Lobster Spices: Tarragon, Shallot, Mustard, Celery and the Comoros Vanilla Sauce

Lobster usually gets very little seasoning, often just melted butter, so the sweet meat stays front and center. When cooks do reach for herbs and spices, the same handful keeps turning up: tarragon, shallot, mustard, parsley, celery and thyme. Tarragon is the classic, sweet and anise-like. And the wild card? In the Comoros islands, the national dish is lobster in a vanilla cream sauce.

At a glance

Tarragon: the classic lobster herb

PROSEA, the Southeast Asian plant-resources handbook, singles out tarragon leaves as especially good with chicken, egg and lobster dishes. It describes the herb as smelling sweet and anise-like, with a bittersweet flavor.¹ Chef Jean-Pierre’s Thermidor uses 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh tarragon (or thyme), and Andrew Zimmern suggests tarragon as an optional add-in for a lobster roll.²³ For how it behaves in cooking, see tarragon uses and dried vs. fresh tarragon.

Lobster Thermidor

Chef Jean-Pierre calls Thermidor a classic and very special dish. Here’s how his 2022 version is seasoned:²

The dried-herb note is his ratio, not a measured conversion.² The mustard is there to keep the cream and cheese from tasting flat.

Shallot

Shallot is the base aromatic in both sauced lobster dishes here: about ¼ cup in the Thermidor and 3 minced shallots in Saveur’s vanilla sauce.²⁴

Mustard

Outside Thermidor, mustard gets into the lobster roll by way of the mayonnaise. Saskatchewan’s agriculture ministry lists mayonnaise among the main uses of yellow mustard.⁵ Katzer notes that mustard seeds contain emulsifiers, so mustard helps emulsified sauces hold together as well as adding flavor.⁶ See mustard powder and yellow mustard seeds.

Thyme

Chef Jean-Pierre offers thyme as the alternative to tarragon in Thermidor.² Thyme tastes sharper and more savory than tarragon. See tarragon vs. thyme.

The lobster roll

Andrew Zimmern’s Maine-style lobster roll dresses the meat with mayonnaise “just to coat,” ½ cup of minced celery, 2 tablespoons each of minced parsley and chives (or scallions or shallots), salt and black pepper. Lemon or tarragon are optional.³ The celery adds crunch, and the parsley adds color against the pale dressing. See celery leaves and chives.

Lobster with vanilla: the Comoros national dish

Lobster and vanilla sounds unlikely until you learn it’s a national dish. Saveur’s Diane Selkirk reports that the national dish of the Comoros islands is langouste à la vanille, local lobster in a vanilla sauce.⁷ Saveur’s recipe grills the lobster and builds the sauce from 3 minced shallots, ¼ cup white wine, 2 split vanilla beans with their seeds, and ½ cup heavy cream, finished with salt and black pepper.⁴ The dish is traditionally made with local rock lobster.⁴

The recipe calls for whole beans. If your sauce comes out too sweet or perfumey, see too much vanilla.

Related

• Tarragon
• Vanilla
• Thyme
• Parsley