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Dinner · Fish

Lobster Newberg

Cooked lobster warmed in butter, simmered in cream, and thickened with egg yolks and a pinch of cayenne. Delmonico’s showpiece, served on toast.

⏱ 25 min (10 min prep, 15 min cooking) 🍽 Serves 4 · about ¾ cup on toast quick
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ContainsMilk, Eggs, Crustacean shellfish, Wheat. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 4 servings
  • 1 lb Lobster meat, cooked, cooked meat, in 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tbsp Butter, unsalted
  • 1½ cup Heavy cream
  • 3 Egg yolks
  • ¼ tsp Table salt
  • ⅛ tsp Cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Lemon juice (bottled)

  • To serve

  • 4 slice Sandwich bread, white, toasted and cut in triangles, or 2 cups cooked rice

Make it yourself

Make the butter yourself → Make the sandwich bread yourself →

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

📜 Where it comes from

Charles Ranhofer (1836–1899), Delmonico’s, New York (chef 1862–1876 and 1879–1896).

The Epicurean (New York: Charles Ranhofer, 1894), No. 1037, p. 411: “Lobster à la Newberg or Delmonico”.

“Moisten to their height with good raw cream; reduce quickly to half and then add two or three spoonfuls of Madeira wine; boil the liquid once more only, then remove and thicken with a thickening of egg-yolks and raw cream.”

The original text, quoted as printed; it is in the public domain.

A popular story says a sea captain, Ben Wenberg, showed the dish to Charles Delmonico in the 1870s and that, after a quarrel, the name on the menu was changed from “Wenberg” to “Newberg.” No early source confirms it. Ranhofer’s book is the earliest printed recipe.

What we changed: Ranhofer boiled six live lobsters; we start with cooked lobster meat. We leave out the Madeira wine and add a little lemon and paprika, and we cook the yolks to 160°F.

Delmonico’s closed in 1923, before Michelin awarded its first stars (1926), so no star ratings apply.

Internet Archive scanHathiTrust recordCharles RanhoferLobster NewbergDelmonico’sMore from the great kitchens →

Steps

You’ll need: large skillet, bowl and whisk, instant-read thermometer, toaster.

  1. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the lobster and warm it gently 2 minutes, turning, without letting it brown.
  2. Pour in 1¼ cups of the cream and simmer until it has reduced by about a third, 5 to 6 minutes.
  3. Whisk the yolks with the remaining ¼ cup cream in the bowl. Whisk a ladle of the hot cream into the yolks, then pour it all back into the pan.
  4. Stir over low heat without letting it boil, until the sauce thickens and reaches 160°F, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt, cayenne, paprika and lemon juice.
  5. Spoon over the toast and serve right away.

🌡 Safe temperaturesEgg-yolk sauces 160°F. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer (USDA). More on food safety.

↺ LeftoversRefrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 1 to 2 days; reheat gently to 165°F, stirring, without boiling.
Gluten-free swapServe over rice instead of toast.
Shrimp swapUse 1 lb cooked, peeled shrimp, or a mix of shrimp and scallops seared through first.

Good to know

Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter Heavy cream vs. half-and-half Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt Food Safety Basics

Our own adaptation of a public-domain recipe, in our own words. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.