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 of Lobsters, Prawns, or Shrimps
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare the seafood by shelling it quickly and handling it as little as possible.
Combine the seafood with butter and spices in an enamelled saucepan.
Cook
Heat the mixture over a gentle fire, shaking 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 present.
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 seafood body and flavour of the dish.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, carrying the seasoning through the seafood.
The step that matters
Do not let the seafood boil. Boiling toughens the delicate protein of shellfish, making it rubbery and dry. Heating gently until just heated through keeps it 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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