New England Lobster Rolls

5 from 5 votes

A delicious blend of succulent lobster meat, creamy dressing and buttery rolls, these New England Lobster Rolls are the quintessential summer dish!

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Course: Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 344kcal

Dice the cooked lobster meat into big pieces. Mix the mayonnaise and lemon juice together in a bowl. If making homemade mayonnaise, follow instructions for Lemon Chive Mayonnaise below.
Mix the lobster with mayonnaise, adding just enough mayo to coat the lobster and hold it together. Gently stir in the celery and chives. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
To toast the buns, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. When butter is melted, add the buns and brown for 30 seconds to a minute on each side until golden brown.
Spoon generous amounts of the lobster mixture into the toasted buns. Serve immediately with a cold beer or lemonade on the side!

To make the mayonnaise, place the egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.
Mix the canola and olive oils together in a measuring cup.
While constantly whisking the egg mixture in the bowl, slowly pour in the oil, drop by drop, until an emulsion forms. Continue to whisk as you very slowly pour the oil into the bowl in a thin stream. If the mixture gets too thick, add the water to thin it out. Once about half of the oil is mixed in, you can pour the rest of the oil in a little faster. When all of the oil is in, you should have a smooth mixture with a consistency slightly looser than store-bought mayonnaise.
At this point, taste the mayonnaise and season it to taste with salt and more lemon juice if desired. Stir in the chives. Store any extra mayonnaise in an airtight container in the refrigerator for no more than a few days.

The best type of lobster meat to use for these New England lobster rolls is claw and knuckle meat. They have a nice red color, are already portioned into chunks, and are more tender than tail meat. You can also use lobster tail meat but it's more expensive and has a firmer, snappier texture.
You can buy cooked lobster from the fresh seafood counter at the grocery store or buy premium frozen lobster meat online. You can also buy a whole lobster and cook it yourself.
The classic bread used for lobster rolls is a split-top bun (also called top sliced), which is sliced down the top rather than the side. It has straight-up, white sides (rather than having a brown crust on the sides), which are perfect for coating in butter and toasting in a skillet. You can find split-top buns online. If you can't get them, you can substitute regular hot dog buns (the closest substitute would be Pepperidge Farm split-top buns) or you can use brioche buns or round rolls.
Add just enough mayonnaise to lightly coat the lobster meat. You don't want to drown the lobster in too much mayo and end up with a soggy lobster roll!
Serve the lobster roll immediately while the bun is hot and toasty. Wash it down with a cold beer or lemonade!