A seafood dinner at home

These photos follow our lobster rolls from the shells and picked meat through the dressing bowl and skillet to the finished plates. The filling has visible chunks of lobster, chopped celery and green chives, with chips alongside each roll.

We used Heidi Larsen’s lobster roll recipe at FoodieCrush as our guide. The reference quantities below are for four rolls, rather than a measured record of our photographed batch. Follow the source for its full recipe and variations.

Cooked lobster meat removed from the shells in a bowl
The lobster meat after shelling.

Make the rolls

Yield: 4 rolls. Plan: about 20 minutes starting with cooked, shelled lobster; cooking and picking whole lobster takes additional time. This is a planning estimate, not our measured preparation time.

Equipment: mixing bowl, skillet, slotted spoon, knife and cutting board.

Reference ingredients

  • 1 pound cooked lobster meat
  • ¼ cup finely chopped celery
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 4 split-top rolls

Method

  1. Check the cooked lobster for shell fragments and drain well. Cut into bite-size pieces.
  2. Combine celery, mayonnaise, chives, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper.
  3. Warm the lobster gently in 2 tablespoons butter for about 2 minutes. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and fold into the dressing.
  4. Wipe the pan; melt the remaining butter and toast the rolls on their flat sides, about 2 minutes per side.
  5. Divide the filling among the rolls and serve promptly.
Mayonnaise, chopped celery, chives, lemon zest and pepper in a glass mixing bowl
The dressing ingredients before mixing.
Chunks of cooked lobster warming in a skillet
The lobster in the pan before combining with the dressing.
Several plated lobster rolls with potato chips on our kitchen counter
Ready to bring to the table.

Notes for planning

This recipe starts with cooked lobster. Our photos also include shelling and an ice bath, but we did not record a lobster-cooking time or temperature. Use reliable cooking guidance if starting with raw lobster; do not use the brief warming step as a raw-seafood cooking method.

Allergens: crustacean shellfish, egg, milk and wheat. Check your mayonnaise and rolls for their full ingredient labels.

Keep the filling refrigerated until needed and assemble close to serving. Refrigerate perishable food within two hours, or one hour above 90°F. See FDA seafood handling guidance.

For more seafood at home, try our poached salmon platter or shrimp and corn chowder.