Lobster Rolls – The Perfect Summer Food
I didn’t eat lobster until I met my wife Marci in graduate school. She is from Boston, and was weaned on lobster; she tells tales of eating twin lobsters as a child, because one was never enough.
When we were in graduate school on Long Island, there was a viable lobster fishery; we ate them whenever we could, even on our meager graduate student stipend. That’s because during summer, lobsters were cheap. We would go to Tara’s (formally The Tara Inn), a dive bar in Port Jefferson, and get soup, salad, French fries, and a steamed lobster for $4.99. I have a distinct memory of driving to a deli to get a sandwich and passing a fish monger where the sign outside advertised lobsters for $3.99 a pound. We weighed our options and came to the completely logical conclusion that a less expensive lobster would make a far better lunch than a more expensive turkey sandwich. And the first time Marci met my parents, we brought them lobsters. (And I don’t think we even asked them to pay!)
So I learned to eat and love lobster. Marci, who won’t kill an insect, taught me how to disassemble the beasts. We would devour the claw and tail meat, me dipping it in melted butter and she squeezing lemon on top. Then we would get serious. Marci showed me the secret, hard to reach spots that took extra effort and devotion to reach, where there are tiny nuggets of sweet meat. They were always delicious.
Then I learned about lobster rolls; lobster salad overflowing a soft hot dog roll. All the flavor, with none of the work – as long as you get someone else to separate the meat from the shell. Served with some leafy greens and corn on the side, or better yet French fries or potato chips, they are the perfect summer food. I now prefer a lobster roll over a whole steamed or boiled lobster.
Over the years, we learned that when going through the messy business of eating lobsters at home, we needed to buy a couple of extras for lobster rolls the next day. After all, if the dinner you choose requires you to scrub down your kitchen and shower after eating, you might as well get a couple of meals out of it.
While we haven’t been to Tara’s in many years, I hear there is still an inexpensive steamed lobster on the menu. And we still buy lobsters, now imported from Maine or Newfoundland, a few times a summer when prices dip to a reasonable level. We make sure to get each morsel from every crack and crevice. And you can be certain that when we have lobsters for dinner, the next day we will have lobster rolls, the perfect summer food.
Lobster Rolls
I find that when purchasing lobsters for lobster rolls one chicken lobster – 1 to 1¼ pounds – is not quite enough for two rolls, and that two lobsters are a bit too much, as if too much lobster salad is a real problem. So for two rolls, buy one lobster that is a little bigger, or buy two smaller ones and savor the leftovers. Or better yet, invite a friend for dinner.
There are different styles of lobster salad with which to stuff a hot dog bun. In Nova Scotia, we once had lobster rolls that included only fresh lobster meat drizzled with melted butter. More traditional to New England is a mayonnaise-based salad, and Marci likes hers with nothing more than a little mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon, sometimes with some chopped celery. This is one point on which we disagree. I like mine a little fancier, with fresh herbs and a touch of mustard, without the lemon. And because butter and lobster go so well together, I griddle the buns in a tablespoon of melted butter so the edges are browned and crispy.
I love serving mini lobster rolls – lobster roll sliders – as one course during a small plates meal. Instead of hot dog rolls, use Martin’s potato party rolls. They are the perfect size for just a few bites.
3 lobster rolls, 15 minutes if using lobster meat out of its shell, 1 hour if starting with live lobsters
2 lobsters, 1 to 1¼ lb. each, boiled or steamed and shelled
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more if boiling the lobsters
¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1½ Tbsp. minced fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp. minced fresh chives
1 Tbsp. butter
3 hot dog buns
- Cook the lobsters. Using a pot large enough to hold two lobsters, fill it with enough water to submerge both at the same time. Add 2 tablespoons of salt for each gallon of water and bring the water to a rolling boil. Rinse the lobsters in the sink and put them into the pot of boiling water head first. Return the water to a boil, lower the heat to simmer, and cook them covered until done, about five minutes for the first pound and three minutes for each additional pound. Remove the lobsters to a large plate or sheet pan and allow them to cool until they can be handled.
- Shell the lobsters, discarding the shell. (You can find guides to de-shelling a lobster online.) Chop the meat into ¼ to ½-inch pieces and put it in a medium-size bowl large enough to hold and toss it with the other ingredients.
- Add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, tarragon, and chives, and stir to mix. Lobster salad can be made ahead of time, then chilled until ready to serve.
- Just before eating, melt the butter in a large skillet over a medium heat. Griddle the hot dog buns for a few minutes on two or three of the flat sides until the edges are lightly browned and crispy.
- Stuff the buns to overflowing with lobster salad and enjoy.
