Serious Eats: Recipes
Cook the Book: Lobster Rolls
[Photograph: Caroline Russock]
There's something about the high-low combination of the Lobster Roll that has always appealed to me. Lobster, a classically decadent and pricey ingredient is served in a lowly hot dog bun, garnished with nothing more than some mayonnaise and butter. It's also a fiercely regional sandwich, with New England written all over it. There's the abundance of lobster paired with the uniquely New England top-sliced hot dog buns. But truth be told, for as much as I've enjoyed the idea of lobster rolls, I've never experienced one for myself.
Thumbing through the pages of Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, I came across a recipe for lobster rolls adapted from Edible Cape Cod. I decided that since a trip up to New England wasn't in the cards, a homemade version was in order.
My lobster rolls weren't exactly authentic, with no top-sliced buns to be found and lobsters from Chinatown, but they were undoubtedly delicious. The giant chunks of boiled lobster mixed with a homemade mayonnaise served on buttered and toasted rolls was rich beyond belief, and borderline too much to handle but a few drops of hot sauce mixed into the mayo cut right through the intense creaminess.
Aside from being a special treat dinner, these lobster rolls made me think that a trip up to New England is in order this summer to experience the real-deal ones at the rocky beaches, split-top buns and all.
Win Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods to give away this week.