Lobster Newburg
intro
Luxuriously rich lobster in sherry-spiked cream sauce, served over crisp toast points. A historic 1870s Delmonico's New York classic for special meals.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep toast and lobster
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Trim crusts from 8 slices of white sandwich bread, cut each slice diagonally into 2 equal triangles, and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes until golden and crisp, then set aside. Pat 450g of cooked picked lobster meat dry with paper towels, cut into 2.5cm (1-inch) chunks, and set aside at room temperature.
Sauté lobster in butter
Place a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add 57g (4 tbsp) of unsalted butter, and melt for 1 minute until foaming subsides (do not let the butter brown). Add the prepared lobster chunks, toss gently to coat fully in butter, and cook for 2 minutes just to warm the meat through.
Deglaze pan with sherry
Pour 120ml (1/2 cup) of dry sherry into the saucepan with the lobster, increase heat to medium to bring the liquid to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sherry is reduced by half and smells rich and nutty.
Simmer cream sauce base
Reduce heat back to medium-low, then stir in 180ml (3/4 cup) of the heavy cream, 1/2 tsp sweet paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 pinch of grated nutmeg, 1 tsp fine sea salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, and simmer gently for 4 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (a line drawn with your finger through the sauce on the spoon will hold its shape).
Temper egg yolk mixture
While the sauce simmers, whisk 3 large egg yolks with the remaining 60ml (1/4 cup) of cold heavy cream in a small glass bowl until completely smooth. Slowly ladle 120ml (1/2 cup) of the hot cream sauce into the egg mixture, whisking nonstop the entire time to prevent the eggs from curdling from the heat.
Thicken finished sauce
Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the lobster and remaining sauce. Stir constantly over low heat (do NOT bring to a boil) for 2 minutes, until the sauce turns velvety, glossy, and thick enough to cling heavily to the lobster chunks. Immediately remove the pan from heat to avoid curdling.
Plate and serve hot
Arrange 4 crisp toast points on each of 4 warm dinner plates. Spoon equal portions of the lobster and sauce over the center of the toast points, add a light dusting of extra paprika for garnish if desired, and serve immediately while the sauce is hot.
Tips
2.Avoid overcooking the lobster: since the meat is already fully cooked, you only need to warm it through, as extended high-heat cooking will turn lobster tough and rubbery.
3.Use dry fino or amontillado sherry for authentic flavor, rather than sweet cream sherry or salted cooking sherry, which will throw off the sauce’s balanced, nutty, savory profile.
OMG I made this for my husband’s birthday dinner last night and we both thought we were eating at a fancy Manhattan steakhouse! The sherry in the cream sauce is such a game changer, I didn’t skip a single step and it turned out perfectly. Even my picky 10 year old asked for a second bite! Will absolutely be making this for our Christmas dinner this year.
Tasted amazing, but I messed up the sauce the first time because I had the heat too high and the cream curdled 😅 Took me a second batch to get it right, but man was it worth it. Served it over buttered toast points like my grandma used to do, total nostalgia trip.
SO good! I was worried a medium-difficulty recipe would be too much for a random Tuesday night, but 35 minutes total was totally doable. Used pre-cooked lobster tails from the grocery store to cut down on prep even more, and no one could tell the difference. 10/10, adding this to my regular date night rotation.
Flavor was incredible, but I’m making this for a potluck this weekend and I’m worried the sauce will break if I keep it in a slow cooker on warm for a couple hours. Has anyone tried prepping this ahead? Would love any tips!
Made this for my anniversary with my wife, and she said it was better than the Lobster Newburg we had on our honeymoon in Maine! Paired it with roasted asparagus and a crisp white wine, total home run. Already got a request from my brother to make it for his graduation party next month.
I have a mild dairy intolerance so I swapped the heavy cream for full fat oat milk and used vegan butter, and it still turned out so rich and tasty! Definitely not exactly the classic, but it scratched that fancy seafood itch without making my stomach hurt. Would recommend the swap for anyone who can’t do dairy.
Wait, how much lobster meat are we supposed to use? The ingredient list says “2 lobsters” but mine were pretty small, so I ended up with barely any lobster in the sauce. It still tasted good, but the ratio felt way off.
I’ve been making Lobster Newburg for over 40 years, and this recipe is hands down the best version I’ve ever tried! The hint of paprika and the nutmeg? *Chef’s kiss* My grandkids begged for thirds at our Sunday family dinner, and even my sister-in-law (who hates all seafood) asked for the recipe. Total keeper!
Meal prepped this on Sunday to eat for lunches this week, and I’m actually excited to eat my work lunch for once! The sauce holds up way better in the fridge than I thought it would, and it feels like such a treat midweek. 10/10, worth every penny for the lobster.
I’m usually terrified to cook seafood at home because I always overcook it, but this recipe was so straightforward! The lobster came out perfectly tender, no rubbery bits at all. My roommates are convinced I ordered takeout from the fancy place downtown, I’m not gonna tell them how easy it was 😂
Loved this, but I added a tiny pinch of cayenne because I like a little heat in my creamy sauces, and wow, that took it to the next level! Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I wish the recipe mentioned you can add a little kick if you want, but that’s just my personal preference. Made it for girls’ night and all my friends were obsessed.
Pro tip: make extra sauce. I made this last night and was literally sopping up every last drop of the sauce with garlic bread after we finished the lobster. No shame. It’s so rich and flavorful, I’d put that sauce on chicken, pasta, veggies, literally anything. 100% making this again very soon.
I was so nervous to make this for our extended family Easter dinner (12 people total!) because I’d never made Lobster Newburg before, but it was the first dish gone! Everyone was asking for the recipe before they even left. So worth the little bit of extra effort for a special occasion.