Maine Lobster Rolls | Cooking the States

Maine lobster rolls are truly special, transforming a luxurious and often sought-after ingredient into an "everyman's" (or ladies') lobster sandwich, perfect after a long day on the beach (or anywhere, for that matter). The only issue is... I live in Chicago, and lobsters don't swim in Lake Michigan.

So I had lobsters overnight shipped from Maine, and... oh man... were these jumbo beauties delicious. I've eaten lobster in some incredible places, fresh off the dock, and can tell you that Maine lobsters are indeed the best lobster roll ingredients out there.

I decided to make lobster rolls, but I wanted to honor the crustaceans by making my own "top split New England rolls" from scratch. Below, you'll find the best lobster roll recipe and assembly instructions for my lobster roll "salad," the buttery lobster roll buns (and how to toast them), and how to assemble your very own Maine lobster roll. We'll also cover how they're eaten in other parts of New England, like the Connecticut style lobster roll and the lobster roll New England style.

Whether you prefer the butter lobster roll, the lobster roll Maine style, or the Connecticut lobster roll recipe, the homemade lobster rolls you'll create using our easy lobster roll recipe are bound to please.

This video is not sponsored, but I want to give a BIG NORTHEASTERN shoutout to Intershell-International for providing us with the INCREDIBLE crustaceans in this video. If you're living in the US outside the northeast and want to get your hands on some truly legendary seafood, definitely check these guys out - I'll leave links below. Let's cook. 🤘🏼 Adam

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Maine & Connecticut Lobster Rolls

Ingredients

New England “Top Split” Buns

• 1 ¼ cup Whole Milk (277g), warm
• 3 Tbsp Sugar (35g)
• 2 ½ tsp Active Dry Yeast (9g)
• 3 cups Bread Flour (360g)
• ¼ cup Milk Powder (28g)
• ¼ cup Potato Flour (43g)
• 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (85g), tempered
• 1 ¼ tsp Kosher Salt (8g)

Steamed Lobster

• 2-3 Lobsters
• Light Beer
• 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed
• 1 Lemon, halved
• 5 Bay Leaves
• 1 Tbsp Black Peppercorns
• ½ cup Old Bay Seasoning
• Kosher Salt, to taste

Maine-style Lobster Roll

• 2 cups Lobster, chilled
• Bibb Lettuce
• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 stalk Celery, small dice
• Juice of half a Lemon
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Black Pepper, to taste

Connecticut-style Lobster Roll

• 2 cups Lobster, warmed
• Melted Butter
• Lemon Juice

Instructions

New England “Top Split” Buns

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add whole milk, yeast and sugar. Wait until it begins to bubble, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Sift together: bread flour, milk powder and potato flour and add to the stand mixer bowl. With the dough hook attached, knead the dough on medium speed until it comes together.
3. Incrementally add unsalted butter. Fully blend the butter into the dough before adding more. Once the butter has been incorporated, knead the bread until it is smooth and elastic and passes the “window test.” Add salt, knead for a minute more, then shape the dough into a ball, cover, and allow to rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and deflate it. Divide into 5 even pieces and shape each piece into balls. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then shape into long buns about 1 ½ x 6 inches long. Place the shaped buns on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper spaced out ⅓ of an inch apart. Brush the buns with an egg wash, cover and allow to proof for 1 hour.
5. 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400F (204c). Brush with an egg wash once more, then bake the buns for 20-22 minutes or until the internal temperature of the center of the bread reads 190F (x c). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Steamed Lobster

1. Pour enough light beer to fill about two inches up a very large pot with a lid. Add garlic, lemon, bay leaves, black peppercorn, old bay seasoning and a pinch of kosher salt. The liquid should taste as salty as the ocean. Bring the whole mixture to a simmer on medium-high heat, then add the lobsters and drop the heat to low.
2. “Stoil” (that’s steam AND boil) the lobsters for about 9 minutes per pound adding an additional 4 minutes per pound after that. Remove the lobsters and immediately transfer to an ice bath until fully cooled down.
3. Use your tool of choice to remove the meat from the shell. Cover and refrigerate the meat until we’re ready to build the lobster roll.

Maine-style Lobster Roll

1. Toast the buns. Line roll with a squirt of mayo and a piece of bibb lettuce.
2. In a bowl, mix together mayonnaise, mustard, celery, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the lobster and mix to coat. Pile high into the bun. Garnish with more lemon juice.

Connecticut-style Lobster Roll

1. Toast the bun. Pile high with lobster and pour melted butter over the top. Garnish with lemon juice and chives.

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