Why it works: Mace and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,557 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
Potted Lobsters
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the lobster
Carefully separate the flesh of the lobsters from the shells and tough skin of the tails.
Mince the lobster flesh with a sharp knife and transfer it to a large bowl.
Season and pound
Add a mixed seasoning of cayenne, mace, nutmeg, and a small amount of powdered salt.
Pound the mixture with 2 to 3 ounces of butter for each large lobster, less for smaller ones.
If using, rub the lobster coral through a sieve and add it to the mixture.
For color, stew the red skin of the tails in part of the butter for 10-12 minutes, strain, and cool before adding to the mixture.
Adjust seasoning to taste, ensuring the lobster flavor remains dominant.
Chop and pound fresh brown shrimps with the lobster if desired.
Set and cover
Chill the mixture in a cool place or over ice until firm before pressing into pots or molds.
Press the mixture into a compact mass, smooth the surface, and cover with clarified butter.
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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Mace + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,557 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
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Lobster + shrimptop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together403 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Butter + shrimptop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,931 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).
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Nutmeg + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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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
- Freshly boiled lobsters
- Provides the main flesh and flavor of the potted mixture.
- Firm unsalted butter
- Binds the pounded lobster and adds richness and a smooth, spreadable texture.
- Lobster coral
- Adds color and a richer lobster flavor to the mixture.
- Red skin of lobster tails
- Gives color to the butter when stewed and strained into the mixture.
The step that matters
Chill until firm before potting. The mixture must be cold and set firm before pressing, because warm butter and lobster stay soft and can separate, leaving a loose, greasy texture instead of a compact mass.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lobster, nutmeg, butter, shrimp):
- Capersfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Parsleyfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lobster, nutmeg, butter, shrimp. 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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