Why it works: Anchovy and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,057 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Creamed Lobster
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
In a bowl, combine the chopped lobster meat, whipped cream, soaked gelatin, anchovy sauce, salt, and cayenne.
Stir gently until the mixture is nearly set.
Mold and serve
Pour the mixture into a slightly oiled border mold.
Once set, turn out the mold and fill the center with mayonnaise.
Garnish with mashed green peas piped through a pastry bag and arrange lobster claws around the outside.
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.
-
Anchovy + saucetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Lobster + anchovytop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together470 recipes
Shared aroma: octanal (fat, soap).
-
Lobster + saucetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,095 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Lobster + creamtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,050 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
-
Gelatin + saucetop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together104 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lobster meat
- Provides the main flavor and firm, flaked texture of the mold.
- Whipped cream
- Adds richness and a light, airy texture to the mixture.
- Gelatin
- Sets the mixture so it holds its shape when turned out of the mold.
- Mayonnaise (in the method)
- Adds fat and moisture to the filling in the center of the mold.
The step that matters
Stir gently until the mixture is nearly set. Gelatin begins to set as it cools, so stirring only until nearly set keeps the mixture evenly distributed and prevents lumps. If it sets too far before molding, it will not fill the mold smoothly, and the whipped cream can deflate if overworked.
“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
Meat Croquettes52 recipes
Meatballs37 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.