New England Lobster Rolls are so incredibly easy and delicious. A few ingredients for a sublime meal. Only 15 minutes to make plus 8 hours to defrost if you use frozen lobster meat.
- 1 pound frozen lobster meat, pat dry or three 1 1/2 pound live lobsters or three 8 ounce lobster tails
- 1/2 medium English cucumber diced finely or 1 celery stalk diced finely
- 2 medium lemons 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice for mayo and wedges for serving
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chives, chopped or 2 green onions sliced
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise add more as necessary
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste
- 6 medium hot dog buns preferably top cut New England style buns
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
-
Defrost frozen lobster meat in the refrigerator over night or up to 3 days ahead of time. Cut into bite size pieces. Pat dry before mixing with other ingredients.
If using live lobster or lobster tails, see our How To Cook Live Lobster post.
-
Dice cucumber, salt and leave in a colander to drain for at least 5 minutes so that it doesn’t water down the lobster roll filling.
Add cucumber, lemon juice, chives, a couple pinches of kosher salt and a turn or two of black pepper to the mayonnaise. Add hot sauce if using. Taste. Mix with the fresh or defrosted lobster meat.
-
Heat a heavy skillet (love cast iron for this) over medium heat. Spread the sides of the hot dog buns with softened unsalted butter and griddle to a golden brown on both sides.
-
Fill the warm rolls with a sixth of the cool lobster mixture. Serve immediately with chips, pickles, coleslaw or some simple side dish.
Sprinkle with chopped flat leaf parsley for a pretty presentation.
See our How To Cook Live Lobster post if you want to use live lobster or lobster tails. You can’t beat the taste of live lobster, but it does entail more work and time. It also adds to the party vibe and atmosphere.
Make Ahead Tips: You can cook, shell and chop the lobster meat up to 3 days ahead of time. Don’t mix with the mayonnaise until ready to serve.
Side dish recommendations: Chips, pickles, fries, creamy coleslaw, vinegar coleslaw, potato salad, corn on the cob or any simple side dish.