Make Your Own authentic Maine Lobster Roll Right at Home

Posted on May 15, 2020

Make Your Own authentic Maine Lobster Roll

There is nothing that says sunshine and sea as the taste of a specially prepared, fresh lobster roll on a toasted New England bun. Waterfront clam and lobster shacks have been serving up lobster rolls all summer. Now, you can make your own authentic Maine lobster roll right at home anytime of year.

Cape Cod, Ipswich, Massachusetts and the Maine seacoast are world famous for the lobster roll made with freshly caught lobster. The lobster meat, cooked to sweet perfection, is served overflowing a top loading bun. Add a side of chips, a cold beer and a sunny table, and you’re there. The recipe may vary a bit from town to town but it always begins with freshly caught lobster.

Jumbo Maine Lobster Roll on New England bun

A lobster roll from the Clam Box, Ipswich, MA

This longing for the opening of lobster-shack season was made all the more interesting when recently it was learned that Chuck Hughes, owner of the Garde-Manger Restaurant in Montreal, was named Food TV Iron Chef of America, in part because of his preparation of a good old Maine lobster roll. That’s right. The judges went crazy for his lobster roll!

For those of you who share our passion for the lobster roll but can’t go to Maine or Cape Cod, we decided to share Chef Hughes winning lobster roll recipe. We have only few hints to add.

The lobster must be fresh and healthy, so only order from a reputable lobster online dealer. Ask for a couple of females so that you can collect the lobster roe to make lobster butter. Steam or boil the lobster in a large pot of salted water and take care not to over cook. Overcooking will make the meat tough. When opening the cooked lobster, cut the meat into large chunks. And finally, make sure to pick a quality, top-loading bun.

It’s All About the Maine Lobster

Remember, it’s all about the lobster!

Here is Chef Hughes recipe, adapted from his cookbook Garde-Manger:

Maine Lobster Roll Recipe

Serves 4
For an added Iron Chef twist, feel free to add a smidgen of chopped dill.4 lobsters, weighing about 1 1/2 pounds (675 grams) each

2 tablespoons (30 mL) best-quality mayonnaise

2 scallions, cleaned and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 hotdog buns

Lobster butter (recipe follows)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lobsters for 6 minutes, and then plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Shell the lobsters and cut the flesh into large pieces. Combine the lobster with the mayonnaise and green onions. Season the mix to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

When serving: Butter the buns with the lobster butter, and toast them in a fry pan until golden. Divide the lobster mix among the four buns and serve immediately.

Lobster Butter Recipe

Makes 1 pound (450 grams)
Lobster butter keeps refrigerated for one month, or can be frozen for up to three.
1 pound (450 grams) unsalted butter, softened
Roe from one female lobster

In a large fry pan, melt the butter and whisk in the (roe) eggs. The butter will be red. Pour into a container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

© Wayne Howe 2016

Mother’s Day Maine Lobster Benedict Brunch Recipe

Posted on May 2, 2020

Coming fast, Mother’s Day 2020 is May 10th this year. So this time begin Mom’s special day with a Mother’s Day lobster brunch of homemade fresh Maine Lobster Benedict, a beautiful dish that is sure to make your Mother’s Day celebration very special indeed. As we like to say, flowers are great, but a Mother’s Day gift of lobster just tastes better.

The Maine Lobster Benedict recipe begins with fresh Maine lobster. You will need five one-pound lobsters to garner 1 pound of cooked lobster meat. You steam the lobster as usual and use a large chef’s knife to open the claws and tail to remove the meat. Of, if you prefer, you can buy one pound of freshly cooked Maine lobster meat. Just make sure the lobster is fresh.

The Maine Lobster Benedict recipe will provide four servings for a great Mother’s Day Brunch. The recipe includes preparing homemade Hollandaise Sauce:

Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients:

2 egg yolks
½ cup (1/4 pound) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Dash of cayenne pepper
Sea salt

Other Ingredients

4 English muffins
12 asparagus spears, steamed
1 pound cooked Maine lobster
1 tablespoon butter
8 eggs, poached

Prepare the Hollandaise Sauce:

Melt the butter in a double-boiler on top of the stove.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper.
Whisk the egg mixture into the melted butter, stirring constantly over heat until the sauce starts to thicken.
Season to taste with sea salt.
Remove the double boiler from the heat and keep the sauce warm over the hot water.

