Lobster Thermidor

4 Reviews
100% would make this recipe again

This renowned recipe was created in 1894 at the Maire restaurant, in Paris, and named after Victorien Sardou's drama «Thermidor» [pr. THUHR-mih-dohr]. According to the French Revolutionary calendar, Thermidor («month of heat») was the eleventh month of the year (July 19 to August 17).

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Preparation : 15 min Cooking : 10 min
220 calories/serving

Ingredients

2 lobsters, or cooked 1 kg
1/2 cup fish stock (fumet) 125 mL
1/2 cup whipping cream 35% 125 mL
2 tbsp Dijon mustard 30 g
1 pinch nutmeg
2 tbsp Cognac, or Sherry 30 mL
1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g
ground pepper to taste [optional]
3/4 tsp paprika [optional] 2 g
1/2 cup Gruyère cheese, grated 40 g

Before you start

The quantities given here are based on this recipe served as a starter (one half lobster/serving). Due to the use of whole lobsters in this recipe, only limited choices in the number of servings are possible. If serving as a main course, use one lobster per serving.

Method

  1. Remove the elastic bands from the claws and plunge one lobster, head-first, into a large pot of salted boiling water, with the tail tucked underneath (to avoid being splashed by the tail). Loosely cover the pot and cook the lobsters over moderately high heat until the shell turns red. From the time the water comes to a boil again, plan to cook 5 min for a 500 g lobster (add 1 min for each additional 100 g). Transfer the lobsters with tongs to a sink to drain and cool. Obviously, this step is skipped if starting with a cooked lobster.
  2. When the lobsters are cool enough to handle, twist off the claws and crack them, then remove the meat. Halve the lobsters lengthwise with a large knife or poultry shears, beginning from the tail end, then remove the tail meat, reserving the shells. Cut all the lobster meat into bite-size pieces. Discard any remaining lobster innards, then rinse and dry the shells.
  3. Pour the fish stock into a saucepan, with the cream, mustard, grated nutmeg, and Cognac, then warm up a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add paprika to taste (optional). Add the lobster meat, then simmer 2-3 min until warm, shaking the pan gently.
  4. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the lobster shells, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan, then spoon the lobster mixture into the shells. Sprinkle with the grated Gruyère, then broil the lobsters about 12-15 cm from the heat until the cheese becomes golden-brown, 4-5 min. Serve.

Nutrition Facts Table

per 1 serving (140 g)

Amount

% Daily Value

Calories

220

Fat

15 g

24 %

Saturated 9 g
+ Trans 0 g

45 %

Cholesterol

90 mg

Sodium

390 mg

16 %

Carbohydrate

3 g

1 %

Fibre

0 g

1 %

Sugars

1 g

Net Carbs

3 g

Protein

15 g

Vitamin A

16 %

Vitamin C

0 %

Calcium

15 %

Iron

3 %

DIABETES Exchange

1 serving of this recipe is equivalent to :
Food Group Exchanges
Meat and Alternatives 1 ½
Fats 3

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4 Reviews (4 with rating only) 100% would make this recipe again

My Notes

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  • I replaced oregano by rosemary and it turned out great
  • use my large pan with the copper bottom
  • leave under the grill 3 minutes instead of 1 to get a golden crust

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