Ingredients

From Lobster at Home, by Jasper White.

Makes 6 lobster rolls

A trip along the Maine coast in summer is incomplete unless you stop to eat a lobster roll at one of the many roadside stands, restaurants or clam shacks. This warm, buttery, griddled bun wrapped around a cool fresh lobster salad is quintessential Maine in style and flavor. It is usually served in a paper hot dog container with no garnish other than a small bag of potato chips. I love the humor expressed in the startling contrast between the cheap, relaxed presentation and the excellence of flavor, texture and temperature of this dish.

The longer I live in New England, the more I realize how peculiar we Yankees are. Even our hot dog buns are different! New England hot dog buns are cut on the sides, not in the middle, permitting them to be buttered, toasted or griddled. A lobster roll without this type of bun is just not a proper lobster roll. If you do not live here, you can bake your own New England-Style Hot Dog Buns (page 132 of Lobster at Home).

Ingredients for 1 batch Traditional Lobster Salad:

  • 6 New-England-style hot dog buns

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • pickles and potato chips

Prepare the lobster salad and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat a large heavy skillet (12 or 14 inches) over medium-low heat. (A black cast-iron pan is perfect.)

Lightly butter both sides of each bun. Place in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Turn the buns over and toast the other side. Or toast the buns under a broiler instead.

When the buns are ready, stuff them with the chilled lobster salad. Place each roll on a small paper or china plate; garnish with pickles and potato chips. Serve at once.

Instructions