Fire Island Cookbook's Lobster Roll
Fire Island Cookbook's Lobster Roll
One time at our friend Julie’s house on Cape Cod, we loaded a couple of boxes up with lobsters and settled in for a fun weekend of cooking. That evening we feasted on nothing but freshly steamed lobster with plenty of melted butter. Our eyes bigger than our stomachs, we had lots of lobster meat and butter left over, so we combined the two and put them in the refrigerator. The next day, we decided to make lobster rolls for lunch. We pulled the lobster out and were admonished by Julie for "ruining" the lobster meat by soaking it overnight in butter. It seems that a proper New Englander would only make her sandwich with lobster meat and mayonnaise — nothing more. Not ones to waste perfectly good food, we pulled the lobster out of the now hardened butter and tossed it with celery, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. We toasted the buns in a little bit of fried butter and made the BEST lobster rolls any of us had EVER had. Our friends on Fire Island think so, too.
Click here to read how to Make the Ultimate Lobster Roll
Servings
8
Ingredients
- 4 live lobsters, 2 pounds each
- salt, to taste
- 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 8 hot dog buns
Directions
- Get your hands on the largest pot you can find. Make sure the lobsters will fit comfortably in the pot with the lid firmly in place. Place the lobsters in the freezer while you add 2 inches of water and 1 tablespoon salt to the pot. Use a steaming rack if you have one; if not, don’t worry. Bring the salted water to a rolling boil. Using tongs, quickly place the lobsters into the pot and secure the lid with a 5-pound weight. (Use a dumbbell or large juice can.) Steam the lobsters for 14-16 minutes. Remove the cooked lobsters from the pot and let cool.
- In the microwave, melt 8 tablespoons of the butter in a glass bowl. Crack the lobster claws and tails. Pick out all of the meat and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place the chunks into the melted butter, toss well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Combine the celery, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and lobster in a large glass bowl. Toss until well coated.
- Using the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lightly butter the insides of the hot dog buns, and toast in a skillet until golden brown. Spoon equal amounts of the lobster salad into each and serve.