Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Lobster Rolls
A lobster roll should give you plenty of lobster in that first bite, tucked into a warm, buttery bun. Crisp celery and lemon keep the creamy filling lively. Fill the toasted rolls generously, add green onion and squeeze a little lemon over yours if you like.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner · Lunch
- Primary protein
- Seafood
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Mix the filling first
Toss lobster with celery, half the green onions and dressing ingredients, then set aside while toasting buns.
2. Toast both buttered sides
Spread butter on both sides of the buns and toast each side in the skillet until golden.
3. Save green onion for garnish
Only half the chopped green onions go into the filling; keep the rest for the filled rolls.
Get to know the ingredients
Cooked lobster meat
Use steamed lobster tail meat removed from its shell and chopped before making the filling.
Finely chopped celery
Chop the celery finely before mixing it with the lobster so the filling has small crunchy pieces.
Top-split buns
Use New England top-split buns, or regular buns if that's what you have.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Lobster Rolls
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Fill and pass the lemon
Fill the golden buns with lobster mixture, scatter over reserved green onion and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
A little more help as you go
Shelling needn't be tidy
Lobster meat will be chopped, so it needn't come from the shell intact.
Lobster can be prepared ahead
You can prepare the lobster meat a day in advance and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container.
A few questions you might have
How are the tails steamed?
Steam them covered above boiling water for the full eight-minute cooking period, without opening the lid.
Does the lemon juice go into the filling?
Yes, toss the freshly squeezed juice with lobster, mayonnaise and seasonings. The wedges are separate for serving.
Can I make the entire roll ahead?
Rolls are best fresh; lobster meat can be stored airtight in the fridge for a day or two.
Do I butter the buns before or after toasting?
Spread butter on both sides first, then toast those buttered sides in the skillet until golden.
Is the lobster warmed in the skillet?
The skillet step is for the buns; fill them with the prepared lobster mixture after toasting.
Any more cooking tips?
Steaming Lobster Tails: Pour 1 inch of water in the bottom of the steamer cooker, then place the steamer insert inside the pot, make sure it’s above the water level. Bring to a boil. Place the lobster tails on the steamer rack and cover the pot. Steam for 8 minutes, without opening the lid. When the lobster shell turns bright red, then you know the lobster is cooked through. A lobster cracker or a heavy knife will make removing the meat from the tail much easier. You don’t have to get all the meat in one piece since we will be chopping it up anyways! If you don’t feel like making New England hot dog buns, regular buns will work! But trust me when I say you’ll want the New England style buns. The lobster meat can be made a day in advance, so you can prep the buns and the filling ahead of time to make this recipe even easier! Lobsters rolls are best served fresh, however you can store the lobster meat for a day or two in the fridge in an airtight container.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: jocooks.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
