Lobster Newburg

You may notice an odd theme when you come to our house at Christmas.

I like to bring a bit of the East Coast to the West Coast, including lobster at Christmas. Lobster Newburg is one of our family’s traditions, which we’ve shared with numerous friends over the years. In 2020, we didn’t get to share it directly, but I will share the recipe here!

Cook Away does have a recipe for Lobster Newburg and so does Wartime Recipes of the Maritimes (listed as “Creamed Lobster”), but I’m going to share my family’s recipe instead!

This is a really simple dish to make, and ends up tasting rich and decadent. I’m going to list amounts below for about 3 people, but it’s easy to make for a crowd too (I’ve made this for upwards of 20 people at a time).

Ingredients

1 lb frozen lobster pieces (go for knuckles and claws - always better than tails)
2 tbsp butter
2.5 cups table cream (15-18%) (can mix equal parts whipping cream and milk)
1/8-1/4 cup sherry
1.5 tsp dried tarragon
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Thaw the lobster, then drain. 

In a large skillet or heavy-bottom pot, melt the butter. Add the lobster pieces, and salt and pepper. Break up larger pieces. Sauté for about 10 mins, until the water/liquid that cooks out of the lobster pieces has evaporated. [Note that the cooked lobster will get tougher (well done) here, and will appear more rubbery. That's okay - it softens again later.] 

Add the sherry and let it cook off slightly. Add the tarragon and the cream. Bring to a simmer, and stir regularly, for at least 30 mins (the longer the better). The cream will thicken up, and become a light coral colour. If it gets too thick, add additional milk/cream to loosen it again. 

Serve over bread/toast. 

Despite being on the wrong coast for it, we’ve been able to find frozen lobster every year. Frozen is absolutely fine for this dish, but if you can find shelled pieces fresh, that work too. Just don’t go for tails. I know, they are often the parts included in fancy meals, but that’s just because they are the biggest chunks. They’re not the best chunks. Especially if someone else is doing the work to shell the crustacean in question, you want to select the knuckles and claws instead.

We’ve also gotten some frozen mechanically separated lobster (kind of macerated pieces) to bulk up our larger party pots of Newburg in past years. It’s pretty inexpensive at about $8-9 for 325 g or so. Those will get you the taste, but not the texture or the look. If this is a special occasion, spring for the $20-30 for a pound of the full pieces.

You’ll find that the lobster releases liquid as it sautés. Cook that off.

I had whipping cream this time, so I added 50-50 cream and milk to get the right consistency.

After you add the cream, it’s a matter of bringing it to a simmer and letting it cook as long as you can. (My dad would start this at 5 or 6 am on Christmas morning, and, as a teenager, I’d eat it at 10 or 11 am. And it only gets better with more simmer time. So yummy).

The cream takes on this lovely lobster-y colour and flavour, and the lobster gets tender.

When it’s finally time to eat, slice up some good bread (toast it if you like) and pile on some lobster and sauce. (You won’t need to butter the bread. Trust me on this one).

The verdict

This dish is a total winner. Tastes like fancy food, but is dead easy to make.

Did you make it? Tell us in the comments!