!
  • Pan-Seared Scallops – zesty lemon caper jumbo scallops with creamy mushroom risotto! Perfect for a special occasion dinner!
  • Russian Salmon Coulibiac – the most delicious fish pastry ever with flaky salmon, mushroom rice and a zesty dill and lemon sauce!
  • My ‘Creamy Crab Pasta’ is another great seafood dinner recipe!
  • Wild Sea Bass Dinner – buttery, flaky sea bass with garlicy spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms! Easy, 30-minute meal!

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Butter Poached Lobster Tails recipe with simple risotto
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A bowl of risotto with lobster tails on top
5 from 1 vote

Butter Poached Lobster Tails with Risotto (video)

30 minutes prep + 45 minutes cook
4 servings
Learn how to make the best butter poached lobster tails in an herbed butter. Plus, an easy risotto recipe for serving with the tails!

Ingredients 

  • 8 lobster tails, 2 per person; thawed
  • 1 cup high-quality butter
  • sea salt, to taste
  • sprinkle of smoked paprika
  • ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1 lemon

For Risotto:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 minced garlic cloved
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

For Simple Risotto:

  • Prepare the risotto first. Heat the broth in a large sauce pot until hot and simmering. Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat and melt the butter in the pan. Next, add the diced onion and garlic. Saute the mixture over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent but not browned. Add the rice next and season with salt, coating the rice in the melted butter and toasting for a few minutes.
  • Add the wine next and simmer it for a few minutes until the rice absorbs the liquid. Begin adding the chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly as the rice cooks over medium heat. This process will take about 25 to 30 minutes. Once all the liquids have been added and the rice is cooked, add the parmesan cheese and allow the cheese to melt. Cover the risotto with a lid and keep warm.

For Butter Poached Lobster:

  • Next, prepare the lobster. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Place thawed, not frozen, lobster tails into the boiling water and set a timer for 7 minutes for 5 oz lobster tails (adjust the timing according to size; increase time by 30 seconds for each additional ounce). Remove the tails from water and place into a bowl of ice water immediately.
  • Once the tails have cooled down enough to handle, peel them using the help of a tea towel. Place lobster facing down into the palm of your hand and give the shell a few gentle squeezes to crack the shell. Use kitchen shears to split the shell in half on the underside. Peel the shell gently away from the meat.
  • Melt the butter of poaching a small sauce pot just big enough to accomodate the tails. Season the butter with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and parsley. Once the butter comes up to a simmer, add all the tails in and poach in the butter for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, rotating the tails frequently. Serve the tails immediately over a bed of risotto and pour a few tablespoons of butter over the top. Add a squeeze of lemon juice right before enjoying.

Nutrition

Calories: 843kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 309mg | Sodium: 2046mg | Potassium: 614mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1886IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 3mg