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    Lobster Roll Recipe (Original Connecticut-Style)

    Published July 30, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    This delicious lobster roll recipe is coated in melted butter, served warm over a toasted bun, and garnished with chives. It’s the ultimate summer dish. Once you try it, you will immediately be obsessed.

    I don’t often eat lobster because it’s hard to get fresh and expensive. If you’ve got some and are looking for a great recipe, try my Butter-Poached Lobster or Grilled Lobster Tails.

    lobster roll with chips

    Lobster Roll

    Lobster roll is a North Eastern American specialty of boiled, steamed, or poached fresh lobster shelled and drenched in butter and served on a toasted split top bun. The two main variations are this one, which is called a Connecticut Lobster roll, and the other is known as a New England or Maine Lobster Roll, which is cooked and cooled lobster meat tossed with mayonnaise, celery, and lemon juice. While bot are delicious, my personal opinion is the Connecticut-style roll is hands down better. 

    The roll’s creation goes back to the 1920s in New England and Canadian Maritimes. The fishermen in the area were the ones who developed the sandwich using the catch of the day or leftover lobster that was not sold that day. While it is served all over the US, the three states where this is most popular are Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut,

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    lobster roll ingredients
    • Lobster You can use cooked lobster meat, frozen and thawed lobster meat that is cooked, raw lobster meat that is cooked, cooked lobster tails, live-to-be-cooked whole lobsters, or pre-cooked whole lobsters. Be sure there are no shells in the meat.
    • Butter – I always use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking to control the sodium content.
    • Bread – Plain split top hotdog or brioche buns are best. You can also use a plait hot dog bun.
    • Lemons – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is used for the lobster.
    • Herbs — I finished the roll with finely sliced fresh chives. You could also use fresh tarragon or dill.
    • Seasoning – I used coarse salt. You could also add freshly cracked pepper or use old bay.

    How to Make Lobster Rolls

    When using live lobsters, add them to a tray and place them in a freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.

    lobsters on a tray

    In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. There should be enough water for the lobster to easily be submerged.

    boiling water in a pot

    Once the water is boiling add enough salt so that the water tastes as salty is the ocean.

    adding salt to a pot of boiling water

    Place in the lobsters, cover the pot, and cook for 4 minutes per pound.

    adding lobster to a pot

    If you want to steam them, add 2 inches of water to the bottom of a pot with enough salt to taste as salty as the ocean and bring it to a boil. Add in the steamer basket, place in the lobster, add the lid and steam for 8 minutes per pound.

    adding lobster to a steamer basket

    Once the lobster is done cooking, immediately submerge it in an ice bath to shock it.

    shocking cooked lobster

    Remove the lobster and extract the meat from the tails, claws, legs, and body. See the video for instructions.

    removing meat from lobster

    Cut the meat into large bite-size pieces. I personally like to leave the claw intact.

    slicing lobster meat

    Add the butter to a large sauté pan over low heat and swirl the pan in a circular motion until the butter is completely melted and emulsified.

    melted butter in a pan

    Place the lobster meat in, squeeze on about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and salt, and gently fold the meat in the butter using a spatula for 2 to 3 minutes or until the lobster is warm.

    coating lobster in melted butter

    Brush the split-top buns on both sides with melted unsalted butter.

    adding butter to buns

    Place them butter-side down on a griddle or large cast-iron skillet at medium heat and toast for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until well browned.

    toasting buns

    Add the meat between the toasted buns and drizzle on any additional butter.

    adding lobster to a roll

    Optionally garnish with sliced chives.

    buttered lobster roll

    Make-Ahead and Storage

    Make-Ahead: This lobster roll is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking.

    How to Store: It’s best to keep the lobster separate from the buns so that they do not become overly saturated. If you do this, cover both and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can thaw the lobster separately from the rolls in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for one day before reheating.

    How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of lobster and 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter to a small saucepan. Heat over low heat while constantly stirring until hot.

    Chef Billy Parisi

    Chef Notes + Tips

    • If the lobster is overcooked, it will get very chewy.
    • This is uniquely salty, so taste it first before seasoning it.
    • If you use live lobsters as I did, or even lobster tails, reserve the shells in the freezer for lobster bisque.
    • A 1 ½ pound lobster will make 2 lobster rolls.
    • An ice bath is a pot or container filled with ice water.
    • Shocking food immediately stops the cooking process so that the food does not overcook.

    More Seafood Recipes

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    Video

    Lobster Roll Recipe (Original Connecticut-Style)

    5 from 1 vote
    This delicious lobster roll recipe is coated in melted butter, served warm over a toasted bun, and garnished with chives.
    Servings: 4
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 6 minutes

    Ingredients 

    • 2 1 ½ pound live lobsters, or 12-16 ounces of cooked lobster meat
    • 1 1/2 sticks softened unsalted butter
    • Juice of ½ lemon about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons
    • coarse salt to taste
    • 4 split top buns

    Instructions

    • When using live lobsters, add them on a tray and place them in a freezer for 20 to 30 minutes.
    • In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. There should be enough water for the lobster to easily be submerged.
    • Once the water is boiling add enough salt so that the water tastes as salty as the ocean. No, the salinity does not need to mimic the ocean, it only needs to taste as such.
    • Place in the lobsters head first, cover the pot, and cook for 4 minutes per pound.
    • If you want to steam them, add 2 inches of water to the bottom of a pot with enough salt for it to taste as salty as the ocean and bring it to a boil. Next, add in the steamer basket, place in the lobster, add the lid and steam for 8 minutes per pound.
    • Once the lobster is done cooking, the shell will be bright red. Immediately submerge them in an ice bath to shock them. Don’t let the lobster sit in the water for more than 10 minutes so that they do not get waterlogged.
    • Remove the lobster and extract the meat from the tails, claws, legs, and body. See the video for how to do this.
    • Place the meat into a colander over a bowl to help drain off any excess liquid as you remove the meat from the shells.
    • Cut the meat into large bite-size pieces. I personally like to leave the claw in-tact.
    • Add 1 ¼ sticks of butter to a large sauté pan over low heat and swirl the pan in a circular motion until the butter is completely melted and emulsified.
    • Place in the lobster meat, squeeze on about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and salt, and gently fold the meat in the butter using a spatula for 2 to 3 minutes or until the lobster is warm.
    • Brush the split-top buns on both sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
    • Place them butter side down on a griddle or large cast-iron skill at medium heat and toast for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until well browned.
    • Generously add the meat between the toasted buns and drizzle on any additional butter. Optionally garnish with sliced chives.

    Notes

    Make-Ahead: This lobster roll is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done cooking.
    How to Store: It’s best to keep the lobster separate from the buns so that they do not become overly saturated. If you do this, cover both and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can thaw the lobster separately from the rolls in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for one day before reheating.
    How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of lobster and 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter to a small saucepan. Heat over low heat while constantly stirring until hot.
    If the lobster is overcooked, it will get very chewy.
    This is uniquely salty, so taste it first before seasoning it.
    If you use live lobsters as I did, or even lobster tails, reserve the shells in the freezer for lobster bisque.
    A 1 ½ pound lobster will make 2 lobster rolls.
    An ice bath is a pot or container filled with ice water.
    Shocking food immediately stops the cooking process so that the food does not overcook.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 509kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 23gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 233mgSodium: 685mgPotassium: 284mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1.067IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 165mgIron: 2mg
    Course: lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine: American

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