Lobster rolls take more planning than burgers, but almost none of it happens at the lot. Steam and pick the lobster at home, or buy the meat cooked. At the tent, the grill does two jobs: it toasts the buttered buns and, for the Connecticut version, warms the lobster in butter. Maine style is cold lobster in a light mayo dressing. Connecticut style is warm lobster in melted butter. Make one, or split the meat and make both. Cooked shellfish spoils fast, so the lobster stays at 40°F or below until it goes in a bun.
At the lot: Carry the cooked lobster buried in ice, toast the buns on the grill, and build each roll as people eat: cold from the cooler for Maine, warmed in butter on the grill for Connecticut. Cook ahead: Cook and pick the lobster up to 2 days ahead and keep it at 40°F or below. Homegating: Build both styles in the kitchen and serve them right away.
40°F
Lobster stays at or below
140°F
Warm Connecticut lobster, then serve
1 HOUR
Out of the cooler above 90°F
8
Serves
Ingredients
Lobster
- 2 lb cooked lobster meat, about 4 oz per roll (from about 8 live lobsters, 1¼ to 1½ lb each, or bought cooked)
Maine style (cold, for all 8 rolls)
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp minced fresh chives
- ½ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; ¼ tsp if Morton)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Paprika, for dusting
Connecticut style (warm, for all 8 rolls)
- 12 tbsp (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; ¼ tsp if Morton)
- 2 tbsp minced fresh chives
- Lemon wedges
Buns
- 8 split-top (New England-style) hot dog buns
- 4 tbsp salted butter, softened
Steps
At home
- If you're cooking the lobsters, set a rack in a big pot with 2 inches of salted water and bring it to a hard boil. Add the lobsters in batches, cover and steam until the shells are bright red and the tail meat is opaque white all the way through and reads 145°F, about 10 to 12 minutes for 1¼-lb lobsters. Move them to a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes.
- Crack the tails, claws and knuckles and pick out the meat. Cut it into ¾-inch pieces and drain it well. Refrigerate it in a covered container within 2 hours of cooking, at 40°F or below, and use it within 2 days. Making both styles? Split the meat in half here and halve each style's ingredients. Bought cooked meat goes straight from the store into the fridge.
- For Maine style, whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, salt and pepper in a bowl, fold in the lobster and spoon it into a lidded container. Refrigerate it until you leave.
- For Connecticut style, keep the lobster plain. Cut the butter into pieces and pack it with the lemon juice, salt and chives.
- Pack the lobster last, buried in ice in the cold cooler, not sitting on top. The cooler should hold 40°F or below the whole way. The buns ride in their bag at room temperature, with the softened butter.
At the lot
- Before you build anything, check that the lobster reads 40°F or below.
- Spread the softened butter on the flat outer sides of the buns. Toast them on the grill over medium heat, on the grates or in a skillet, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes a side.
- Maine style: fill each bun with about ½ cup of lobster straight from the cooler, dust it with paprika and serve it right away. The container goes back on ice between rolls.
- Connecticut style: melt the butter in a skillet on the grill over medium heat. Add only as much lobster as people will eat now and toss it gently until it's hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Check that it reads 140°F or above. Pile it into the buns, spoon the butter over, add the lemon juice, salt and chives, and serve it right away with lemon wedges.
- Cooked lobster is out of the cooler no more than 2 hours in all, or 1 hour above 90°F. After that it gets tossed, not packed back up and taken home.
Pack for the lot
What's the difference between Maine and Connecticut lobster rolls?
Maine style is cold lobster dressed in mayonnaise. Connecticut style is warm lobster tossed in melted butter. Both go in a toasted, buttered split-top bun.
Can you make lobster rolls ahead for a tailgate?
Make the lobster ahead, not the rolls. Cook and pick it up to 2 days before and keep it at 40°F or below. Build each roll at the tent and serve it right away, so the bun stays crisp and the lobster isn't sitting out.
How long can a lobster roll sit out?
No more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. That clock starts when the lobster leaves the cooler. Toss what's left after that.
Can you use frozen or store-bought cooked lobster meat?
Yes. Thaw frozen meat overnight in the fridge, drain it well and pat it dry. Keep it at 40°F or below like fresh.
How much lobster do you need per roll?
About 4 ounces, so 2 lb of meat makes 8 rolls.
What buns do you use for lobster rolls?
Split-top, or New England-style, hot dog buns. Their flat sides toast evenly in butter. Brioche or regular hot dog buns work if that's what you can find.
More seafood for the lot: clambake foil packets, clam chowder and Old Bay crab dip. Something cold to drink: sweet tea lemonade.