Prepare Maine Lobster Benedict:

Split and toast the English muffins and place 2 halves on a plate.
Cut the steamed asparagus spears in half, and place 3 halve-pieces on each English part of the English muffin.
Briefly sauté the pre-cooked lobster in 1 tablespoon of butter until it is heated, and add a portion of the heated lobster to each English muffin.
Poach the eggs and top each muffin half with a poached egg.
Add a dollop of the Hollandaise Sauce on top.

Note on the Hollandaise Sauce from Chef Tom Gutow: If the butter fat and egg yolks separate and the sauce appear to curdle, add a few tablespoons of hot water from the boiler and whisk like crazy to emulsify it. This will make the sauce smooth again.

© Wayne Howe 2020

Lobster Maine Steamed Lobster

Traditional Steamed Maine Lobster Recipe

Posted on April 29, 2020

STEAMED MAINE LOBSTER RECIPE

Outdoor cooking season leaves lobster chefs with the decision of either steaming or boiling lobster. The easiest way to cook, serve, and pick clean Maine Lobster is by boiling it. When it comes to steaming, this often gives the best results for eating. With a more gentle process of cooking lobster meat, steaming preserves its flavor and tenderness. This cooking technique makes it difficult to overcook the meat and can be forgiving with timing. Don’t wait to try this traditional steamed Maine lobster recipe.

How Long to Steam Maine Lobster Recipe?

Traditional Lobster Kettle

The first step is to obtain some freshly caught old shell Maine lobster that is available up to 2.5 pounds. Older shell lobsters are usually stronger and healthier with more meat than new shell lobster. When you choose the lobster that’s right for your meal use a big four to five-gallon kettle or pot with a tight lid and a bottom steaming rack. This size pot should be able to easily handle up to eight pounds of lobster. When placing the lobsters in the pot make sure to not crowd to avoid uneven results.

Begin cooking by adding two to three inches of sea water to cover the bottom of the pot. If you don’t have access to the Atlantic Ocean you can use filtered fresh water and add lots of sea salt; one to two tablespoons per quart.

Place the steaming rack inside the pot and use high heat to bring the water to a roiling boil. If you wish, you may remove the rubber lobster claw bands. One at a time, place the live lobster head first into the pot and cover. Start timing the lobster and do not overcook.

Lobster Steaming Times (Old Shell Weight)

1 pound, 8-10 minutes
1 ¼ pounds, 10-12 minutes
1 ½ pounds, 12-14 minutes
1 ¾ pounds, 15-17 minutes
2 pounds, 16-18 minutes
2 ½ pounds, 18-20 minutes
3 pounds, 20-30 minutes
5 pounds, 35-45 (or more) minutes

*If you’re using new shell lobster reduce time by 3 minutes.

Halfway through the allotted cook time, open the lid and move the lobster around in the pot. Shifting is important for an even cook. You may add a little more water if necessary. To determine when the lobsters are fully cooked the lobster shell will be bright red and the meat white.

What’s the best way to tell when the lobsters are done?

Large lobsters’ shell can be red but may not be fully cooked and lobsters on top of the pot may not have cooked as quickly as the ones on the bottom. A great way to see if your lobster is done is to give one of the lobster antennae a pull while in the steamer pot. If the antenna pops off it’s a good indicator of being fully cooked. You can also use tongs to remove one lobster and cut a small slice at the bottom of the tail to see if the meat is fully white.

Allow steamed lobster to drain for a minute since it will continue to cook for a minute even after it’s taken out of the pot. When setting a time keep this in mind to avoid overcooking. You may pierce the body and tail with a knife to help drain the water. Then serve right away with a side of melted butter and a slice of lemon.

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