Lobster Rolls

About This Recipe

The lobster roll is New England's great summer sandwich: sweet chunks of knuckle, claw, and tail meat piled into a split-top bun that has been buttered and griddled until golden on both flat sides. The eternal divide is Maine versus Connecticut style: Maine dresses the chilled meat lightly with mayonnaise and maybe celery, while Connecticut serves it warm with drawn butter only. This version covers the Maine style and works because the lobster is steamed gently and pulled at just-done, the dressing is restrained so the lobster flavor leads, and the New England split-top bun, with its flat crustless sides, takes a proper butter toasting that a standard hot dog bun cannot.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 wholelive hard-shell lobsters (1.25 lbs each)(yields about 1 lb of picked meat)
• 3 tbspmayonnaise (Duke's or Hellmann's)
• 1 tbspfinely diced celery
• 1 tbspfresh lemon juice
• 0.25 tspkosher salt
• 4New England split-top hot dog buns
• 2 tbspunsalted butter(for griddling the buns)
• 2 tbspfresh chives(chopped, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare

   Steam two 1.25-pound lobsters over an inch of boiling water for 11 to 13 minutes, until the shells are bright red and an antenna pulls out easily. Plunge into ice water immediately to stop the cooking.

   Steaming over water, rather than boiling in it, keeps the meat from waterlogging and preserves sweetness.

2. 2

   Cook

   Crack the shells and pick the tail, knuckle, and claw meat, removing the dark vein from the tail. Cut into generous half-inch to three-quarter-inch chunks; oversized pieces fall out of the bun, minced meat turns pasty.

3. 3

   Combine

   Fold the chilled lobster with just 2 to 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon, a tablespoon of finely diced celery, and a pinch of salt. The dressing should coat, not pool.

   Chill the dressed meat 20 minutes so the flavors marry and the salad firms up for stuffing.

4. 4

   Serve

   Butter the flat sides of split-top buns and griddle over medium heat 2 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Stuff each immediately with a quarter pound of lobster salad and finish with chives or a dust of paprika.

Variations

• •

  Make a Connecticut-style roll by tossing the warm meat in melted butter with lemon and skipping mayonnaise entirely.

• •

  Add a teaspoon of finely chopped tarragon or a dash of Old Bay to the dressing for an herbed version.

• •

  Use the same technique with picked crab or poached shrimp when lobster prices spike.

• •

  Serve as sliders on mini buns for parties, about 2 ounces of meat each.

Storage

Dressed lobster salad keeps refrigerated for up to 2 days in an airtight container; never stuff buns ahead, as they sog within minutes. Cooked picked lobster meat, undressed, freezes for a month in its own juices, though texture is best fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions