Mini Lobster Rolls
| Serves | 2 |
|---|---|
| Menu Part | Sandwich/Wrap |
Chef Jimmy Papadopoulos
Bellemore Restaurant
Chicago
Chef Jimmy Papadopoulos uses new shell lobster meat to fill these Maine-style sandwiches. These are lobsters that shed their hard shells in late summer and begin growing into a new shell in the early fall. Their meat is tender and sweet, and this sandwich build highlights that flavor and texture, as it’s simply layered with mayonnaise and butter on slightly sweet Hawaiian rolls.
Ingredients
3 tbsp. salt
1 live lobster (1 lb.)
2 Hawaiian rolls or brioche
Mayonnaise
1 lb. butter, melted
Pinch sea salt
2 lemon wedges
Steps
1. Bring 1 gallon water to a boil; add salt. Add the lobster and boil for 6 to 7 minutes. Plunge lobster into a large ice bath to stop the cooking.
2. Remove lobster from ice bath and pat dry. Separate the claws and tail; reserve body meat for soup or salad. Shuck the meat from the claws and tail; pat dry. Split tail meat in half. Refrigerate lobster until ready to assemble sandwiches.
3. Warm butter in small saucepan. Gently submerge lobster meat in butter to poach.
4. With slotted spoon, lift lobster from butter.
5. Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise lightly across cut sides of rolls; gently toast the rolls. Stack the lobster meat on the rolls, adding more mayonnaise, if desired. Sprinkle lobster with sea salt and garnish with lemon.
Photograph courtesy of Maine Lobster Commission