Why it works: Lettuce and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,356 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Lobster Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop the boiled lobsters and the lettuce, but not too finely.
Make the dressing
In a bowl, rub the yolks of the hard boiled eggs with mustard, salt, sugar, cayenne pepper, and melted butter.
Add vinegar to the mixture to taste.
Assemble and serve
Mix the lobster and lettuce with the dressing.
Serve on lettuce leaves.
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.
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.
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Lettuce + mustardtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,356 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Lettuce + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,037 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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 and sweet, firm meat that forms the body of the salad.
- Hard boiled eggs
- Egg yolks, rubbed into the dressing, add richness and body that binds the seasonings.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat to the dressing, giving it a smooth, rich mouthfeel.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the dressing and balances the richness of the yolks and butter.
- Mustard
- Contributes sharp flavour and helps emulsify the yolk and butter dressing.
The step that matters
Rub the yolks with the seasonings and butter. Working the yolks with the melted butter and mustard helps them emulsify into a smooth, cohesive dressing; if the butter is added too quickly or is too hot, the dressing can separate and look greasy.
Swap the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lobster, egg, mustard, sugar, pepper, butter, vinegar):
- Horseradishfits about as well
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
- Lettucethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lobster, egg, mustard, sugar, pepper, butter, vinegar. 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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