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A restaurant classic you can make at home, Classic Lobster Newburg is tender chunks of lobster meat bathed in a cognac spiked cream sauce and served with puff pastry or toast points. Easy to make and supremely elegant.
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Whether you’re planning a date night at home or a larger dinner party, easy and impressive meals are a necessity to have in your cooking arsenal.
Dishes like Filet Mignon and Lobster Bisque are my go-to because they’re super simple to prepare but always impressive for guests. But this Lobster Newburg recipe is my all-time favorite.
It’s super easy to make, especially if you’re using frozen lobster meat, and looks so fancy when piled on top of a puff pastry shell.
Lobster Newburg
There’s nothing more impressive than a lobster dinner but take a few extra minutes and you can make it that much more special. Lobster Newburg is definitely the way to go.
If you’ve never had it before, it’s made of tender lobster meat that’s cooked in a creamy, cognac spiked buttery sauce that’s rich with egg yolk.
It can be served with toast points but I love to buy the frozen puff pastry shells and fill them with the lobster. It just adds to the wow factor.
Lobster Newburg was created by a sea captain by the name of Ben Wenberg.. He shared the dish at Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City to the manager, Charles Delmonico, in 1876.
It eventually made it to the menu in an adapted form but I’ve come across it at so many restaurants it’s always the thing I order because it’s simply amazing.
How to Make It
Lobster Newburg is incredibly simple to make. If you take the time to boil your own lobsters, you will save a bit of money making it.
If you’re using frozen lobster meat you’ll be able to have this on the table in about 30 minutes from start to finish.
Cook and chop the lobster meat if you’re steaming it yourself. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet.
Whisk in the flour and cook until golden brown.
Stir in the half and half, cooking until slightly thickened.
Temper the eggs by stirring in a small amount of the cream.
Stir the tempered eggs into the cream over low heat.
Add the lobster, cognac, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice.
Serve in puff pastry shells or with toast points.
Now, this may not be the original way of cooking Lobster Newburg but it’s substantially easier to make this way. I love a good kitchen shortcut!
Lobster Newburg is VERY similar to this recipe for Lobster Thermidor!
Pro Tips
Lobster Meat – Fresh is best but frozen lobster works in a pinch. Be sure to dry the lobster to remove excess moisture before adding to the sauce.
Eggs – Don’t skip the step of tempering the egg yolks or the mixture will scramble once it hits the hot cream. Also, do not stop stirring so the eggs on the bottom of the pan do not begin to scramble. This will ensure your sauce is smooth without egg lumps.
Cognac – I like to use cognac for this recipe but any brandy, sherry or marsala will work, too.
What To Serve It With
Lobster Newburg is a rich, decadent meal so I like to keep things lighter on the side. We love to serve it alongside a simple Green Beans Almondine with a wedge salad when entertaining.
You can also serve it with this easy asparagus recipe to keep things even simpler and then round it out with Chocolate Pot de Creme for dessert.
More Easy Seafood Recipes
If you like this Lobster Newburg, you should also try these easy Lobster Rolls for a more casual meal or this Lobster Pasta Salad.
This easy Lobster Mac and Cheese is also equally simple to make and better than some restaurant versions I’ve tried.
Or try this simple Lobster Corn Chowder….it’s hearty and so comforting!
For more easy family recipe ideas, follow us on Instagram or Facebook!
Lobster Newburg
Equipment
- skillet
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups half and half
- 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 lb cooked lobster meat, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 tbsp cognac
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 4 frozen puff pastry shells, or toast points
Instructions
- Bake the puff pastry shells according to package instructions or toast bread then cut into triangles. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. The mixture will have the consistency of wet sand.
- Slowly whisk in the half and half cooking until slightly thickened. Do not boil.
- Add a few tablespoons of the cream mixture to the eggs and whisk to temper the eggs.
- Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the cream and turn the heat to low. Continue stirring until smooth and creamy.
- Stir in the lobster, cognac, lemon juice, zest, nutmeg and salt.
- Serve the lobster newburg in the puff pastry shells or on top of the toast points. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can mayonnaise be substituted for the eggs>
Seems like a much easier option
It hasn’t been tested with mayonnaise.
Hi Kellie, I am curious about, what is “half and half” in the Lobster Newburg recipe ingredients. Kind regards, Merril
It’s half milk/half cream. it’s an American dairy product.
Before I make it as is. Please I would like information about how the lemon juice and zest worked as to the taste?. This is the only recipe I have seen with that much lemon juice in it.
It just adds a freshness and makes the sauce taste less heavy. You can leave it out but I urge you to give it a try because when I tested it with and without, the majority preferred it with the lemon. Happy Thanksgiving1
I *love* the idea of cognac in this recipe, but I cut my teeth on lazy lobster with cream sherry spooned over it – that little bit of sweetness with the creamy sauce is a whole other room in heaven. So I save the cognac to put into my white wine and dijon mustard braised rabbit. Win-win! Thank you for sharing!
Sounds heavenly! I’ll have to try that myself!
The rest of the story about Wenburg & Lobster Newburg is that the 2 men had a falling out between them, so the Restaurant owner who put Lobster Wenburg on his menu, switched the letters in the name of the Lobster dish from Wenburg, to Newburg.
I had no idea! Thank you for sharing!
Looks so yummy! Would this be good to serve on a southern-style biscuit?
It sure would be!
OMG, I’m making this tomorrow night for a dinner party! One question – if I use heavy cream in lieu of half & half (since it’s what I have in my fridge), should I decrease the number of egg yolks to avoid over-thickening? Thank you!
Yes, definitely cut out one of the egg yolks because the cream will get much thicker. Also, the sauce will be much richer which is why I used Half and Half for the recipe….just wanted to throw that out there. Enjoy! It’s one of my favorite recipes because it’s so easy to make!
BEST I’ve ever tasted and super easy. We served in buttery pastry cups and a crisp wedge salad. Sublime.
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!