7/22/1998
THE WORLD-FAMOUS
MAINE LOBSTER ROLL
1 batch traditional
lobster salad (see below)
6 New England-style hot dog buns
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Pickles and potato chips
Prepare lobster salad and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat. A black cast-iron pan is perfect.
Lighly butter
both sides of each bun. Place in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, until
golden brown. Turn buns over and toast the other
side. Or toaste the buns under a broiler instad.
When buns are
ready, stuff them with chilled lobster salad. Place each roll on a small paper
or china plate, granish with pickles and potato
chips. Serve at once. Makes 6 lobster rolls.
Lobster should
be boiled in fresh ocean or tidal water. It is the briny-sweet taste of the
sea that is so intensely satisfying and sensually
stimulating. Boiling a lobster in the clean ocean water it came from produces
this flavor experience better than any other cooking method.
When ocean
water is not available, heavily salted fresh tap water is fine, but it never
fully captures the flavor of the sea. When no ocean
water is available, I usually recommend steaming, which produces a pure lobster
flavor.
TRADITIONAL
LOBSTER SALAD
1 pound cooked lobster
meat (or 5 pounds live lobsters)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
½ cup mayonnaise or tarragon mayonnaise
3 small scallions, white and most of the green parts, thinly sliced
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
If using live lobsters, steam or boil them, let cool, then remove the meat and cut into ½ -inch dice.
Place the cucumber in a colander for at least 5 minutes to drain the excess liquid.
Combine the
lobster, cucumber and mayonnaise. If the salad is to be served within the hour,
add the scallions. If not, add them 30 minutes
before serving. Season with salt if needed, and pepper. Cover with plasticwrap
and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serves 6 for sandwiches or as a light entree.
Note: Jasper
makes homemade mayonnaise, adding 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
for a cup of mayonnaise. You could also add
chopped cooked roe (2 tablespoons per half cup mayonnaise), finely diced tomato
(4 tablespoons per half cup) or chopped hard-boiled egg
(one egg per half cup). One tablespoon freshly chopped Italian parsley tastes
good with any of the added ingredients.
-- Lobster at Home by Jasper White
