This Connecticut-Style Lobster Roll recipe is a decadent, buttery New England classic that is sure to satisfy those summer cravings. Fresh, tender lobster meat is drizzled with warm butter and nestled in a toasted bun—bringing a taste of the coast to your kitchen.
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I don’t cook with lobster often—it’s definitely a delicacy—but when I visit home on Cape Cod, my number one rule is "get a lobstah roll before I leave." The only tough part is choosing between a hot buttered version or a chilled Maine-style roll (and always served with potato chips, of course).
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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Types of Lobster Rolls
There’s a great debate: butter or mayo? Here’s a quick breakdown of the two main styles:
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.
Ingredients
- 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
If the idea of boiling lobsters makes you nervous, have your fishmonger cook them for you—it’s totally fine!
But if you're cooking them yourself:
- Only cook live lobsters. Once dead, bacteria multiply fast.
- Chill them on ice for 15–20 minutes before cooking to reduce movement.
- Boil for 8–10 minutes until shells turn red, or use the rule: 8 minutes for the first pound, +3 minutes per additional pound.
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.
Sarah's Top 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 Warm Lobster Rolls
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
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below—I’d love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
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Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls
See the full post for extra tips and photos
Ingredients
- 1 ½-2 pounds lobster tail and claw meat, cooked or uncooked
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons chives, diced
- 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.1 ½-2 pounds lobster tail and claw meat
- 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.1 stick of unsalted butter, 2 cloves garlic, 1-2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 2 tablespoons 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.Hot dog buns for serving, Lemon wedges for serving
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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.
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- Lobster Crackers
- Cutting board
- Garlic press
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