Why it works: Lobster and lettuce work together. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 411 recipes. Both carry octanal, which smells fat, soap. The science ↓
Lobster Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare a sauce by pounding the coral of the lobster and rubbing it through a sieve.
Gradually mix the coral with the mayonnaise or remoulade.
Assemble and serve
Half fill a bowl with the salad herbs or shredded lettuces.
Arrange the lobster slices and hard-boiled egg slices spirally or in a chain on top.
Leave a space in the center and pour in the sauce.
Heap some small salad on top and serve immediately.
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 + lettucetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together411 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
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Lobster + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,484 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
-
Lettuce + eggtop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,301 recipes
Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lobster coral
- Gives the sauce its rich flavor and orange color.
- Mayonnaise or remoulade
- Provides fat and creaminess that carries the sauce and coats the salad.
- Salad herbs or lettuces
- Supply a crisp, fresh base that contrasts with the rich sauce.
- Lobster flesh
- Provides the main protein and a sweet, tender texture.
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Add creamy richness and a soft texture to the salad.
The step that matters
Serve immediately. Lettuce and herbs wilt quickly once dressed with the creamy sauce, so the salad loses its crispness if it waits.
Swap the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lobster, egg):
- Asparagusfits better
- Mustardfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
- Lettucethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lobster, egg. 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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