Why it works: Mustard and lettuce match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,356 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Lobster Salad
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dressing
In a bowl, beat the raw egg yolks and the mashed hard-boiled eggs together.
Gradually add the mustard, salad oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar, beating the mixture well.
Adjust the amount of oil and dressing based on the size of the lobster and your taste preferences.
Assemble and serve
Cut the lobster meat into very small pieces and place it in a salad dish, reserving the coral for garnish.
Chop the chilled lettuce leaves finely and place them over the lobster meat.
Pour some of the dressing over the lobster and lettuce, then drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad.
Garnish with the reserved coral and finely chopped whites of the hard-boiled eggs.
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.
-
Mustard + lettucetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,356 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + lettucetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,037 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 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
- Lobster
- Forms the main body of the salad, providing the meaty texture and flavor.
- Raw egg yolks
- Emulsify with the oil and mustard, giving the dressing a thick, creamy body.
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Mashed into the dressing for body; the chopped whites add texture as garnish.
- Made mustard
- Helps emulsify the dressing and adds a sharp, savory note.
- Salad oil
- Forms the fatty base of the emulsified dressing, adding richness and smoothness.
- Lettuce
- Adds crisp texture and fresh moisture beneath the dressed lobster.
The step that matters
Adding the mustard, oil, and vinegar gradually while beating. Adding oil slowly while beating lets the egg yolks emulsify it into a stable, thick dressing. Adding it all at once can cause the dressing to split and turn greasy and thin.
Swap the lettuce
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lobster, egg, mustard, pepper, vinegar):
- Horseradishfits better
- Lettucethe original
- Capsicumfits about as well
- Shallotfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against lobster, egg, mustard, pepper, vinegar. 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.
More lobster salad recipes
You might also like
Lobster Sauce174 recipes
Lobster Croquettes99 recipes
Creamy Lettuce Soup8 recipes
Lettuce Soup8 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.