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Lobster Chops

A savory dish of lobster meat formed into chops, coated in breadcrumbs and fried.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Cream and lobster are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,050 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓

Lobster Chops

Ingredients

Directions

Make the base

  1. In a saucepan, melt the butter and flour over medium heat, stirring until blended but not browned.

  2. Gradually add the boiling cream and diced lobster, stirring for 2-3 minutes.

  3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then stir in the beaten egg yolks, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt.

  4. Return to heat and stir until the mixture thickens and the eggs are set.

  5. Butter a platter and spread the mixture to about 1 inch thick.

  6. Let it cool and firm up.

Shape and coat

  1. Once firm, cut into chop shapes pointed at one end.

  2. Dip each chop in bread crumbs, then in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs again.

  3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Fry and serve

  1. Heat lard in a frying pan until hot, testing the heat with a piece of bread.

  2. Fry the chops in the hot lard until golden brown, using a frying basket if possible.

  3. Drain the chops on brown paper.

  4. Garnish each chop with a claw.

  5. Serve with Tartare Sauce.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Cream + lobstertop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,050 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  2. Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together13,015 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  4. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,623 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together124,287 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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

Butter
Enriches the base and, with flour, forms a roux that thickens the mixture.
Flour
Forms a roux with the butter that thickens the cream into a firm, sliceable base.
Cream
Provides moisture and richness that the set mixture is built on.
Egg yolks
Set when heated, giving the mixture structure so it firms enough to cut into chops.
Lobster meat
Supplies the main flavour and tender pieces throughout the chop.
Bread crumbs
Form a crisp, golden coating that browns during frying.

The step that matters

Returning the custard to heat until the eggs set. Egg yolks must be heated enough to set and thicken the mixture, but if overheated they can curdle and turn grainy, and the chops will not firm up properly when cooled.

“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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