Why it works: Lobster and cream 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 Creams
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop the lobster into small pieces.
In a bowl, combine the chopped lobster and mayonnaise.
Make the cream
Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then gently fold it into the lobster mixture.
Season with salt to taste.
Serve
Serve in ramekin cases and sprinkle a little lobster coral on top.
If desired, replace mayonnaise with tarragon vinegar.
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.
-
Lobster + creamtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,050 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Tarragon + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,547 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Lobster + tarragontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together109 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
-
Cream + tarragontop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together574 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
-
Cream + vinegartop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,064 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lobster
- Provides the main flavour and the bulk of the dish.
- Heavy cream
- Whipped to soft peaks, it lightens the mixture and adds richness.
- Mayonnaise
- Adds fat and creaminess, binding the lobster into a smooth mixture.
The step that matters
Fold the whipped cream gently. Overmixing whipped cream knocks air out of it and turns it dense and grainy. Folding keeps the air bubbles intact, so the cream stays light.
“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.
More lobster cream recipes
You might also like
Lobster Sauce174 recipes
Lobster Croquettes99 recipes
Lobster Balls7 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.