Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Lobster Rolls


gmi3804

Recommended Posts

Keep it simple. Lobster in big chunks with S&P and butter or a tiny amount of homemade mayo/aioli to bind. Roll browned in butter. A few good chips, maybe bread and butter pickles.

I serve diced celery, minced red onion, lemon wedges, extra mayo/aioli, and torn lettuce so that people can assemble as they wish. I like a bit of crunch from the celery, myself, but here in RI I'm often feeding purists who'd excommunicate me if I added them to the lobster base.

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jasper white has a good recipe, but the difficult thing to acquire is the slab sided bun of which he shows how to make. Anything other than homemade aioli is heresy! I put a squeeze of lemon, aioli, and mix. Very simple. Fresh Maine lobster is also a requirement. I have never seen one served with lettuce in Maine.

Sides are fries and beer although a good white burgundy is OK. -Dick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I love a good aioli, but I'd rather make a homemade mayo than have the garlic flavor interfere with the lobster taste. Definitely no celery for me (waste of good lobster taste IMHO). In addition to a homemade mayo and a new england style hot dog roll (i.e. top-split) toasted, I will go with a little lemon and some minced chervil (or tarragon) and chives. If you want crunch, try a little bit of lettuce instead.

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Okay...We're playing Maine in football this year so we decided for our tailgate we'd pay homage to our opponent by having a shrimp boil and lobster rolls. However, this is a very large crew of about 25-30 people. I don't really want to go buy 15-20 pounds of lobster meat (we're in Minnesota and Iowa so it's pretty expensive here). So I was thinking of 'cutting' some good lobster meat with some type of white fish or maybe some bay scallops. Does anyone have any recommendations, recipes? I appreciate all suggestions!

Thanks!

PS. Also, people from the Northeast please refrain from bashing the idea of substituting something for lobster in a lobster roll. :smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to just use lobster, you could scale down the lobster rolls to appetizer sized rolls.

For the full sized rolls, that's a great idea to cut it with some other seafood. A quick Google for "faux lobster" yielded a recipe that uses cod or torsk.

http://www.justshellfishrecipes.com/she-0205564.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wonder if monkfish would work. It is supposed to be the lobster of fish or, as wikipedia puts it, the "poor man's lobster."

PS. Also, people from the Northeast please refrain from bashing the idea of substituting something for lobster in a lobster roll.  :smile:

No bashing as long as you swear to call it a "Minnesota Lobster Roll."

Holly Moore

"I eat, therefore I am."

HollyEats.Com

Twitter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Monkfish will work but, frankly, I'd use white or pink shrimp. Lobser roll means major butter or it just ain't a lobster roll. Get high quality butter, toss the cooked lobster and whatever else you decide to use in it after it melts in the pan, get all hot, then gey into good ol' cheap rolls that will soak up the butter.

Kevin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Monkfish will work but, frankly, I'd use white or pink shrimp. Lobser roll means major butter or it just ain't a lobster roll. Get high quality butter, toss the cooked lobster and whatever else you decide to use in it after it melts in the pan, get all hot, then gey into good ol' cheap rolls that will soak up the butter.

He's already having a shrimp boil. Wouldn't using shrimp in the rolls be redundant? I just wouldn't do it. If the choice was have a shrimp boil with lobster/shrimp rolls on the side, I'd skip the shrimp rolls. because the shrimp boil is more important.

Rhonda

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The other true component of a real New England lobstah roll, is the bun. Out here, our buns are spit down the top, not hinged on the side. I'm not sure where you can find them online, but they are work looking for for the real effect. People would be so surprised, they may note notice the sub for the lobster meat!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shrimp, monkfish, some crabs all could work. Also try pollock aka Boston blue, coal fish.

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like some good ideas. I'll see if I can find Monkfish around here and maybe some pollock. I'll experiment with the fish and with the shrimp/crab idea this week. I'll post up some photos and let you know how they worked. Anyone have a tried and true recipe for lobster rolls? I've checked out epicurious, food network, and allrecipes, but I put a lot more weight from Egullet members.

