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Lobster rolls are like the a Texan’s taco in the the North East. They’re a cultural experience and a fan favorite by anyone who can get their hands on them.
We know nothing can quite beat a Maine lobster roll, but if you’re not close to the coast and are craving this coveted north eastern roll, this recipe will hit the spot.
These lobster rolls are made with a sweet Hawaiian roll, fresh boiled lobster tails and tossed in a vibrant mayo dressing to make a mouth watering entree. Perfect for a summer pool party or when ever you’re craving lobster.
If you’ve never cooked lobster before, don’t worry!! We have a step-by-step guide below on how to cur and crack the lobster to remove all the delicious meat.
Mini Maine-Style Lobster Rolls
What You’ll Need
Lobster Tails: Feel free to cook a whole lobster, but we found that lobster tails were mostly available at most of our stores. They have a good amount of meat and are much easier than deshelling a whole lobster.
Mayonnaise: You can use whatever you have in your fridge, but our favorite is an olive oil based mayo because we like the flavor and how they don’t use seed oils.
Celery: Adds a nice crunch and a bit of salty sweet to the lobster roll filling.
Garlic Powder: Add a garlic flavor to the sauce.
Dijon: Dijon mustard has bit of a tangy flavor that tastes so good in the lobster roll dressing
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice enhances the flavor of the fish and also adds extra tanginess and acidity to the dressing. Because all dressings need a bit of acidity to enhance all the flavors.
Chives: Add a subtle onion flavor to the lobster roll fillings. They also add a pop of color.
Capers: We don’t add much extra flavor to the lobster rolls because we want the flavor of the lobster to shine, but we felt the rolls needed a bit of saltiness. Capers are super salty and tangy, so just adding a little bit will do the trick!
Hawaiian rolls: We prefer to make them homemade (see recipe below), but if you’re low on time or want something easy, store-bought Hawaiian rolls work just as well.
Recipe Snapshot
- Make Hawaiian rolls. (If you’re using store-bought, omit this step)
- Cook lobster and remove from shell.
- Make lobster roll dressing and add the lobster into the dressing and toss.
- Chill lobster filling in fridge to get cold while you finish making the Hawaiian rolls.
- Fill Hawaiian rolls with lobster filling, serve with side of chips or fries and enjoy!
More recipes you may like….
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Crispy Baked Tajin Garlic Parmesan Fries
Lobster Roll FAQ
What’s the easiest way to cook lobster tails?
Follow these steps for boiling lobster tails. It just takes about 10 minutes to have delicious fresh lobster ready for your rolls.
- Fill a large pot with water, generously salt and bring to a boil.
- Drop lobster tails in the boiling water and cover to cook for about 10 minutes.
- Lobsters should now be bright red. Remove with tongs and place on a cooling rack or plate to cool.
How do you remove lobster meat from shell?
Once the lobster meat has cooled enough to touch, you can remove the meat from the tails. Here’s a couple ways to remove lobster meat. You can choose what is easiest for you.
- Remove with a Fork
- Turn the fork upside down and place into the top of the shell where the meat meets the shell.
- Push the fork into the tail and wiggle to loosen the meat.
- Pull back to remove the fork and meat. It should come out in a swift motion.
- Cut the Shell and scoop out
- Using culinary scissors, cut down the underside of the lobster tail.
- Carefully pull the meat out of the shell.
Why did we use Hawaiian buns for our lobster rolls?
Typically lobster rolls are made with English style buns. But we love the sweetness and fruitiness of a Hawaiian roll and the flavors of both pair so well together.
If you don’t like Hawaiian rolls or prefer the traditional lobster roll recipe, then stick with an English style bun!
How do you make your own Hawaiian rolls?
Homemade Hawaiian rolls are far superior to their store-bought counterpart. The dough is a simple yeast dough with one secret ingredient…. PINEAPPLE JUICE!!
The pineapple juice gives the rolls that signature sweet and almost fruity flavor. If you have the time, we do recommend making them homemade because they taste so fresh and pair perfectly with the lobster rolls.
See recipe below for full details.
Mini Maine Style Lobster Rolls
A sweet Hawaiian roll, fresh boiled lobster tails and tossed in a vibrant mayo dressing.
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 6 lobster rolls 1x
Ingredients
2 lbs lobster tails (6–8 lobster tails)
2 tbsp mayonnaise (we love this avocado mayo)
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dijon
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp chives
1 tbsp capers, drained
Homemade Hawaiian Roll Dough
1/2 cup milk, warmed
1/2 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup pineapple juice, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, lightly whisked
4 1/2 bread flour
Egg wash: 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp water
Instructions
Homemade Hawaiian Roll Dough
(Takes 2 hours to rise)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm milk (make sure the milk is not warmer than 110ºF), yeast and sugar. Mix together and let it sit for 5 minutes to bubble.
- Then, add butter, pineapple juice, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and eggs. Mix together with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add two cups of flour to the bowl and mix until just incorporated.
- Add the dough hook on the stand mixer and mix the rest of the flour until a sticky dough begins to form. It should come together pretty quickly.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise for 2 hours.
- Once doubled in size, remove from fridge and preheat oven to 350ºF. Punch the dough down in the bowl and scoop it out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in half and then cut each half into 6 even pieces to make 12 rolls. Roll each piece into a ball.
- Place the dough balls on a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush with some egg wash and place in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on the top.Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
Cooking the Lobster
- Boil water in a large pot, salt water generously. Make sure the pot is filled with enough water to cover lobster tails. Once water is boiling, drop the tails in the water. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the lobsters are bright red.
- Using a pair of tongs, remove the lobsters from the boiling water and place them on a rimmed baking sheet or plate to cool.
- Once the tails are cooled, fork out the meat or cut open and tail each tail to remove the meat (See notes below). Discard the lobster shells.
- Chop the the meat into smaller pieces. Place the meat into a bowl.
- Add in the lobster roll sauce ingredients – mayo, diced celery, garlic powder, dijon mustard, lemon juice, chives and capers. Toss to coat and place in the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes.
Assemble the Rolls
- Once the rolls have cooked and cooled for a bit, Scoop some of the lobster mixture into each roll and sprinkle with a bit more chopped chives. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
2 ways to remove lobster roll meat:
Remove with a Fork
- Turn the fork upside down and place into the top of the shell where the meat meets the shell.
- Push the fork into the tail and wiggle to loosen the meat.
- Pull back to remove the fork and meat. It should come out in a swift motion.
Cut the Shell
- Using culinary scissors, cut down the underside of the lobster tail.
- Carefully pull the meat out of the shell.
- Prep Time: 30
- Hawaiian Roll Rise Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30
