BROWN BUTTER LOBSTER ROLLS
Brown butter lobster roll. It’s fun to say – and even better to eat. Lobster and butter is pretty much a no-brainer. When it comes to the lobster roll, the great debate (butter vs mayo) will probably go on forever, but I’m staking my claim here and now. I’ll take a rich buttery roll over its mayonnaise-y counterpart any day. Hands down.
Especially if it’s brown butter.
When I first tasted the brown butter lobster roll at Eventide Oyster Co in Portland, the first thing I did was order a second one. The delicious mix of succulent lobster and deeply browned butter piled high on a steamed bun was pure heaven. It became THE roll I measured all other rolls by. When Yankee Magazine published their recipe a few years ago I was surprised to see that the secret ingredient was……dried milk powder. Who knew? I’d never cooked with it, but now it’s something I keep on hand for when I want to wow guests with this super simple but totally unforgettable version of a Maine classic.
If you’ve never made brown butter before it’s best to use a light colored pan so it’s easy to gauge the color. You want a nice caramel color- not really “brown” (which would be more burned butter).
Eventide uses delicious house-made steamed buns, but any hot dog bun will do.
INGREDIENTS
(makes 4 rolls)
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8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
fresh lemon juice
sea salt
1 pound STEAMED LOBSTER MEAT
4 hot dog buns
snipped chives
- in a medium skillet melt the butter over medium heat until it starts to foam.
- whisk in the milk powder, and cook, stirring often until the butter begins to brown and it takes on a nutty aroma. Do your best to break up any solids, but don’t worry if there are a few bits of the milk powder remaining.
- When it’s a rich caramel color, pour the butter into a small bowl and add the lemon juice and salt.
- heat a grill pan and quickly toast the split buns until they take on nice char marks.
- wipe out the skillet and add the butter and lobster meat, cooking until it’s just heated through and the lobster has taken on the golden color of the butter.
- pile the lobster onto the split buns and top with the minced chives.
It’s that easy. I like to serve this with potato chips and Peeper Pale Ale from the Maine Beer Company in Freeport. If this doesn’t change the minds of those on the mayo side of the debate – nothing will!
If this doesn’t change the minds of those on the mayo side of the great lobster roll debate - nothing will!
[tasty-recipe id=”1728″]
