Butter Poached Lobster Tails in Garlic, Caper, Sauce over Fettuccine
Tender lobster tails poached in rich butter then folded into a garlicky, caper-studded sauce, brightened with lemon, and tossed with silky fettuccine – a decadent, restaurant-quality pasta you can make at home.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Step 1 – Cook the Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook fettuccine until just al dente.
- Before draining, scoop out about 2 cups of the starchy pasta water and set aside for later.
- Drain pasta, toss lightly with a bit of butter or oil to prevent sticking, and keep warm.
Step 2 – Prep the Lobster Tails
- Thaw lobster tails fully if frozen.
- Using kitchen shears, cut a straight line down the top of each shell to the tail fan.
- Gently loosen the meat from the sides of the shell but leave it resting inside.
- Remove any dark vein (digestive tract) and pat dry.
Step 3 – Create the Butter–Water Emulsion
- In a deep skillet or saucepan, melt 3 sticks butter with ½ cup water over very low heat.
- Stir gently until smooth and blended into a glossy emulsion.
Step 4 – Poach the Lobster
- Add the prepared lobster tails
- Poach gently 7–9 minutes, spooning poaching liquid over the meat, until meat is opaque and tender.
- Remove tails to cool slightly.
Step 5 – Infuse Lobster Flavor
- Return the empty shells to the butter-water mixture.
- Let them steep 5–10 minutes over low heat to extract maximum flavor.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
- The result is your lobster butter base.
Step 6 – Build the Sauce
- In a large skillet, heat 3–4 Tbsp lobster butter over medium-low.
- Add shallots and onion; cook 3–4 minutes until translucent.
- Add garlic and lemon zest; sauté about 30 seconds.
- Stir in capers and cook 1 minute.
- Pour in the remaining lobster butter and ½ cup reserved pasta water.
- Stir in lemon juice, then whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
- Simmer very gently until slightly thickened and glossy, stirring constantly.
- Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
- (Add a bit more pasta water if the sauce tightens too much.)
Step 7 – Combine Lobster and Pasta
- Remove lobster meat from shells and dice into bite-size pieces.
- Add lobster to the sauce and warm through gently — do not boil.
- Add cooked fettuccine and toss until well-coated, adding splashes of pasta water as needed for a silky texture.
Step 8 – Finish & Serve
- Stir in chopped parsley.
- Adjust lemon, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Optionally top with a bit more fresh lemon zest.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread for mopping up the buttery sauce.
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