Why it works: Nutmeg and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,686 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
To Pot Lobsters
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Half boil the lobsters, then remove the meat and cut it into small bits.
Season the meat with mace, white pepper, nutmeg, and salt.
Press the seasoned meat into a pot and cover with butter.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes, then add the spice.
Once cooled, remove the lobster and place it into pots with some of the butter.
Beat the remaining butter with some of the spice, then mix with enough butter to cover the pots.
Strain the mixture and add Cayenne if desired.
For another method, remove the meat whole, split the tail, and remove the gut.
Season with mace, nutmeg, white pepper, salt, and finely powdered cloves.
Place a little butter in a pan, lay the lobster on top with bay leaves, and cover with butter.
Bake gently until done, then pour onto a sieve and arrange pieces in potting pots with seasoning.
Once cooled, pour clarified butter over the lobster.
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.
-
Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Mace + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,557 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Mace + clovetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,400 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
-
Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together13,015 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lobsters
- Provides the main meat, which is set in butter to form a rich, tender potted dish.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and seals the meat in the pots as it cools.
- Cloves
- Adds warm, aromatic spice flavour to the seasoned lobster.
- Nutmeg
- Adds warm, aromatic spice flavour that complements the lobster.
The step that matters
Baking the seasoned lobster gently. Lobster turns tough and dry when overcooked, so it should be baked only until done. Gentle heat keeps the meat tender while the butter keeps it moist.
Swap the white pepper
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lobster, mace, nutmeg, butter, clove, pepper):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Parsleyfits better
- White pepperthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lobster, mace, nutmeg, butter, clove, pepper. 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.
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.