Lobster Mayonnaise

Lobster mayonnaise is a delicious treat that you can easily make at home for a special occasion.

Once you have made your own homemade mayonnaise once, there is no going back!

This version features dill mayonnaise, which is perfect with fish, but there are plenty of other herb variations too.

So much tastier than shop bought too, this classic French sauce is a base for many other sauces.

Now you can make your own, at a fraction of the cost,for any occasion.

Bon appétit! 

Jump to:

• ❤️Why you will love this dish
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• How to prepare lobster
• 🥗 Side dishes
• 🍣 Storage
• Tips for making the perfect mayonnaise
• 🤔 FAQs
• More shellfish dishes to try
• 📋 Recipe
• Food safety
• 💬 Comments

Living in France, we often visited our nearest port, which was La Rochelle. Famous for it's seafood, we often liked to share a huge seafood platter. Typically there would be oysters, langoustine, prawns, whelks, sea snails, clams and some crab

However, if you ask for crab mayonnaise, then be prepared! In my experience a whole undressed crab arrives on a plate with lemon and mayonnaise and some tools and that's it - you are on your own. Now I am totally happy with that, but not everyone relishes this task!

Anyway, a lobster is a much easier beast to navigate and so impressive as a special dish, as a starter or as a surf and turf with your favourite steak.

I've broken this down into easy steps to prepare the lobster and with plenty of tips and tricks for the perfect mayonnaise too.

❤️Why you will love this dish

• Versatile sauce that can be made into many other sauces.
• Delicious with many dishes including seafood.
• Uses a cooked and frozen lobster for easier preparation.

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🥘 Ingredients

• Lobster - ready cooked and frozen lobster is the best value. Allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• Eggs - free range large egg yolks.
• Oil - vegetable oil is best for mayonnaise. You can use half olive oil and half vegetable oil if you prefer. However, if it's made just with olive oil the emulsion can be unstable.
• Salt - ideally flaked sea salt.
• Lemon juice - fresh lemon juice or from a bottle if you prefer.
• Dill - fresh dill or dried.

💭 Top tip

• Eggs should normally be kept at room temperature. However, if you put them in the fridge for an hour they will be easier to separate.
• Separate each egg, putting the yolk and whites in separate bowls as you go. This makes it easier in case you come across a bad egg without wasting the rest.
• Freeze leftover egg whites. The easiest way is to pour them into a small container or ice cube tray, then transfer into another container when frozen. They will keep for up to 12 months.

The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.

🍽 Equipment

• blender or food processor - optional
• balloon whisk
• sharp knife
• chopping board

🔪 Instructions

How to make the dill mayonnaise by hand or blender method

Start by putting the yolks in a ceramic bowl with the salt and a few drops of the lemon juice and whisk together to combine.

I find it's easier to put the oil in the jug before I start to make the sauce. This makes it easier to control.

Add a small amount of oil from a teaspoon to the egg yolks, whisking all the time.

The mixture should start to thicken. Now you need to keep whisking whilst adding a very slow stream of oil at the same time.

I find it's easier to keep stopping to check the oil has been incorporated fully before adding any more.

When you are happy with the consistency, season to taste. You may prefer to add more lemon juice at this stage, especially if you are serving the sauce as a lobster mayonnaise or with crab.

At this point the sauce is ready to eat, but I love to add different flavours depending on what I'm serving it with.

You can also make this in a blender or a food processor, if you have a small bowl to use. The process is exactly the same but just be sure to make sure that the first drops of oil are incorporated before adding any more.

Dill Mayonnaise and Basil Mayonnaise

I grow fresh dill in my garden , but most supermarkets sell it now. If you can't find fresh then dried dill also works. just use a teaspoon of dried to replace a tablespoon of fresh herbs instead. I take all the fronds from the stems and finely chop a couple of tablespoons. Now all that you need to do is stir it into the mayonnaise with extra lemon juice to taste. It also goes well with crab, prawns and salmon.

I really like basil with seafood too, especially with prawns or a white fish like cod. Just add a couple of tablespoons of chopped fresh basil. If you love basil then you can also make a basil mousseline sauce, which is delicious served with hot fish.

How to prepare lobster

I tend to buy lobster ready cooked and frozen as it's the best value. I just thaw it overnight, then drain and lay on kitchen paper.

Place the lobster down on a chopping board and begin by cutting through the cross on the head lengthways and through to the tail.

Remove the black intestinal vein from along the tail end and the dead man's fingers, which are the feathery gills.

Aside from the tail meat you can also eat any of the orange roe and the grey liver.

The legs don't tend to have much meat but don't forget to remove the meat from the pincers. If you don't have shell crackers then nut crackers work or the side of a steak mallet or rolling pin. The meat should be easy to pull out in one piece, but there is a cartilage that runs through the pincer so be careful when you eat it.

Serve the lobster with the dill mayonnaise, some salad and even a pile of chips to dunk in the luscious dill mayonnaise!

When you've finished this dish keep the shells from the lobster, or other shellfish you have eaten, and store in a bag in the freezer. Then you can make an amazing seafood bisque - a delicious soup, to wow your guests and absolutely free!

🥗 Side dishes

Try some of these salad ideas.

• Tomato and Onion Salad
• Cherry Tomato and Feta Salad
• Edamame, Broccoli and Asparagus Salad
• Courgette Salad
• Celeriac Remoulade
• Fennel and Pear Salad
• Tarragon Potato Salad

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - as this sauce has uncooked eggs it should be kept covered in the refrigerator and used within a day. It may start to become oily but will be fine with a quick whisk .

Tips for making the perfect mayonnaise

• Keep all the ingredients at room temperature before you start.
• If you cannot get the mayonnaise to thicken, don't panic. Start with a fresh egg yolk and beat in the mixture from scratch. This will result in a really thick mayonnaise so you will need to add more oil or you can add some water to loosen the mixture.

🤔 FAQs

Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais

More shellfish dishes to try

• Prawn Crab and Lobster Bisque
• Baked Salt and Pepper Prawns
• Pan Seared Scallops
• Squid Stuffed with Prawn and Crab

📋 Recipe

Food safety

We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove