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Homard à l'Américaine — Lobster in Tomato, Brandy, and Tarragon Sauce

Homard à l'Américaine (sometimes written à l'Armoricaine, sparking an eternal culinary debate) is the most celebrated lobster preparation in classical French cuisine — a live lobster dispatched, sectioned raw, sautéed in oil until the shell turns scarlet, flambéed in Cognac, and braised in a sauce of tomato, white wine, fish fumet, shallots, garlic, and tarragon. The technique demands speed, confidence, and a tolerance for the dramatic. The live lobster is dispatched with a swift knife thrust through the cross behind the head. It is then sectioned raw: claws separated, tail cut into medallions through the shell (5-6 pieces), the head split in half lengthwise, the tomalley (liver) and any coral (roe) reserved — these will enrich the sauce later. The lobster pieces are seasoned and sautéed in very hot olive oil (210°C) for 2-3 minutes until the shell is vivid red and the flesh begins to firm. Cognac is added (60ml) and flambéed — this caramelises the sugars in the brandy and drives off harsh alcohol. Add minced shallots and garlic, cook 1 minute, then add 200ml dry white wine, 200ml fish fumet, 300g tomato concassée, a bouquet garni, and a pinch of cayenne. Braise covered for 15-18 minutes at a gentle simmer. Remove the lobster, extract the tail meat and crack the claws. The sauce is reduced by half, then the reserved tomalley and coral are mashed with 30g softened butter, whisked into the sauce off the heat (this must not boil or the liver turns grainy), finished with fresh tarragon leaves and 20g cold butter. The lobster meat is returned to the sauce and served in a deep plate with rice pilaf.

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ServesFour portions
Sourced1of 15 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

2
live lobsters
approximately 700 g each
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 ml
Cognac
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 ml
olive oil
for sautéeing
Your own market
300 g
tomato concassée
fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 ml
dry white wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 ml
fish fumet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
shallots
finely minced
Your own market
2
garlic cloves
finely minced
Your own market
1
bouquet garni
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 pinch
cayenne pepper
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the liaison
30 g
unsalted butter
softened
Your own market
20 g
unsalted butter
cold, cut into small pieces
Your own market
1 quantity
tomalley and coral
reserved from the lobsters
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 small bunch
fresh tarragon
leaves only
Origin · FrancePurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
To serve
4 portions
rice pilaf
prepared separately
Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Dispatch each lobster with a swift, firm knife thrust through the cross behind the head. Section the lobsters raw: separate the claws, cut the tail through the shell into 5–6 medallions, and split the head in half lengthwise. Reserve all tomalley and coral in a small bowl. Season the pieces.
2
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy sauté pan to 210 °C — the surface will shimmer and the first wisp of smoke will appear. Add the lobster pieces in a single layer and sauté for 2–3 minutes, turning once. The dish lives or dies here: the shells must turn a vivid, uniform scarlet and the exposed flesh must show a firm, white edge before the liquid enters the pan; underdone at this stage, the sauce will lack its essential depth.
3
Pour the Cognac over the lobster pieces. Tilt the pan toward the flame or touch a lit match to the vapour at the pan's edge and stand clear. Allow the flames to subside completely — the brandy is spent when the fire dies of its own accord and the sharp alcohol smell gives way to a sweet, caramelised fragrance.
4
Add the minced shallots and garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until softened and translucent but not coloured.
5
Add the dry white wine, fish fumet, tomato concassée, bouquet garni, and cayenne. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and braise for 15–18 minutes. The lobster medallions are done when they yield with slight resistance to light finger pressure through the shell.
6
Lift the lobster pieces from the pan. Extract the tail meat and crack the claws to remove the meat intact. Set aside, covered, in a warm place.
7
Discard the bouquet garni. Reduce the braising liquid over moderate heat until it has halved in volume — it will coat a spoon lightly and deepen in colour.
From the canon — Braising is the transformation of tough, collagen-rich cuts of meat into tender, deeply flavoured preparations through prolonged cooking in a small amount of… Braising (Braiser) →
8
Remove the pan from the heat entirely. Mash the reserved tomalley and coral with the 30 g of softened butter to a smooth paste and whisk it into the hot sauce in one motion. Follow immediately with the 20 g of cold butter, piece by piece, swirling to emulsify. The sauce must not return to a boil — if it does, the liver proteins will turn grainy and bitter. The finished sauce is glossy and just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
9
Scatter the fresh tarragon leaves into the sauce. Return the lobster meat to the pan and turn gently to coat. Serve immediately in deep, warmed plates alongside rice pilaf.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — A live Breton or Maine lobster of 700 g, full of coral and tomalley; aged XO Cognac; a home-made fish fumet reduced from turbot or sole bones; and ripe, in-season plum tomatoes for the concassée.
02
Estate — Live lobster from a reliable fishmonger; a V.S.O.P. Cognac; a good commercial fish stock reduced by a third to concentrate it; and vine-ripened tomatoes.
03
Market — Live lobster of any provenance; an honest VS Cognac; an unreduced commercial fish stock; and quality tinned whole plum tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped in place of fresh concassée.
04
House — Whole frozen lobster, fully thawed, used with the understanding that the shell-sauté step remains mandatory; a workable brandy; carton fish stock; tinned tomatoes. The dish will be diminished but structurally sound.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Sight. Shell is a vivid, uniform scarlet with no grey patches remaining before liquid is added.
◇Smell. After flambéeing, the sharp alcohol note has fully dissipated and only a sweet, caramelised brandy fragrance remains.
◇Touch. A tail medallion pressed lightly through its shell offers slight, springy resistance — neither soft nor rigid.
◇Sight. The reduced sauce coats the back of a spoon in a thin, glossy, rust-coloured film and holds a clean line when a finger is drawn through it.
◇Where it lives or dies. The lobster pieces must be sautéed raw in oil at 210 °C until every shell is vivid scarlet and the flesh firms at its edge — no subsequent step can recover the flavour lost if this searing is rushed or done at insufficient heat.
Pillar V
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Charles Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie
Domaine Charles Joguet · Chinon
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Purely Artisan Foods
San Diego · fresh tarragon
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