Skip the brunch reservations, and get ready to impress your guests as lobster benedict may look complicated to make, but it is actually pretty easy. It’s as simple as poaching an egg, making a hollandaise sauce in your blender, then using chunks of leftover lobster meat from dinner and layering it in a cookie cutter to stack it. If you don’t have a cookie cutter you can always slice the tail meat into medallions and stacking them, or wrap the tail around the eggs like a hug for the presentation. That’s what we did in the images below.
This variation is a pull from the classic and famed Delmonico’s eggs benedict from Manhattan. You get everything you love about a classic benedict with the addition of tender and oceanic lobster meat. This recipe is an upscale and refined version that is sure to impress brunch guests, or to enjoy during some well-deserved morning “me time”.
Easy-to-Make Lobster Eggs Benedict
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Fill the lobster pot with water and boil if boiling the lobster and add the 2 tbsp of kosher salt. If steaming your lobsters, add two inches of water to the tray or pot and boil the water.
- Dispatch the lobsters into the boiling water head first if you're boiling the lobsters so they do not splash you, or place in the steaming basket and quickly dispatch into the pot and seal the top.
- Now set a timer.1.25 lbs. lobster it will be between 6-7 minutes.1.5 lbs. lobster it will take 7-9 minutes.
- Remove the lobsters and run them under cold water for 10 to 20 seconds to remove shell debris and particles.
- Twist the tails off and cut them down the back with kitchen shears to remove the tail meat.
- Crack the claws and remove the meat from the claws and knuckles with a fork if needed.
- Set the meat aside to cool.
- Bring a large skillet filled halfway with water to a simmer. You don't want the water at a full boil.
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon to swirl and create a slow vortex into the water.
- Carefully add one egg at a time into the simmering water. Don't over crowd the pan. It's better to poach your eggs in two batches.
- Allow the eggs to cook until the whites are set which takes about three minutes.
- Remove the eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon and gently allow them to drain on paper towel.
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan without letting it brown.
- Combine the egg yolks with the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt in the blender on low speed and slowly pour in the melted butter with a gentle stream once it is no longer hot but also not cold and solidifying.
- Continue to blend on low until the sauce begins to thicken.
Notes
- Frozen lobster tails, or already cooked lobster meat that has been defrosted, can be used for this recipe as well.
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Tools You Will Need:
- 1 Lobster Pot
- Claw crackers
- Kitchen shears
- A skillet or pot of water (advanced level)
- Egg poacher (beginner level)
- 1 slotted spoon
- 1 small bowl
- 1 basting brush
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- Two 1.25 live lobsters
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 8 large eggs
- Four 3/4-inch-thick slices of peasant bread toasted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 sticks 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and hot
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 english muffins or pieces of toasted peasant bread
The Steps to Make Lobster Benedict
This recipe is a four step process.
- Cook and prep the lobster
- Poach the eggs
- Make the hollandaise sauce
- Combine and style the plate
Cook the Lobster
- Fill the lobster pot with water and boil if boiling the lobster and add the 2 tbsp of kosher salt. If steaming your lobsters, add two inches of water to the tray or pot and boil the water.
- Dispatch the lobsters into the boiling water head first if you’re boiling the lobsters so they do not splash you, or place in the steaming basket and quickly dispatch into the pot and seal the top.
- Now set a timer.
- For a 1.25 lbs. lobster it will be between 6-7 minutes.
- For a 1.5 lbs. lobster it will take 7-9 minutes.
- Remove the lobsters and run them under cold water for 10 to 20 seconds to remove shell debris and particles.
- Twist the tails off and cut them down the back with kitchen shears to remove the tail meat.
- Crack the claws and remove the meat from the claws and knuckles with a fork if needed.
- Set the meat aside to cool.
Poach the Eggs
- Bring a large skillet filled halfway with water to a simmer. You don’t want the water at a full boil.
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon to swirl and create a slow vortex into the water.
