March 25th is designated as National Lobster Newburg Day. Lobster Newburg is an American seafood dish made with lobster, butter, cream, cognac, sherry, eggs, and cayenne pepper. It is an elegant and classic dish enjoyed by many since the late 1800s.
Debuting in 1876 at Delmonico’s, a fine New York restaurant, this dish was invented by sea captain Ben Wenburg. He demonstrated the recipe to restaurant manager Charles Delmonico and refinements were made by chef Charles Ranhofer. The creation was then added to the restaurant’s menu as Lobster a la Wenburg. The dish grew fast in popularity.
There was an argument between Wenburg and manager Charles Delmonica which caused the dish to be removed from the menu, but after many requests from patrons, it returned with a new name. The entree came to be known as Lobster Newburg.