Why it works: Lobster and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,609 recipes. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓
Boiled Lobster
Ingredients
Directions
Boil
Fill a pot with 1 quart of water and add 1 tablespoon of coarse sea salt.
Bring the water to a boil.
Add the lobster to the boiling water and cook for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on its size. Skim off any scum that forms on the surface.
Prepare and serve
Rub the shell of the lobster with a little butter or sweet oil.
Break off the claws and crack them carefully at each joint.
Cut the tail down the middle and serve the body whole.
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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Lobster + buttertop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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 firms and turns opaque as it cooks in boiling water.
- Butter or sweet oil
- Adds fat and a glossy finish to the shell, with a little richness to the meat.
The step that matters
Add the lobster to the boiling water and cook for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on its size.. Overcooking toughens lobster meat, because the proteins tighten and squeeze out moisture. Size determines the time needed, so check the meat is opaque and firm rather than relying on the clock alone.
“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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