The Lobster Roll, both delicious and controversial. Those of us in New England do it differently than the rest of the East Coast. In Connecticut, you can get a warm open-topped hotdog roll stuffed with chunks of lobster meat and drizzled with drawn butter. And yes, they are delicious. But here at the Hawthorne Manor Inn, we use a classic recipe and build it from there into a creamy and cool summer salad that can be eaten with or without the roll, though we do prefer the roll.
What you are going to need:
1 really big bowl
1 really big spoon
1 small bowl
1 small spoon
Measuring cups, in case you actually measure your ingredients.
The Ingredients:
3/4 cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s on the East Coast)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard, you can use the smooth or the ones with the mustard seeds.
1 dash hot sauce, Tabasco works and isn’t too spicy.
Chopped fresh tarragon, about one tablespoon.
Kosher or Sea salt. Our Chef uses Himalayan Pink Salt (He’s extra that way.)
Lobster meat (cooked) about the amount you would get from 5 or 6 one-pound lobsters.
2/3rds cup of diced celery, diced wicked small.
Fresh ground pepper.
2 medium-sized or 3 small scallions sliced thinly. You should end up with a quarter of a cup.
Some melted butter,
Split-top hot dog rolls, the New England kind.
And bibb lettuce leaves.
Instructions:
In the small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and a dash of hot sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
To the large bowl, add the lobster, scallions, diced celery, tarragon, then fold in the mayonnaise until it’s completely incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste.
In the meantime, butter the sides of the buns, and toast each side until they’re a nice golden brown. Insert a lettuce leaf into the bun and stuff it full of the lobster salad. This step keeps the bun from getting soggy.
Serve and enjoy.
The recipe feeds about four people. Double or triple the recipe for larger parties. Best served on the veranda with pitchers of ice-cold lemonade.