Equipment
Ingredients
Main
- 1500 g lobster, whole cooked, meat removed and chopped, shells cleaned and reserved
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 2 shallot, finely chopped
- 125 ml white wine
- 500 ml fish stock
- 250 ml heavy cream
- 5 g dijon mustard
- 100 g chanterelles, cleaned
- 6 g parsley, roughly chopped
- 15 ml lemon juice
- 25 g parmesan, grated
- 2 egg yolk, room temperature
- 25 g breadcrumbs, fresh
- 4 king edward potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1000 ml vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 2 g sea salt
- 1 g black pepper
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 1676 kcal
- Protein
- 149 g
- Carbohydrates
- 71 g
- Fat
- 82 g
- Fiber
- 11 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Sodium
- 4323 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 47 g
- Trans Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 23 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 7 g
- Cholesterol
- 1353 mg
- Potassium
- 3677 mg
- Calcium
- 978 mg
- Iron
- 7.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 409 mg
- Phosphorus
- 1850 mg
- Zinc
- 29.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 805 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 37 mg
- Vitamin D
- 5.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 9.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 62 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 11.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.66 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.92 mg
- Niacin
- 21.3 mg
- Folate
- 197 mcg
- Water
- 1315 g
- Alcohol
- 6 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the grill to its highest setting. Place the cleaned lobster shells onto a baking tray.
Melt 25g of butter in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the chopped shallots for 3-4 minutes until they are soft.
Pour the white wine into the pan to deglaze. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer until it has reduced by half.
Add the fish stock to the pan and continue to simmer until the liquid reduces slightly in volume.
Stir in the heavy cream and Dijon mustard. Simmer the mixture for 3-4 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.
In a separate pan, melt the remaining 25g of butter over medium heat. Sauté the chanterelles for 2-3 minutes, season with salt and pepper, and move to a bowl.
Mix the sautéed mushrooms, chopped lobster meat, parsley, lemon juice, and 12.5g of Parmesan into the reduced sauce. Season to taste.
Whisk the egg yolks into the sauce over low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens further.
Divide the lobster mixture between the shells. Top with breadcrumbs and the remaining 12.5g of Parmesan.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy pan to 190°C (375°F).
Fry the matchstick potatoes in the hot oil for 4-6 minutes until golden and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper.
Grill the filled lobster shells for 3-4 minutes until the topping is brown and bubbling.
Serve the lobster halves immediately with the matchstick fries on the side.
Chef's Notes
- Ensure the lobster shells are completely dry before filling to prevent the sauce from becoming watery.
- The egg yolks provide the signature rich glaze; keep the heat low during their addition to prevent scrambling.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 day — Best consumed immediately; fries will lose texture.
Reheating: Reheat lobster in a 175°C (350°F) oven until warmed through; fries cannot be effectively reheated.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is too thin and runs out of the shell
Cause: Insufficient reduction of stock or cream before adding yolks
Fix: Simmer for an additional 2 minutes over low heat after adding yolks, but do not boil
Prevention: Ensure the liquid reduces by the specified amounts and coats a spoon before proceeding
Lobster meat is tough or rubbery
Cause: Overcooked during the grilling phase
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Since the lobster is already cooked, the grill step should only be long enough to brown the topping
Cultural Context
Lobster Thermidor is a classic French dish created in the late 19th century, famously named to honor the premiere of the play 'Thermidor' by Victorien Sardou.