Thanks again

Link to comment
Share on other sites

. . . . Anyone have a tried and true recipe for lobster rolls?  I've checked out epicurious, food network, and allrecipes, but I put a lot more weight from Egullet members.

Here are a few relevant eG topics:

Lobster Rolls

Lobster Roll Test Kitchen . . . Sort Of

Lobster Dishes

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My advice is don't. You live in Minnesota, serve local.

You just can't make a lobster roll without fresh Maine lobster and slab sided buns.

BTW, King Arthur sells a specially designed pan to make these rolls. I have one and am working on perfecting the technique.-Dick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please don't cut the lobster with anything else! I make lobster rolls all the time (luckily it's easy to get in my neck of the woods, Plymouth, MA).

Here's the thing, you don't need a lot of lobster, you can do a very good sized lobster roll with 1/4 pound of meat, so figure 4 rolls per pound, you could buy 7 pounds of lobster meat and have plenty. To give you a frame of reference, lobster is very light, and I can get two very good sized lobster tails for 1/4 pound.

The way you mostly see them here in New England is to use everyday hot dog rolls, butter and grill them and then stuff the lobster salad in it. If you want to cut back though, you could use little finger sandwich rolls, and even less lobster and it would still be delicious.

The classic lobster salad is super simple, the key ingredient is sweet fresh lobster, then simply add good mayo, just enough to coat the lobster lightly, and add a squeeze of lemon(and even the lemon is optional). It needs nothing else....the warm buttered rolls topped with cool, luscious lobster is the best.

:) Pam

Edited by pam claughton (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wonder if monkfish would work.  It is supposed to be the lobster of fish or, as wikipedia puts it, the "poor man's lobster."
PS. Also, people from the Northeast please refrain from bashing the idea of substituting something for lobster in a lobster roll.  :smile:

No bashing as long as you swear to call it a "Minnesota Lobster Roll."

If fresh Monkfish is available in your area and you definitely want to incorporate fish into the rolls...this would be your best bet. It's flavor is very mild, and its texture is very similar to lobster. If you do this, I'd mix the lobster salad up and let it sit for an hour or so before stuffing the rolls as this would give the monkfish time to soak up some of the lobster flavor.

If you do this, let us know how it turns out! Monkfish is about a quarter the price of fresh shucked lobster meat, which is running about $40 a pound on average (in my area, it may be more expensive where you live).

Edited by pam claughton (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...
  • 9 years later...

We have been on a lobster roll kick, --ordering a couple live ones every other week from FreshDirect. I see no reason to comment or compare prices for my lobster rolls vs Fulton, 40$ served with homemade potato chips, or any NYC rolls starting around 25$. Sides extra.

Mine cost at home 8-9$ each including a side shaved fennel/celery salad, or similar, and a chili crisp potato salad---enough extra salads for next day. But I have no overhead and prepare myself and clean up. I do prefer mine over ones I've had out. But dining out is a pleasure and a choice. 

 

Screen Shot 2022-10-07 at 5.16.22 PM.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, weinoo said:

What's that stuff in there with the lobster?  And why?

You know exactly what that is. 

You are well aware of the various lobster roll wars. Not interested in playing that game. I do a hybrid. Two live lobsters steamed 80%. Set aside, pick and chill. Freeze a few ounces for bisque. Prep dinner and sides. Quickly re-heat lobster in butter with lots of lemon and into a light wet dressing with inner tender celery stalks and leaves, minced coarse. Might be a bit of bib lettuce I toss in the same bowl for a side salad. 

A whole lobster boil with corn, potatoes, etc I still just like lemon over an oily butter bath. You do you. I like my lobster roll lightly dressed. I've had the Connecticut 'only butter' roll and did not care for it. Enjoyed it fine but not my preference. Also do not care for butter basted steaks, burgers, or eggs. Love good butter but not a oily bath. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...