Lobster Rolls with Crispy Ginger & Scallions

Happy summer, everyone! One of the things I love about summer is visiting the shore. Walking along the beach, fishing, and swimming are all at the top of my list of activities, but having great seafood always makes the experience that much better. And fresh lobster rolls are right up there! The last time I enjoyed a classic lobster roll was the end of last summer after fishing offshore with my cousins in Montauk, NY. The place was a no-frills seafood shack along the side of the road, and lobster rolls were freshly made with just the right amount celery, scallion, black pepper, and mayo. It was a great meal after a day of fishing before the long drive back home. So, when a couple of weeks ago, lobsters went on sale at our local supermarket–$7.99 a pound for the perfect sized lobsters, at 1¼ to 1½ pounds–I picked up 2 to try a new version of a great classic. I know that messing with classic eats is not always the best idea, but I think we hit a home run with this Asian-inspired Ginger Scallion Lobster roll! If you like our Cantonese-style Ginger Scallion Lobster, then this lobster roll will be a revelation.  In this recipe, I provide some pretty detailed instructions on how to prepare and cook live lobsters. That said, if you’d rather take a short-cut, you can probably find fresh cooked lobster at your local grocery store!

Recipe Instructions

This recipe serves 2 to 4 people. Scroll down for recipe card with full list of ingredients. Continue reading for detailed instructions with step-by-step photos.

How to Cook/Steam Lobsters

Keep the lobsters refrigerated until they are ready to be cooked. When it’s time to cook, bring 2 to 3 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large covered stock pot (it should be about 3 inches of water). Rinse the lobsters thoroughly, and remove the rubber bands around the claws.  Place both lobsters in the pot, with tails curled, belly side down. The lobsters should be sitting upright in the pot when you place them, and they should not be fully submerged in water. The lobsters should be placed quickly in the pot, which should then be covered immediately. After 11 minutes, carefully remove the cover and verify that the lobsters are bright red. There should not be any dark spots on the shells; if there are, that means the lobsters aren’t yet cooked through. Remove the lobsters from the pot with a pair for tongs, and place them into your sink. Give them a good rinse with water to help them cool down and to stop the cooking process. There’s nothing worse than an overcooked rubbery lobster with no recourse! You can also double-check that the meat is opaque (cooked) and not translucent when you crack the lobsters. When you rinse the lobsters, also rinse away the juices, which turn into a white solid when cooked. Prepare a large bowl of water, which you’ll need to rinse the lobster after you extract the meat. Next, transfer the lobsters one at a time to the cutting board. The lobsters should be warm but not too hot to handle. Give them another rinse to cool them further if required.

How to Shell Cooked Lobsters

I had Sarah take some detailed step-by-step photos on how to crack lobster at home. It takes a little practice and requires a sharp pair of kitchen shears, but it’s actually quite easy. The first step is to get your thumb under the lobster head shell and pull it off in one firm motion. Discard the shell. Next, hold the top half of the lobster with one hand, grab the tail with your other hand, and twist it off. You’re basically going for the tail and claw meat for your lobster rolls. But yes, there is more meat than that so just keep reading! There are three tail flippers at the end of the tail. Bend each one off one at a time, and pull it away from the main tail shell. If you’re careful, only the flipper shell will come off. If not, you may have to use kitchen shears to cut the flipper shell to get the meat from inside the tail flap. The meat on the tail should now be exposed on both ends, and you can push the tail meat out of the narrow back end of the tail using your thumb. Alternatively, just use the kitchen shears to cut the shell underneath the tail lengthwise, and open up the tail to pull out the tail meat. Next, twist off both claws from the main part of the body, and carefully bend the small bottom part of each claw until it detaches. Ideally, the shell and cartilage will come off, and you will be left with the meat only. Otherwise, you can extract the claw meat with a small fork or knife. Next, you can use a lobster cracker to break the shell, but I like using a cleaver to split the claw, expose the meat, and push the meat out of the shell. Again, the kitchen shear is your friend. The last step is extracting the meat from what I call the elbows, or the knuckles of the lobster, which I think is the most tender and sweet piece on the lobster. Simply use the kitchen shears to cut the shell lengthwise, and extract the meat. Now you should have two pieces of claw meat, two pieces of elbow meat, and a large meaty lobster tail. Rinse the meat off in the water bowl you prepared, getting rid of any of the white solids clinging to the meat. Shake off any excess water, and cut the lobster into bite sized pieces. Set aside. Repeat with the second lobster.   But what do you do with the main body of the lobster with the little legs? It is an awesome meal by itself, but it does take some time to enjoy it–it’s like eating a Maryland blue claw crab. First, give it a good wash in the water bowl and you will find there is meat right on top if the lobsters are in season. The green paste is the tomalley, which is a bit of an acquired taste. You can give it a try or, if you don’t like it, just discard it and give the body a good rinse. Remove the inedible gills on both sides of the body. I like to cut the lobster lengthwise and eat it that way, picking the meat out of the shells.

How We Cracked Lobsters for Restaurant dishes 

For some fun and nostalgia for me and entertainment for you, we shot a short video of how I used to crack lobsters in the restaurants where I worked. Don’t try this at home, because it can be dangerous using the cleaver. Leave this method to the professionals! During the busy summers at the restaurants, we steamed dozens of lobsters a few times a week for stir-frying, so I had a lot of practice. I look a bit rusty in the video, since it’s been a while since my restaurant days. Usually it takes one or two to warm up and them the rhythm flows until the last one is done. It’s like riding a bicycle–you never forget!

Assemble Your Lobster Rolls

Start by heating three tablespoons of oil in a small pot using low heat. You can test the temperature by adding in a sliver of ginger, which should sizzle and bubble. Add 1 tablespoon of the finely julienned ginger and let fry slowly until golden brown, which should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or strainer and transfer the crispy ginger to a plate lined with paper towels. Fry 1/3 of the julienned scallion in the same way, and transfer the scallion crisps to a plate. Watch the heat closely, and turn the heat down during frying if needed so you don’t burn them. Pour off the excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot, and add the remaining ginger and scallion. Stir for about 30 seconds until sizzling, and add 1 tablespoon butter and the soy sauce. Once the butter is melted, remove from the heat. Once the scallion ginger mixture is cooled completely, transfer to a bowl with the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and half of the chives. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined. For those of you who don’t like mayonnaise, just add another tablespoon of butter, eliminate the mayo and the rice vinegar, and you’ll have a lighter version with arguably a more intense soy butter flavor. I like it both ways! Fold in your lobster meat until everything is well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside. If you want to add a fresher onion flavor to the mixture, you can also throw on some chopped fresh scallions. We used two long brioche rolls to make two large servings, which we cut in half to feed four, but if you’re hungry, this recipe can serve two. Brioche rolls are heavenly, so get them if you can, or you can try using potato rolls.  Brush the brioche rolls with your last tablespoon of soft or melted butter and lightly toast them in a skillet or cast iron pan. Split them open on a plate, and fill each one full of your Asian lobster salad. Garnish with the fried ginger and scallion and the remaining chives, and serve. Enjoy these tasty Asian lobster rolls folks! We served ours with lots of crunchy veggie chips.