Why it works: Mustard and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,816 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Lobster Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Open a can of lobster and drain it well through a colander.
Boil six eggs hard and set aside.
Make the dressing
In a bowl, combine six raw yolks, twenty-four tablespoons of oil, twelve tablespoons of vinegar, twelve even teaspoons of mustard, and the same amount of salt. Mix well until a smooth paste forms.
Sprinkle cayenne pepper over the paste and squeeze the juice of one lemon into it.
Finish
Add lettuce as a great addition.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Mustard + lemontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,816 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Egg + mustardtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,210 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Egg and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 44,316 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Raw yolks
- Their lecithin helps emulsify the oil into a smooth, thick paste.
- Oil
- Provides fat and richness, giving the dressing a silky body.
- Mustard
- Acts as an emulsifier that helps hold the oil and yolk mixture together.
- Lemon
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness of the oil.
- Eggs
- Boiled hard, they add firm, mild texture and body to the salad.
The step that matters
Mixing the yolks, oil and mustard into a smooth paste. Yolk lecithin and mustard emulsify the oil into the mixture. If the mixture is not mixed well or the oil goes in too quickly, the dressing can separate and look greasy instead of smooth and thick.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, lemon):
- Asparagusfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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