Name: Lobster a LA Carlton
Ingredients: 1 fresh lobster; 2 ounces fresh butter; a pinch of red pepper; 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley; 2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon; 2 teaspoons finely chopped chervil; juice of 1 lemon; 2 tablespoons Sauce Diable; 2 glasses fine brandy

Why it works: Tarragon and chervil match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 824 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Lobster a LA Carlton

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the lobster

Cut the lobster in half lengthwise and gently break the shell of the claws.
Remove the small bag near the head containing gritty substance.
Crush the intestines and coral on a plate with a fork.

Make the sauce

Mix in the butter, red pepper, parsley, tarragon, chervil, lemon juice, and Sauce Diable.

Grill and serve

Grill the lobster halves and place them on their shells on a serving dish.
Cover the lobster with the mixture made from the intestines and pour the sauce over it.
Pour the brandy around the lobster and ignite it when serving.

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.

Tarragon + cherviltop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together824 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,037 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Parsley + tarragontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,563 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Tarragon + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,137 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Parsley + cherviltop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together774 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

What each ingredient does

Lobster: Forms the main body of the dish and is cooked by grilling to firm its flesh.
Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the sauce, carrying the herbs and seasonings.
Lemon juice: Adds acidity that brightens the buttery sauce and balances its richness.
Brandy: Adds aroma and flavour when ignited, giving the dish a warm, toasted note.

The step that matters

Igniting the brandy. Alcohol vapour ignites above the pan, so the brandy must be warm enough to catch. Pour it around the lobster, not onto the flame, and ignite it only when serving to avoid splashing or burning the cook.

“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.

Lemon Sauce236 recipes

Lobster Sauce174 recipes

Lobster Croquettes99 recipes

Lobster Balls7 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The 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.

Lobster a LA Carlton