Easy Lobster Roll Sandwich 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.

You can't just stick lobster meat in any old bun and call it a lobster roll! It must be a top-split, white-bread hot dog bun, slowly toasted on both sides in plenty of butter.

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.

It's as simple as this: If the meat is cold, it's a Maine lobster roll. In most cases, the meat is tossed with mayonnaise, tarragon and celery or scallions before it's piled into a bun.

Buns: New England Style Bread Rolls are traditional for Lobster Rolls. They are slit at the top, and the sides of the bun are flat, convenient for laying them flat to toast. If you can't find New England Style Buns, choose good quality soft, buttery buns—top sliced if you can find them, like these .

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.

In recent years, “We take whatever we can get,” Morander says. “Some of our local fishermen will only bring us 8 ½ pounds of live lobster at a time. So we're having to get ours from Maine and Canada.” Those added transportation costs add up, especially given the cost of fuel. Then there's the cost of labor.

Nothing is better than the pure, sweet taste of lobster. There are a couple of tricks if you want authenticity. You must use fresh, Maine lobster. And if you want an overflowing lobster roll you can eat with a fork, plan on one 1¼ pound lobster per roll.

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.

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.

Do all lobster rolls have mayo? ›

Lobster rolls come in two varieties: hot with melted butter or cold with mayonnaise (and, sometimes, celery).

Rico DiFronzo, Executive Chef at Union Oyster House:

Hands down it is a cold lobster roll. To me, nothing says summer in New England like a cold lobster roll with a touch of lemon, celery and a little mayonnaise, served in a toasted buttered roll with a side of French fries.

It's lobster meat that's been pressure-extracted from the shell and flash-frozen after it's caught. This special method helps to make sure your lobster has the most succulent texture and sweet flavor possible. There's no heat or steam involved, so the meat is never double-cooked and there's no breakdown in quality.

The slow growth rate of these crustaceans doesn't help its dwindling population. Finally, some of the prices you pay for lobsters also covers the technology that comes with farming, harvesting and storing them. Lobster farming is a lot of work, requiring farmers to keep the population fed, healthy, and thriving.

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.

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.

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.

Lobster is very expensive these days, but doesn't have a strong flavour, and contains little fat. Some people would consider that a bit of melted butter balances the meat nicely, both in terms if taste and nutrition.

To make Maine Lobster Rolls, steamed lobster meat is cooled and lightly-dressed with mayonnaise. The lobster salad is served chilled, piled into a griddled hotdog bun. (On some menus, the lobster might be unadorned, with a little mayo spread onto the bun instead.)