Lobster Roll
Key Details
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 55 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Lobster Sauce
White wine
Tarragon vinegar
Peppercorns
Shallots
Bay leaf
Fresh tarragon
Fresh thyme
Half-and-half
Chunked butter
Lemon juice
Salt
Lobsters
Fresh lobsters (for tail, claw, and knuckle meat)
Lobster Rolls
Hot dog buns (4)
Butter (for toasting)
Plain yogurt (for drizzling)
Chopped chives (for sprinkling)
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Mayo Mustard
Dried mustard
1 ½ teaspoons water
Lemon juice
Mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
Hot sauce
Salt (to taste)
Directions
For the Lobster Sauce
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer white wine, tarragon vinegar, peppercorns, shallots, bay leaf, tarragon, and thyme until nearly dry (about 10 minutes). Add half-and-half and reduce by two-thirds (5 more minutes).
Lower the heat to low and whisk in butter one chunk at a time, stirring vigorously until each piece is almost melted. Remove from heat, season with lemon juice and salt, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat until ready to use.
For the Lobsters
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath. Kill lobsters by placing them on their backs and inserting a knife tip into their heads between the antennae. Boil for 20 seconds, then immediately transfer to the ice bath to stop cooking.
Extract tail, claw, and knuckle meat (it will still be translucent and raw). Remove the “mud line” from tails and dice tail meat into bite-size chunks. Add all lobster meat to the warm sauce and slowly heat until just cooked through, stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from breaking. If it starts to separate, add a few drops of cold water and remove from heat briefly.
For the Lobster Rolls
In a skillet, toast the sides of the buns with butter until crispy and golden. Spoon the cooked lobster meat (and as much sauce as you like) into the buns. Drizzle with Mayo Mustard and yogurt, then sprinkle with chives. Serve with lemon wedges.
For the Mayo Mustard
Mix dried mustard with water and lemon juice until smooth. Whisk in mayonnaise, Dijon, hot sauce, and salt to taste.
Cook’s Note
Leftover lobster sauce works beautifully over baked potatoes or with grilled/roasted fish.
