Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls

Connecticut-Style Hot Lobster Rolls (It's Not My Best)

Many places will steam lobster for you in-store so you can take them home and extract the meat, but you can also do it yourself. This recipe leaves the ethics of lobster meat up to you. It assumes you are starting with a cooked lobster.

Ingredients

2-4 lobsters, about 1 1/2 pounds each (one lobster per person)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

Top-split hot dog buns

1/4 cup finely sliced chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. As soon as the lobster is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shell using kitchen shears, lobster crackers, and/or the back of a heavy cleaver to help crack the shells (it's okay if the meat gets a little mangled). Reserve the legs and shells. Roughly chop meat into bite-size pieces and set on a double layer of paper towels to drain.

2. Buns can be prepared either in the toaster oven or on a stovetop. To do on a stovetop, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Swirl to coat the pan. Add buns with one cut side down. Cook, pressing gently on the buns and moving them around the pan until they are golden brown on the first side. Remove from the pan, add another tablespoon of butter, and toast the second side.

3. Melt remaining butter in skillet over medium heat. As soon as the butter is melted, add the lobster meat. Cook, tossing constantly and using a spoon to gently fold the meat and butter over each other in the skillet until the lobster is mostly opaque (the butter should not sizzle), about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and distribute evenly to toasted buns.

4. Add the remaining lobster shells to the pan and saute over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Spoon lobster butter over the lobster meat, garnish with chopped chives, and serve.