Lobster roll
Cold chunks of fresh lobster in a light dressing of mayonnaise and lemon, piled into a butter-toasted split-top bun. The Maine way.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Treat yourself$28+ USD · indicative, not a store price
About
This is the Maine lobster roll: cooked lobster meat cut into large chunks, dressed with just enough mayonnaise to hold it together, a squeeze of lemon, a little finely diced celery for crunch, salt and pepper, then served cold in a hot bun. The bun matters. A New England split-top bun has flat, crustless sides that get buttered and toasted in a pan until golden, so the outside is warm and crisp against the cold filling. Cook the lobster yourself if you can, and do not overdress it. You paid for lobster, not mayonnaise. Connecticut does it differently: warm lobster tossed in melted butter, no mayonnaise at all.
What you'll need
9 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Filling
- Rolls
Ingredients
Filling
- Lobster, live, about 700 g each, or 450 g cooked lobster meat3
- Salt, most of it for the cooking water30 ml
- Mayonnaise80 g
- Lemon juice9.9 ml
- Celery, stick, very finely diced (optional)1
- Black pepper1 pinch
- Chives, finely chopped (optional)15 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Put the lobsters in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to make them sluggish. Bring a large pot of water to a hard boil with most of the salt. Plunge the lobsters in head first, cover, and cook 10 to 11 minutes from when the water returns to the boil, until the shells are bright red and an antenna pulls out easily. Move them to a bowl of iced water for five minutes.
40 min
Watch: Leave the bands on the claws until the lobsters are cooked.
Step 2
Twist off the tails and claws. Cut down the underside of each tail shell with scissors and pull out the meat in one piece; crack the claws and knuckles with the back of a heavy knife and pick out every bit. Pull out the dark vein along the tail, cut the meat into 2 cm chunks and pat dry.
15 min
Step 3
Fold the lobster gently with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery, a pinch of salt and the pepper, just until coated. Taste: it should taste of lobster first. Chill for 15 minutes while you toast the buns.
15 min
Step 4
Spread the butter on the flat outer sides of the buns and toast them in a frying pan over medium heat for one to two minutes a side, until golden.
4 min
Step 5
Open the buns, pile in the lobster, scatter over the chives and serve at once, with chips and a pickle if you want the full shack plate.
2 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 761 kcal
- Protein
- 128.2 g
- Carbs
- 7.8 g
- Fat
- 24.5 g
- Saturated fat
- 7.2 g
- Fibre
- 1.1 g
- Sugar
- 1.5 g
- Sodium
- 4231 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Shellfish
- Eggs
- Wheat
- Milk
- Pescatarian
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.
Substitutions
Live lobsters → 450 g cooked lobster meat, fresh or frozen
Thaw frozen meat overnight in the fridge and drain it very well, or the dressing turns watery.
Split-top buns → Brioche hot dog buns
Richer and sweeter. Trim the sides flat and toast them the same way.
Tips
- Connecticut style: warm the picked meat gently in 60 g melted butter without letting it sizzle, and pile it into the toasted buns with a squeeze of lemon. No mayonnaise, no celery.
- Split-top buns are a New England bakery item, reportedly first made for Howard Johnson's clam rolls. Elsewhere, slice a thin strip off each side of soft hot dog buns or brioche rolls so they toast flat.
- Keep the shells and bodies for a stock. They make the base of a good chowder the next day.
History & culture
Lobster rolls are summer food on the New England coast, sold from roadside shacks and harbour-side counters with a bag of chips and a pickle. Prices move with the catch and are written up on whiteboards. Maine and Connecticut people argue over mayonnaise and butter with real feeling, though plenty of shacks offer both.
Lobster was so plentiful in colonial New England that it was treated as poor food; the story goes that servants complained about being fed it too often. The roll is a 20th-century roadside invention. Perry's, a restaurant in Milford, Connecticut, is credited with serving hot buttered lobster on a bun around 1929, and the cold mayonnaise version spread along the Maine coast after the Second World War.
Traditional — Maine style is cold lobster with mayonnaise; Connecticut style is warm lobster with butter, given in the tips. In Maine people argue about the celery too, and some shacks use none. A lettuce leaf in the bun is a restaurant habit, not a shack one.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Lobster roll take?
1 hr 25 min all in — 30 min prep, 15 min cook, 40 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 rolls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Shellfish, Eggs, Wheat, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Pescatarian, Nut-free.
8 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Treat yourself — about $28+ USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Stockpot, Tongs, Chef's knife, Cutting board, Mixing bowl, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tbsp (most of it for the cooking water).
What can I use instead?
Live lobsters → 450 g cooked lobster meat, fresh or frozen. Thaw frozen meat overnight in the fridge and drain it very well, or the dressing turns watery. Split-top buns → Brioche hot dog buns. Richer and sweeter. Trim the sides flat and toast them the same way.
What should I watch for?
Leave the bands on the claws until the lobsters are cooked.
Any tips from this recipe?
Connecticut style: warm the picked meat gently in 60 g melted butter without letting it sizzle, and pile it into the toasted buns with a squeeze of lemon. No mayonnaise, no celery. Split-top buns are a New England bakery item, reportedly first made for Howard Johnson's clam rolls. Elsewhere, slice a thin strip off each side of soft hot dog buns or brioche rolls so they toast flat. Keep the shells and bodies for a stock. They make the base of a good chowder the next day.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Keep the shells and bodies for a stock. They make the base of a good chowder the next day.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
