Lobster Thermidor
In this recipe, the lobster are cooked first in a court bouillon (stock), then the flesh is removed and cut into small pieces before being cooked with the cream and alcohol. The dish is browned in the oven to finish.
35 min.
Easy
12 people
8 IngredientsLast modified on: January 22th 2012
12 lobsters tail
154.8 ml 
9 tablespoons Port
12 tablespoons Brandy (Cognac or Armagnac)
6 tablespoons 
450 ml 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 7 min.
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 35 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 7 min.
Cook the 12 lobsters tail in court bouillon, then remove the flesh from the shells and cut into pieces or slice.
Note: do not overcook the lobster or they will become rubbery. Use a thermometer if possible, and cook until the temperature at the centre of a tail reaches 60°C (140°F).
Note: do not overcook the lobster or they will become rubbery. Use a thermometer if possible, and cook until the temperature at the centre of a tail reaches 60°C (140°F).
Stage 2 - 3 min.
Heat 154.8 ml butter in a large frying pan on high heat. When hot, tip in the lobster pieces and sauter (fry, tossing gently in the pan) for 2 or 3 minutes.
Stage 3 - 2 min.
Pour in 9 tablespoons Port and 12 tablespoons Brandy (Cognac or Armagnac) and continue cooking until the liquid has been absorbed.
Stage 4 - 3 min.
Sprinkle with flour and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the lobster begins to brown slightly.
Stage 5 - 10 min.
Pour in 450 ml cream, salt and pepper. Turn down the heat and leave to thicken on low heat.
Check seasoning.
Check seasoning.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Divide equally between small ramekins...
Stage 7 - 5 min.
... and finish in the oven for a few minutes, until browned on the top.
Stage 8
Serve piping hot in the ramekin.
Remarks
The original very classy, but somewhat-dated recipe is for lobster Thermidor, but lobster or langoustines (Norway lobster) work very well.
In the original version, the flesh is put back into the shell rather than into ramekins, which is much prettier, but rather tricky to do. If you want to try it, stand the half-shells in a bed of coarse salt to keep them upright.
In the original version, the flesh is put back into the shell rather than into ramekins, which is much prettier, but rather tricky to do. If you want to try it, stand the half-shells in a bed of coarse salt to keep them upright.
Keeping: A few days in a sealed container, before the final oven cooking. .
Source: Based on a recipe by Ginette Mathiot.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 200 RDI=80 % | 120 RDI=10 % | 300 RDI=50 % | 4,460 RDI=220 % | 18,670 RDI: 220 % |
| Per 100 g | 9 RDI=4 % | 6 RDI=1 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 220 RDI=10 % | 930 RDI: 10 % |
| Per person | 20 RDI=6 % | 10 RDI=1 % | 20 RDI=4 % | 370 RDI=20 % | 1,560 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 12 people : 45.95 €
- Per person : 3.85 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Cream
Like these other recipes: Sliced cauliflower with 3 cheeses, Potatoes with prawns, Soft apple cookies, Chocolate rolls (petits pains), Grapefruit moelleux, ... See them all 117
Butter
Like these other recipes: Doughnuts, Caramelized apple rice pudding, Mouna, Four quarters, Purée of Jerusalem artichokes with foie gras, ... See them all 476
Brandy (Cognac or Armagnac)
Like these other recipes: Paté en croute (terrine in a pie crust), Rabbit terrine, Pâté de campagne, Foie gras cured in salt, Home-made terrine of foie gras, ... See them all 14
Other recipes you may also like
Herb salad
Herb salad is a small salad made with leaves of all kinds of aromatic herbs, it's highly flavoured, and should be considered almost as a condiment. It really is a salad, the leaves are not chopped. October 13th 2010235 K4.6 25 min.
Tahitian style fish
Little pieces of fish marinated overnight a night in lime juice. February 21th 2011279 K5 12 hours 60 min.
Salmon "en papillote" with small vegetables
A fresh salmon escalope just salt and pepper with small dices of small vegetables. June 22th 2011254 K 15 1 hour 30 min.
Prune Far
Far is a traditional recipe from Brittany in northwest France. The name comes from the Breton word 'farz' meaning flour. This is the traditional way, with prunes, but you can adapt it according to taste. October 3rd 2010243 K 15 1 hour 10 min.
One should always cover a pan while heating
Tradition says: "One should always cover a pan while heating". In other words, if you heat water (or something else), it comes to the boil faster with a lid on the pan than without. True or false? Let's try the experiment... July 25th 2017115 K 15 1 hour 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-09-14)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 1 comment already posted on this recipe