What is it about these crustaceans that have the world so entranced? To a seafood eating guest, simply mentioning the word lobster brings wide-eyed eye brow raises and salivating palates. They’re not particularly attractive to look at either, are they? A bottom feeding sea bug of sorts unlike the beautiful fin fish that swim just above. Nonetheless, there’s something alluring about their sweet, soft flesh that have impressed diners around the world.
One of the most expensive things to come out of the sea, we must treat the lobster with the respect in which it deserves. That means making certain we cook it to perfection. Don’t over cook it or it will be rubbery, don’t under cook it, or it’s just unappetizing. That’s why I choose to sous-vide my beautiful tails to ensure perfect doneness. I prefer my lobster cooked soft and tender and find that magic number to be 130 F degrees but if you prefer them a little more cooked you could do up to 134 F degrees.
This meal was completely over the top, indulgent and down right delicious. Probably left best for a weekend meal because it takes a fair amount of time to prepare so plan ahead.
For help breaking down your lobster tail check out this video.
PrintLobster Surf and Turf + Leeks + Lobster Cream Sauce
Lobster Surf & Turf for two.
Not for the faint of heart. You might actually consider consulting your cholesterol levels first before ingesting this rich, butter laden meal? Although this dish is time consuming to prepare, it will be worth the work in the end. So relax, cook slowly, sip on a cold glass of Chablis and enjoy the process.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sous-Vide
- Cuisine: Seafood
Ingredients
Sous-Vide Lobster
- 1 large lobster tail in its shell or 2 small lobster tails (reserve shells for stock)
- 3T of unsalted butter
- 1 small bunch tarragon
Lobster Stock
- Lobster shells
- 1 onion, sliced (may include leeks tops, scallion tops or any other onion parts)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 black pepper corns
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/2 C dry white wine
- spring of thyme
- spring of parsley
- water to cover
Leeks
- 2 Leeks, cut in half long way and then chopped (rinse very well)
- EVOO
- Salt and Pepper
Broiled Filet
- 12 oz thick cut filet
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- generous amount of cracked black pepper
- 3 T unsalted butter
Lobster Cream Sauce
- 4 T unsalted butter
- 3 T flour
- 2 1/2 C lobster stock
- 1/4 C heavy cream
- 3 T minced tarragon
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 2 T Dry Sherry (optional)
Instructions
Sous-Vide Lobster
- Remove lobster meat from shells and reserve shells for stock.
- Place lobster meat in sous-vide safe bag with butter and tarragon and seal.
- Sous-Vide at 130 degrees for 1 hour.
Lobster Stock
- Sautè onion, celery and carrots in olive oil. Add garlic and sautè for another minute.
- Add white wine and scrape any bits from the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients and cover with water. Let simmer on medium to medium low heat for 2 hours.
- Strain and set aside.
Leeks
- Sauté chopped leeks in olive oil until soft.
- Season with salt and pepper and set aside on stove to keep warm.
Broiled Filet
- Generously season the filet with salt and cracked black pepper. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper.
- Heat a heavy, oven proof skillet and add 4 T of butter.
- Sear the filet on both sides for about 3-4 minutes basting with the butter along the way.
- Broil on high for 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and transfer to another dish. Let rest for about 5 minutes.
Lobster Cream Sauce
- Add butter to pan and heat on medium-low until melted.
- Add flour and whisk until combined. It will be pasty. Do not panic – you’ve got this.
- Add lobster stock very slowly a little at a time and whisk, whisk, whisk.
- Add cream and continue to whisk.
- Bring up to temperature just before boiling. You will notice it’s getting thicker. Add tarragon and 1/2 lemon juice and cook for a few more minutes being careful not to boil. Can add more hot lobster stock if it’s too thick.
Keywords: lobster, tarragon, filet, leeks, surf and turf, lobster stock, lobster cream sauce, dinner for two
Pip
July 18, 2020Hey David,
Thank you so very much for reaching out. It looks like you run a website that is more based on health? As you can imagine this is not such a healthy recipe. Ha. I’d love to for you to use my photo, but could you first let me know how you’ll be using it?