Lobster Roll Recipe (Original Connecticut-Style)
This delicious lobster roll recipe is coated in melted butter, served warm over a toasted bun, and garnished with chives.
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