Why it works: Lobster and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and 2,609 recipes mention both. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: milk, shellfish (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Prepare the lobster
Remove lobster meat from shell and chop slightly.
Cook and serve
Melt butter.
Add lobster to the melted butter.
Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Serve garnished with lobster claws.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Lobster + buttertop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Pepper + lemontop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together27,039 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Butter + lemontop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together41,197 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Butter + peppertop 11% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together85,512 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Lobster + peppertop 17% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together2,247 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lobster
- Provides the main protein, which becomes tender and sweet when gently warmed in butter.
- Butter
- Carries the flavor and adds richness and moisture to the lobster meat.
The step that matters
Adding the lobster to the melted butter. Lobster meat is delicate and overcooks quickly, turning firm and rubbery. Keeping the heat gentle and cooking only until the meat is warmed through helps it stay tender and juicy.
“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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