Homard à l'armoricaine
Lobster cut up live, seared in its shell, flamed with cognac and simmered in white wine, tomato and shallots with a touch of cayenne.
What makes it homard à l'armoricaine
- Blue lobster, cut up raw and seared in its shell.
- Flamed with cognac, then white wine, tomato and shallots.
- The coral and juices whisked into the sauce at the end.
Where it comes from
Whether it's armoricaine, after Armorica, the old name for Brittany, or américaine is an argument that has never been settled. The Paris story credits a chef named Pierre Fraysse, back from America in the 1860s, with inventing it for a late customer; the Breton case rests on the lobsters and the name.
Neither side can quite prove it. The tomato and cayenne are hard to square with old Breton cooking, and many take the Paris story as likelier — but in Brittany it's armoricaine on the menu, and the lobsters are certainly Breton.
How it varies
- Lotte à l'armoricaine
- Monkfish in the same sauce — cheaper, and common in Breton homes.
Be the first here
Start your own homard à l'armoricaineNo one here has made homard à l'armoricaine yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.
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