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To Marinade Lobsters

Lobsters are marinated in vinegar and olive oil after boiling and drying.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Cider and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,431 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓

To Marinade Lobsters

Ingredients

Directions

Cook and prepare

  1. Boil lobsters in salted water, cider, or wine.

  2. Remove lobsters from their shells as whole as possible.

  3. Place lobsters in a screen or oven to dry off excess water.

Marinate

  1. Pack lobsters into pots that hold a single serving.

  2. Fill pots with strong vinegar and cover tightly.

  3. Let stand for two days.

  4. Pour off a fourth of the vinegar and refill with fine olive oil.

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. Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,431 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

  2. Vinegar + olivetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,297 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  3. Cider + olivetop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together998 recipes

    Shared aroma: hexanol (green, fruity).

  4. Lobster + olivetop 25% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together252 recipes

    Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).

  5. Lobster + vinegartop 25% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together692 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lobsters
Provide the main protein, which firms when boiled and absorbs the marinade.
Strong vinegar
Acidity that steeps into the lobster, adding sharpness and preserving the flesh during the marinade.
Fine olive oil
Adds fat and a smooth, rich mouthfeel to the marinated lobster.

The step that matters

Removing the lobster from its shell as whole as possible. Keeping the meat in large intact pieces helps it hold its shape and texture in the marinade, while torn or broken meat releases more juices and becomes mushy.

“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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