The Maine lobster roll is a celebration of one ingredient.
Why you should cook this
The Maine lobster roll is a celebration of one ingredient. Cold lobster, mayo, lemon, chives, soft buttery bun. The Connecticut style does the same with hot lobster and butter. Both are excellent. We do Maine because Australian summer wants cold lobster.
One large rock lobster (about 1.2kg) makes four generous rolls. A blowout for a special weekend.
What to drink with it
A cold Sancerre, a Saint-Germain Spritz (our recipe), or a chilled white burgundy. Crinkle-cut chips on the side.
Notes from the kitchen
The bun matters. Top-split brioche or sturdy hot dog buns, butter the outsides, toast on a flat pan until golden both sides. Don’t drown the lobster in mayo. Two tablespoons for 400g of meat is plenty. The lobster should taste like lobster, not mayo. Serve cold from the fridge. Maine style is cold. Connecticut style (hot butter, no mayo) is a different recipe.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- If using whole lobster: bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Plunge in the lobster. Boil 12 minutes for a 1.2kg one.
- Lift out, plunge into iced water for 5 minutes. Crack and remove all meat from the tail and claws. Cut into 2cm chunks. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- Combine cold lobster, mayo, lemon juice, celery and half the chives. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate while you toast the buns.
- Butter the outsides of each bun. Toast on a flat pan over medium heat until golden, both sides.
- Open each bun. Pile in the lobster mixture (overflow is the point).
- Top with remaining chives and a wedge of lemon. Serve immediately.
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Two things that go wrong
Drowning the lobster
Three tablespoons of mayo for 400g of lobster meat is the maximum. The lobster should taste like lobster, not mayonnaise.
Soggy bun
You skipped the butter-and-toast step. The buttered crust gives the bun structure to hold the wet filling without falling apart.
Variations worth knowing
Variation
Lobster Rolls (Maine Style)
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Read the recipe →Lobster club
Add a slice of crispy bacon and a leaf of butter lettuce. New England takes a side road.
Crab roll
Replace lobster with picked crab meat. Cheaper, just as good. The technique is identical.
Leftovers and make ahead
Picked lobster meat in mayo dressing keeps two days fridge. Buns toasted same day. Reassemble at the moment of serving.