I learned the secret to the perfect lobster roll

By Alex Chung

Senior Food Writer at Pro Home Cooks

New England Style vs Maine Style? Butter vs Mayo? Which one is better? Which one should reign supreme? The heated debate about who has the best lobster roll on the east coast. Well, today’s sandwich series is all about lobster rolls and which one I think its better.

Both rolls will be filled to the brim with luscious, sweet, and fresh lobster meat that Mark, a lobster expert, taught me how to get all the meat out of a fresh lobster along with the proper way to cook them. And since this is the sandwich series, you know I had to make the coveted rolls.

The homemade brioche buns I made are on the next level! They are baked together so that when you rip them apart they are still fluffy on the outside as well as the inside. They get a brush of butter on each side and then get grilled for that light crunch on the outside. To learn more about lobsters and to find out which lobster roll I crown supreme, click here to watch the full video!

Brioche Style Lobster Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoon of instant yeast

  • 2 tablespoons of sugar

  • 1 1/4 cups of warm milk

  • 3 eggs

  • 5 cups of white bread flour, plus 1 cup more

  • 2 tablespoons of salt

  • 1/3 cup of softened butter

  • 1 egg, for an egg wash

  • 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl combine 2 teaspoon of instant yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 1/4 cups of warm milk. Let that sit and activate for about 5 minutes. Next, add in 3 eggs and mix until well combined.

  2. Then add in 5 cups of white bread flour and 2 tablespoons of salt. Mix until all the dry ingredients has been absorbed. Be aware that this dough is very soft so if you need to put some flour dough to help you knead do so! Knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough starts to become nice and soft.

  3. Spread the butter on top of the dough and start to knead it in. I ended up adding it 1 cup more flour to help knead in the butter. Check out the video to see how I incorporate the butter by hand if you are having some trouble.

  4. Once it starts to feel more smooth, let it rest for 5 minute before kneading it again. Place it in a bowl and let it rise for about 1 – 2 hours.

  5. Once double in sized, split it into 9 rolls and let it sit for 5 minutes.

  6. Forming the rolls is quite easy. Flatten it out into a rectangle and roll it up while tucking and creating tension in the roll. Be sure to close the seam and then roll outwards to elongate the roll. See the video here to see how I did it!

  7. Place them on a parchment lined baking tray and be sure to place them 1/4 -1/2 inch in between. Let them proof for 1 – 2 hours or until they have doubled in size.

  8. Once they have doubled in size, give them an egg wash and sprinkle on some sesame seeds. Bake them in a preheat oven at 375 degrees farneehit for 20 minutes

Mark’s Hybrid Lobster Roll (Butter)

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of lobster meat

  • 2 tablespoons of melted butter, maybe more depending on the number of rolls your making

  • Homemade brioche buns

  • Sprinkle of seafood seasoning/lobster seasoning

Instructions:

  1. Start by grilling your brioche bun. Butter both sides and grill on a pan on medium heat.

  2. Take the cold lobster meat, stuff in the warm bun, and drizzle a little bit of butter over top.

  3. Take a lobster/seafood seasoning and sprinkle a little bit just over top and enjoy!!

Secret Lobster Seasoning

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon of paprika

  • 1 teaspoon celery salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard

  • 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions:

  1. Add all the seasoning above in a motor & pestle and grind up to combine.

  2. Place into a air tight container and save in your spice cabinet. Use when needed!

Maine Style Lobster Roll (Mayo)

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon of fresh parsley

  • 1 teaspoon of fresh dill

  • 1 teaspoon of basil

  • 1 stalk of celery

  • 1 1/2 cup of lobster meat

  • Lemon

  • 2 heaping tablespoon of homemade mayo

  • Homemade brioche buns

Instructions:

  1. Start by roughly chopping the parsley, dill, and basil. Next, dice the celery into small cubes just to give the lobster roll some crunch. Toss everything into the bowl with your chopped lobster meat.

  2. Squeeze in some lemon juice and add in your mayo. Mix to combine.

  3. Butter both sides of your lobster roll and grill on a pan on medium heat. Stuff your delicious mayo based lobster meat into your buttered and grilled brioche New England style buns and enjoy!

Homemade Mayo

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg yolk

  • About 1 cup of oil

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl add in 1 egg yolk and start whisking like a mad man.

  2. Slowly drip in your oil and whisk until the oil has been emlusified. Check out the video here to learn more!

  3. Continue this process and be sure to not add too much oil at one. You really want to make sure the oil has been absorbed before adding any more so that it doesn’t break.

By Alex Chung

Senior Food Writer at Pro Home Cooks

Published