The Perfect Lobster Roll

Notes from the Cooker, Traveler, Master Gardener and Serious Sipper of Creative Cocktails THE PERFECT LOBSTER ROLL

Our annual BOYZ weekend at my house is over, and it was a huge success. No small factor in that success was the food we all brought to the table. I made my lobster rolls, and got thumbs-up from all who tried them.

Last year, I was having dinner at The Boat House restaurant in Tiverton, RI, with my buddy, Lee, who lives in Maine half the year, and we started talking about what makes the perfect lobster roll.

Often, when you go to a restaurant and order one, they’ll first ask if you want it cold with mayonnaise or warm with butter. (A warm lobster roll with melted butter, we were told by our bartender, Cayce, is called “Connecticut style.”) The three of us discussed the mayonnaise-to-lobster ratio, and One of our favorite restaurants here in Rhode Island is Fluke Newport in…well…Newport. We’ve dined there for years, but big changes happened last summer when they hired a new chef. We met Chef Eddie Montalvo just after he had arrived at Fluke, and we were impressed with his new menu.

We came back for another visit just over a month ago, and meeting Eddie again, we thought we would invite him and his family to our home someday for a visit.

other significant factors. The final conclusion was that everyone likes their lobster roll a little differently.

It’s certainly easy to go to a clam shack or seafood restaurant to get one, but nothing beats making one yourself.

When I make my own lobster rolls, freshness is key. I always start with live lobsters. I get them from my lobster man buddy, Gary, just down the street at his dock in Tiverton, RI. Gary’s brother runs the Sakonnet Lobster Company on Sakonnet Point in Little Compton, RI.

Once you’ve bought your live lobster, the next step is to cook it right. Some people steam and some people boil. I’ve

Well, that “someday” is tomorrow, and the reality that I’m going to be cooking for a real chef for the first time in my life is making me a bit nervous! Ingredients: I went to Twitter for some help. Since I follow a number of chefs, I asked the question: 3 tablespoons brown sugar I’m cooking for a real chef for the first time. What’s the #1 tip you can give me? Only one 1 tablespoon Kosher salt chef answered, but it was none other than Andrew Zimmern, and he said simply: “Be yourself.” Be myself? Yeah…I think I can fake that!!!! 1 tablespoon ground coffee (use your favorite) So I started thinking…Chef Eddie works with seafood all day at Fluke. Skip that. He’s find. Lobster lovers will tell you that the legs have some meat in them and that the tomal1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon granulated onion Italian and makes amazing homemade pasta. Skip that. What do I love to cook and do pretty well…? Barbecue! always been a boiler myself. I fill a large pot half-way with water and add sea salt. I bring it to a rolling boil before the lobsters go in. And then I do the math… ley (the green liver and pancreas) and roe (eggs) are delicacies not to be missed. For the purpose of making lobster salad, I don’t use these parts. But I do save the tomalley and roe for a separate treat…and I save all the legs and cleaned empty shells for lobster stock. 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa I have a beautiful grass-fed Angus beef New Zealand brisket in my freezer. That’s what I boil my lobsters for 10 minutes for the first pound. I add 3 Cleaning lobster legs is easy: simply remove all the legs from the body and place them powder I need to make! A simple, comfort-food meal. Barbecued brisket…twice-baked sweet potatoes…a big old salad…and as an appetizer: my no-fail recipe for Oysters Rock-aFellow! (OK, I had to get a little seafood in there.) minutes per pound for each additional pound thereafter. For example, a 2-pound lobster should boil for 13 minutes and a 1 1/2-pound lobster should boil for 11 1/2 minutes. And if I’m boiling more than one lobster, the same rule applies: 3 flat on a cutting board. Grab a rolling pin, and one at a time, roll the pin over the lobster legs, starting at the claw end and working your way up. Like a tube of toothpaste, the meat will squeeze right out of the leg!

When I smoke my brisket low-and-slow in my smoker, I use a coffee steak rub that I developed a couple of years ago. It gives a 2-lb. lobsters = 6 pounds. So 10 minutes for the first pound, plus 3 minutes x 5 for each extra pound (that’s 15) for a Now for the important stuff. What goes in a lobster roll, and more importantly, what doesn’t… I have very strong opinions in this matter. deep, rich crust to the meat that is just fantastic. total of 25 minutes. (These times are for hard shell lobsters.

I reduce the boiling time by 3 minutes if I’m cooking soft- First, there should NEVER be anything green in a lobster roll! No celery, no pickle,

Depending on the size of the brisket, you might need to double the recipe. shell lobsters.) and it certainly shouldn’t be sitting on a bed of lettuce! Nothing should be crunchy in a lobster roll! The magic is in the texture of the perfectly cooked lobster meat. Don’t mess

If the brisket is frozen, I like to thaw it a couple of days ahead of cooking it, rubbing it down with the coffee rub, and placing it in Remember, you’re going by total weight of all the lobsters, because the more you have, the longer it takes the water to with it! the fridge for about 24 hours to rest. I bring it out about an hour before smoking, to let the meat come back to room temperature, return to the boil once you put them in. NO paprika or Old Bay seasoning! A pinch of celery salt? Yes! and then I place it in the smoker for about 12 hours at 225 degrees, smoking it with hickory wood.

A larger lobster is not always better. My uncle used to buy Mayonnaise? Only Hellman’s! White pepper, not black, and just a touch.

After the lobsters have been removed from the pot and have cooled for a few minutes, I get to work: cracking the claws and tail and removing every bit of beautiful meat I can When it’s done, I remove it from the smoker, and wrap in foil and let it rest at least 30 minutes before slicing diagonally against the grain of the meat. If I’m not serving it right away, I place the wrapped brisket in the oven at the lowest setting, about 150 the largest lobster he could find, and it was impressive when he placed at the center of the dinner table. But the meat was like rubber. And personally, I felt bad for the old lobster that Salt? A pinch of Fleur de Sel or other fine finishing salt. degrees, just to keep it warm. made it that far in life. His last days should’ve been in the And the secret weapon to bring out all the flavors: the tiniest squeeze of fresh lemon ocean, not on a plate. juice…not enough to give it lemon flavor…just to brighten the taste. My maximum lobster size is 2 lbs. But at 1 1/2 pounds, you have the perfect ratio of meat-to-shell…with lots of delicious meat that is still sweet and tender. It’s perfect.

When I’m ready to serve, I always slice the brisket on the bias, against the grain of the meat. As for the roll, you can’t go wrong with Martin’s potato long rolls: soft and squishy straight out of the bag, or to take a page from the Connecticut-style lobster roll lovers: lightly grill the rolls and brush them with a little melted butter!