Maine Lobster Roll (Lobster Salad on a Roll)

Here in Maine, to say there's much ado around the perfect lobster roll is an understatement of epic proportions. My first Maine lobster roll, while we were still vacation / visitors was at Sebago Brewing on Middle Street in Portland back in the 2000s: truth be told, it was my first ever lobster roll. My experience with lobster prior was either steamed or broiled or in a dish like Newburgh of Fra Diavolo.

Sebago served up a soft long bulky roll so loaded with lobster salad that you'd be tempted to eat it with a fork. As I recall, it was a $10 or $12 entree. Like many great things, the $12 lobster roll is a thing of the past, and while Sebago Brewing has several locations in Maine, the Portland Old Port is no longer among them.

The problem with that inaugural lobster roll is that it set the bar pretty high; when I had a subsequent lobster roll at some other 'more traditional lobster shack', you can imaging my disappointment when I was handed a top-split hotdog roll with a couple of forkfuls of lobster salad. That experience prompted me to start polling real Mainers (not transplants like me) to learn about the famed Maine lobster roll.

What Did I Learn About the Quintessential Maine Lobster Roll?

First and foremost I learned that opinions of the perfect lobster roll vary tremendously. As far as history, the sandwich (and yes, bottom line, it's just a sandwich) gained popularity after WWII because it was a nice 'portable' dish to serve up from roadside seafood shacks.

Unlike the Connecticut version that's served served warm and slathered with butter, the Maine version is served cold. And serving cold is pretty much the only common thread that every Mainer seems to agree on. The debate:

• Toast and butter the roll or not

• Add mayo to the lobster meat or not

• Yes or no to green things like celery in the mix or lettuce as a bed

• Spices or not

• And what about the lemon juice?

Lots to think about and none of the above are right or wrong, just a matter of preference.

In the nearly 20 years I've been living in Maine, there were two occasions when I feel like I earned some 'food cred': one time was with my baked beans (a recipe I'll share soon), and another was with lobster rolls. For one of our New Year's Eve parties about 10 years ago, I included my 'Jersey Girl' version of lobster rolls on the menu. One of our friends, Tina, a real Mainer, told me that my lobster roll was the best she'd ever had, and then was surprised that the recipe was from my head and not some other Maine native. THAT was an amazing compliment!

This recipe uses regular hotdog rolls, but when I make it for parties as finger-food, I use those small split-top finger rolls that you can get at the supermarket. Each one holds about a third of what you'd put into a hotdog bun. When I made the recipe for the photos for this post, I didn't have the split-top rolls so used traditional side-slit ones. I also decided to lightly butter and toast the bun.

THE RECIPE:

• 2 lb. cooked lobster meat chunked into 1/2“ or smaller pieces

• 1/4 c mayonnaise

• 3/4 c minced celery

• 1/4 c lemon juice

• Salt / pepper to taste

• 8 split-top hotdog rolls

  
  
  

  

  

  
  
  

I recommend placing the lobster meat in a mesh strainer to drain as much extra liquid as possible. I actually press it out with the back of a wooden spoon.

Whisk together mayo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper

Add chopped celery

Stir lobster into mayo mix

Spoon into rolls when ready to eat

If you're doing these for a party, make the salad ahead of time but don't spoon it into the rolls until the last possible minute.

And remember, this is really just salad, so don't hesitate to enjoy it sans the roll. There's a fun recipe for using various seafood and other salads coming soon too!