This Connecticut-Style Lobster Roll recipe is a decadent buttery lobster roll that is sure to quench those summer cravings. Fresh lobster meat, drizzled in butter atop a buttery bun transports you straight to the New England coast.
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I don't cook with lobster often, it's definitely a delicacy. If I do, and I'm using a whole lobster I try to use all the meat and then the shell for stock. But, whenever I visit home (Cape Cod) my number one rule is that I need to get a 'lobstah' roll before I leave.
Then I have to decide between a hot buttered lobster roll or a cold lobster roll, always served with a side of potato chips. Don't be intimidated by cooking lobster. I'll give you all the best tips and tricks for the most tender lobster meat. This hot lobster roll recipe is guaranteed to douse your summer cravings.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Simple to make. Even if you're cooking live lobster this recipe is easy to make and uses just a few simple ingredients you probably already have. Besides the lobster of course!
- Fresh recipe. Uses fresh lobster and complimentary ingredients.
- Zesty and flavorful. The succulent lobster mixed with creamy butter and zesty lemon is the perfect combination to tantalize your taste buds.
Types of Lobster Rolls
The Connecticut-style roll was the first to be documented at least; we're still not sure if it was actually the first. Let's take you all the way back to Connecticut in 1929 at a restaurant called Perry's. These warm butter lobster rolls filled with large tender sweet lobster meat served in buttery buns were, believe it or not, considered cheap street food!
Let's look at the different styles of lobster rolls. What's the best lobster roll? That's a subjective answer! It comes down to how you like it prepared or sometimes just how you feel. The main difference is what the chunks of lobster meat are prepared with.
Maine Lobster Roll
The lobster is prepared, cooled and lightly-dressed with mayonnaise and sometimes tossed with fresh herbs. It’s a proper lobster salad and this is the style that comes to mind when people think about lobster rolls. The fresh chilled lobster salad is piled into a griddled split-top bun and sometimes adorned with lettuce and a side of lemon wedges.
Connecticut Lobster Roll
Connecticut-style lobster rolls are hot lobster rolls made with warm lobster meat, covered by melted butter and piled on a buttery toasted bun. With just a few simple ingredients you can bring the fresh flavors of summer to your home.
In this great debate, we are sure to stay divided on the question, butter or mayo?
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Live lobster. Be adventurous and pick up a fresh lobster! However, you can pick up frozen or cooked meat if you're not too confident.
- Unsalted butter. This is a good way to control the sodium levels.
- Lemon juice. The acidity of lemons is the perfect ingredient to balance out the other rich flavors.
- Spices. Garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Chives. Can be made without chives if you don't have them on hand.
- Hot dog buns. Regular hot dog buns or opt for brioche buns.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Cooking Live Lobster
There have been several studies done on what the most humane way to kill lobsters is. There are MANY different opinions on this. From what I gathered there is no best way, but they don't process pain the same way we do. However, that doesn't mean they don't process it at all. If the idea of throwing lobsters in boiling water bothers you, I recommend getting your local fishmonger to cook the lobster for you and eating or freezing immediately.
With that said though, if you are looking to eat lobster the only safe way to do it is if they're alive before cooking. Lobsters and other shellfish contain harmful bacteria that quickly release toxins once dead. This greatly minimizes the chance of food poisoning when cooking alive.
To minimize their pain, researchers suggest putting them on ice for at least 15 minutes before cooking lobsters as a way to shock their nervous system.
🔪Instructions
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add lobster and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until they're bright red.
Step 2: Remove the lobsters from the pot and let them cool until you can handle them.
Step 3: Use crackers and cooking shears to remove the meat from the shells.
Step 4: Using a sauté pan, heat the butter on medium heat. Add all the spices, brown the garlic and then add the lobster meat and chives.
Step 5: Toss and coat the meat in the skillet for 1-2 minutes.
Step 6: In a separate pan or cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the buns and toast on both sides until golden brown. Add the lobster to the toast buns and top with extra butter, a squeeze of lemon juice and more chives. Serve and enjoy!
💭Recipe FAQs
Most enjoy the lobster tails, claw meat, and leg meat. However, lobster lovers also enjoy the roe and even the tomalley found in the liver and pancreas.
If your lobster is cooked... and dead, then it's perfectly safe to eat. Make sure you are purchasing from reputable suppliers. If the lobster is dead and uncooked I do not recommend consuming it.
You can cook the lobster ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Follow steps 4-7 in the recipe card below just before serving. If you assemble the rolls too far in advance, the bread can get soggy and the meat won't be as fresh.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Buy cold water lobsters or Maine lobsters. Cold-water lobsters are the best for tender claw meat.
- Overcooked lobster meat is dry and rubbery. We want tender and sweet lobster meat.
- A good rule of thumb is to steam lobsters at 8 minutes per pound. Add 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound.
- If you have leftover lobster meat, store it in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can use leftover meat in seafood risotto with tomatoes.
🥗Serving
Lobster rolls pair well with an assortment of sides. You can even dip the rolls into cajun butter sauce for more flavor! Some of my favorites include:
More Seafood Recipes
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Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- Lobster Crackers
- Cutting board
- Garlic press
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Ingredients
- 1 ½-2 pounds lobster tail and claw meat, cooked or uncooked
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chives, diced
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Hot dog buns for serving
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- If the lobster is uncooked, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add lobster to the pot and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the lobster is bright red.
- Remove the lobsters from the pot and let them rest for a few minutes to cool until you can handle them with your hands.
- Remove the meat from the lobster using crackers and kitchen shears. Don’t cut the meat into smaller pieces.
- Heat 6 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat in a skillet. Add in the garlic, salt, black pepper and paprika. Brown the garlic for 1 minute and then add in the lobster meat and chives.
- Toss to coat the lobster in the butter for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- In a cast iron or non-stick pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat. Add the buns and toast on both sides until golden.
- Add the lobster meat to the rolls. Pour some of the extra butter sauce on top, squeeze some lemon juice and top with more chives.
Sarah's Tips
- Buy cold water lobsters or Maine lobsters. Cold-water lobsters are the best for tender claw meat.
- Overcooked lobster meat is dry and rubbery. We want tender and sweet lobster meat.
- A good rule of thumb is to steam lobsters at 8 minutes per pound. Add 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound.
- If you have leftover lobster meat, store it in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can use leftover meat in seafood risotto with tomatoes or check out this post on ways to use up leftover lobster meat.
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