- Carefully add one egg at a time into the simmering water. Don’t over crowd the pan. It’s better to poach your eggs in two batches.
- Allow the eggs to cook until the whites are set which takes about three minutes.
- Remove the eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon and gently allow them to drain on paper towel.
Create the Hollandaise Sauce
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan without letting it brown.
- Combine the egg yolks with the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt in the blender on low speed and slowly pour in the melted butter with a gentle stream once it is no longer hot but also not cold and solidifying.
- Continue to blend on low until the sauce begins to thicken.
Assemble the Lobster Eggs Benedict
This is where your creativity takes center stage. The presentation can have lobster meat on top of the egg, it can be a basket the egg sits in, wrapped around, or any other way you choose. Our favorite is to chop up the meat into large chunks and use a circular cookie cutter to create a nest for the poached egg. The easiest way is to wrap the tail around the egg like in the photos.
- Take the bread and place the poached egg on it.
- Now place the lobster tail next to the egg.
- Drizzle hollandaise sauce over.
- Add a garnish like parsley (optional)
Lobster eggs benedict is a showstopping brunch item that leaves guests in awe. Nobody has to know how easy it is to make.
Easy and Popular Customizations
Best of all this recipe can be customized to taste. Here’s a few options if you want to get creative.
- Add a bed of sauteed spinach or garlic spinach for some greenery below the lobster and egg.
- Substitute the english muffin or peasant bread for a croissant for some extra buttery, flakey goodness, not to mention increase the portion size.
- For extra salt, add prosciutto, Canadian bacon, or ham underneath the lobster and poached egg.
- Garnishes that add color and some hints of flavor can include parsley, chives, tarragon, or dill.
Tips and Techniques
- While this recipe calls for live lobsters, you can use frozen lobster tails or lobster meat. If using frozen tails or meat, make sure that they are properly defrosted overnight in the refrigerator.
- For the best results, don’t make the hollandaise sauce ahead of time. The lobster can be cooked the day before, and the eggs poached a day in advance as well.
- To poach your eggs in advance, place the poached eggs into an ice bath. Keep them refrigerated until ready to serve. Just before serving, plunge the eggs into a pot of hot water for 30 seconds. Briefly drain them on paper towel.
- Be mindful of not overcooking the lobster. An instant read thermometer is your best friend. For the best texture always aim for around 140 degrees.
Recipe FAQs
Thank you everyone that has asked questions about our lobster eggs benedict recipe. Here’s some of the questions asked and our answers.
Do I have to use poached eggs for lobster benedict?
No. While that is the classic preparation of eggs benedict, you can use your favorite method for cooking eggs. A fried egg, sunny side up egg, eggs over easy, or even lobster scrambled eggs would all be delicious options.
What do I do with knuckle and claw meat?
While the tail can easily curl around the poached egg, knuckle and claw meat may not sit in its current form on the bread. To solve this try chopping it into large chunks and placing it in a circular cookie mold to form a bed for the egg. This way the presentation stays in tact, the meat fits perfectly on the bread, and you get to enjoy all flavors and textures from the lobster.
How do I make this gluten free?
To make a gluten free lobster eggs benedict swap out the peasant bread or english muffin for your favorite gluten free bread and toast that as the base of the dish.
What is a good side dish for this recipe?
Because lobster eggs benedict is a savory and thick dish, you’ll want something light and/or acidic to complement it, bitter tastes to cut through it, and dishes with a salty and crunchy texture and taste to enhance it.
Options can include:
- Champagne based breakfast drinks like mimosas, fruit juices like grapefruit, orange, and tomato (technically a fruit, but normally considered a vegetable juice).
- Hashbrowns and fried breakfast potatoes.
- Fruit salads that feature citrus fruits like oranges mixed in.
- Sauteed vegetables like spinach, asparagus, and broccolini.
If you’re ready to make this recipe, don’t forget fresh lobster is key. Click here to buy fresh live Maine lobster shipped to your door, or here for our fresh Maine lobster tails.
