Best Lobster Roll Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is lobster roll better with butter or mayo? ›

Some lobster lovers may prefer the cool and refreshing taste of chilled lobster with a touch of mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and seasoning on a buttered and freshly toasted bun. Others may favor warm, succulent lobster meat doused in drawn butter and served on a fluffy, slightly crunchy toasted bun.

What's the difference between a Maine lobster roll and a Connecticut lobster roll? A Maine lobster roll is served with the lobster meat chilled and dressed in mayo with some crunchy greens like chives, celery, and/or scallions. A Connecticut lobster roll is served warm, dunked in butter, on a toasted bun.

Lobster rolls are traditionally served on a top-split, melted butter grilled roll called a New England hot dog bun. Finding authentic rolls outside New England can be difficult. The typical New England hot dog roll has straight-up, white sides that absorb the most butter and stay soft inside when grilled in a pan.

A lobster roll is a dish native to New England and Atlantic Canada. It is made of lobster meat served on a grilled hot dog–style bun. The filling may also contain butter, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper, with variants made in some parts of New England replacing the butter with mayonnaise.

Instead of the chilled lobster touted by the Maine roll, the Connecticut-style lobster roll is served warm. It's packed with warm, thick cuts of meat from the tail and claw, tossed with just the right amount of indulgent butter and—you guessed it—tucked inside that delicious split top bun.

Lobsters Rolls

And these most popular selections are Maine-style, Connecticut-Style, and New England salad-style.

A New Englander will also tell you there are two main variations on the theme, Maine style and Connecticut style, and natives of both states are known to fiercely defend their regional recipe as the gold standard of lobster rolls.

You're most likely to find a Manhattan-style or Long Island-style lobster roll in one of those places, but it most closely resembles a Maine Lobster Roll in presentation and ingredients. New Yorkers like their lobster coated in a mayo-based dressing with small pieces of celery for crunch.

Whether you choose to serve lobster rolls hot or cold depends on whether you prefer butter or mayo. A traditional Maine-style lobster roll is mayonnaise-dressed and served cold. As New Englanders know, a cold, creamy lobster roll can hit the spot on a summer day.

“The increased cost of labor, the cost of the food tray we serve the rolls in, the bag of chips we serve with the rolls, the cabbage for the coleslaw, the cost of fuel for the boats, bait has gone way up. Things have changed, and it's not just a temporary COVID bump. This is what it costs now.”

How many lobsters do you need for a lobster roll? ›

And if you want an overflowing lobster roll you can eat with a fork, plan on one 1¼ pound lobster per roll. And if at all possible, make sure you use New England style split-top hot dog buns (with the cut sides) as the roll's flavor explodes when toasted on a grill or skillet.

Lobster: You'll want about 1/4lb of lobster meat per bun/person. Many grocery stores carry frozen, or refrigerated packaged or canned lobster meat. Claw, arm and knuckle meat is traditionally used in lobster rolls, but you can also purchase a whole lobster, steam it, and use all of the meat.

The catch was that instead of being made with lobster tail like a traditional lobster roll, McDonald's used cheaper meat from the claw, knuckle, and leg of the lobster, more commonly known as C.K.L. meat. Using the C.K.L. and buying it in volume is precisely what allowed McDonald's to give it an affordable price point.

Unlike the classic New England lobster roll (made up of cold lobster salad in a bun), the CT version is comprised of a top-split hot-dog bun stuffed with warm lobster tossed with a little melted butter.

Because lobster has such a sweet, delicate flavor, strong seasoning or sauces easily overpower it. Discerning chefs know that only a little flavor enhancement–a dash of lemon or a touch of mayonnaise–is all that's needed for a delicious lobster roll.

A lobster roll consists of chunks of tender, sweet, cooked lobster meat barely napped in a thin coating of mayonnaise, all stuffed into a top-split, white-bread hot dog bun lightly toasted in butter.

Connecticut lobster roll, also called a warm lobster roll, is served warm with tender, juicy lobster meat tossed with melted butter and piled high on a toasted hot dog bun! It's a simpler lobster roll compared to the Maine lobster roll but is just as delicious!

People who use butter do it because they like the taste of seafood dipped in butter. There's no great mystery here. You can try it to see whether you like it.

Today, I'm partnering with my good friends at Cowboy Charcoal to throw down some Grilled Lobster with Garlic Butter. I split the lobster, seasoned them with Smoked Chipotle Mezcal, melted together a garlic herb butter, and topped the lobster with that butter and some fancy cheese!