Why it works: Lobster and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,609 recipes. Both carry 2,6-nonadienal, which smells cucumber, green. The science ↓
Boudinettes Op Lobsters, Prawns, or Shrimps
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Shell the seafood quickly, touching them as little as possible.
In an enamelled saucepan, combine the seafood with 3 ounces of butter and your chosen spices.
Cook gently
Place the saucepan by a gentle fire to heat the seafood gradually, shaking it occasionally to mix the seasoning.
Do not allow the seafood to boil; remove from heat when heated through and the butter is nearly simmering.
Serve
Let the seafood sit in the saucepan for a few minutes, then transfer it evenly into small round cups.
Pour clear butter over the seafood, ensuring no sediment is included.
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 + 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
- Lobsters, prawns, or shrimps
- Provides the main protein and sweet, delicate flavour of the dish.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, and carries the seasoning through the seafood.
The step that matters
Heating the seafood gently without boiling. Seafood proteins toughen and become rubbery when overheated, so heating slowly and removing the pan as the butter nears simmering keeps the seafood tender and juicy.
“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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