Name: Superlative Lobster-patties
Ingredients: lobster (pounded); sifted coral (for coating); rich white sauce or Sauce d l'Aurore; patty cases

Why it works: Lobster and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,095 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Superlative Lobster-patties

Ingredients

lobster (pounded)
sifted coral (for coating)
rich white sauce or Sauce d l'Aurore
patty cases

Directions

Prepare the lobster

Form the pounded lobster into balls about the size of a filbert.
Roll the balls in the sifted coral.
Warm the balls gently.

Assemble and serve

Prepare hot patty cases.
Pour a small spoonful of rich white sauce into each patty case.
Arrange the lobster balls around the edge and place a larger one in the center.
Serve immediately.

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.

Lobster + saucetop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,095 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Lobster: Forms the main filling, giving the patties their savoury flavour and substance.
Sifted coral: Coats the lobster balls, adding colour and a rich, concentrated seafood flavour.
Rich white sauce: Adds moisture and creaminess to the patty case beneath the lobster.

“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.