Lobster Circus - Part One: Lobster Roll

Photo Via http://tomostyle.wordpress.com

Lobster Circus - Part One: Lobster Roll

My continuing slide into lobster hell...

This past weekend, I started getting one of my summer cravings. Unfortunately for my wallet, this craving happens to be lobster rolls. In the past, I've tried to mitigate the hit on my finances by substituting fresh lobster with frozen tails, adding a cheaper filler lobster, and even adding filler ingredients; none proved to be a huge relief cash wise or a good alternative to my recipe. This year, I decided to take another look at it. Instead of trying to stretch the lobster roll part, maybe I could make the leftovers into something great as well. 

There is an unbelievable amount of waste in terms of lobsters. Chefs integrate phrases like usable yield into their finances, and lobsters only have a usable yield of around 25% (if you're good at breaking them down) This means for every lobster you buy, you're unable to use three quarters of it, taking most of your loss in shell of the creature. With some tinkering and a few new recipes, I was able to get my usable yield to almost full, making lobster a little more financially viable for anyone out there with the same craving I have. Part two of this three-part series on lobster will focus on lobster bisque, and I still need to test part three in a few recipes, but let's call that experiment lobster powder. For now, Part one of this lobster-a-thon will focus on a famous New York City lobster roll.

Ed's on the left, Pearl on the right. Photo Via http://www.grubstreet.com

There are many New York City establishments that offer amazing lobster rolls. I've been lucky enough in my time here to have sampled all the heavy hitters, even working in one of the restaurants for six months (Take a guess if you want) Luke's Lobster, Mary's Fish Camp, Pearl Oyster Bar, Ed's Lobster Bar, and Red Hook Lobster Pound are the tops on my list, in no particular order of course. Of those lobster rolls, you'll notice a striking similarity between Mary's, Rebecca's (Pearl), and Ed's. This is because they're all the same, or as close to the same as recipes can be. Back around 2008, Ed was working for Rebecca at Pearl Oyster Bar as her Sous Chef. Around that time, Ed had aspirations of opening his new restaurant. Rebecca was on the rocks with her girlfriend, Mary, who also imagined herself opening up a restaurant. Something about the timing was off, as Ed gave his notice right around the time Rebecca and Mary were breaking up. Soon after, Mary's Fish Camp and Ed's Lobster Bar hit the scene and both featured a similar lobster roll to Rebecca's. I can only go off the snippets my old boss gave me of this story, and I'm sure there's a lot that I'm missing or misinterpreting, but there was a court case and an out of court settlement... all three restaurants are still operating.

So where does that leave me? Well, I helped my boss make their version of the infamous lobster roll plenty of times and more or less was able to recreate it. I won't be starting my rival chain of restaurants any time soon, but I do love sharing my recipe with my friends and family. Now, I'll share it with with my readers.

Ingredients (Two 6oz Servings):

• (2) 1 1/2 lbs Lobsters
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
• 1/4 cup Chopped Celery
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp Celery Seed
• 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
• Salt to Taste
• (2) Top-cut Hot Dog Buns
• Butter
• Chives to garnish

A pretty simple recipe, but it's all about the ratio. There's just enough fat from the mayonnaise to compliment the subtle lobster meat, and slightly more lemon juice adds an acidic kick while cutting out an overly fatty taste. The seasoning is perfectly balanced so not to overpower the lobster, but accentuate it. There's no more filler or stuffing than is completely necessary making this truly a lobster salad, not a salad with lobster. 

There are a few tips I have about assembling this recipe that I'll run through for everyone, starting with the lobster:

Procedure:

Get yourself two lobsters, assuming you're sharing with a special friend or a loved one. The recipe can be scaled up or down as necessary. Make sure the lobsters put up a fight--you want them to be lively when the fish monger goes to grab them. If they don't kick, claw, and bite at them like they're looking for retribution, then tell them to put it back. Some fish markets will precook lobsters for their patrons who don't want the hassle of cooking them... chances are they're picking the near-dead lobsters no one else wants. Do yourself a favor and do this yourself--your stomach will thank you.

Want a picture of a lobster fight? Why not Zoidberg? Photo Via http://futurama.wikia.com

The best thing to do if you're squeamish about killing lobsters is to give them a deep chill before running a knife through their head; don't just drop them in the pot. It's chef etiquette to dispatch a lobster before cooking them, and even though they wiggle and twitch a little bit after the deed is done, they're definitely dead. Throw them in at a rolling boil and cook covered for 13 minutes. If you're doing more than a few lobsters, do them in batches instead of increasing the cooking time; things get a little gray when it comes to  cooking multiple lobsters, so save yourself the trouble. Just make sure the water comes back to a rolling boil before the next batch. A good rule of thumb is when they float, they're cooked. When your lobsters are finished cooking, put them into an ice bath to shock and chill them.

Breaking down a lobster is a pain in the ass... I won't sugar coat it. Save yourself the embarrassment of using lobster crackers in lieu of a good pair of kitchen shears and the back of a heavy chef knife. Here's a step by step:

1. Twist off the tail
2. Break off the arm at the body, and repeat
3. Remove the knuckle from the claw, and repeat
4. Using kitchen shears, cut the shell of the tail from North to South without cutting the meat. Repeat on top and bottom of the tail and slide the meat out
5. Remove the smaller part of the claw
6. Using the back of a heavy chef knife, hit the claw about one inch above the bottom (where the knuckle was attached) on both sides of the claw. The claw meat should slide right out
7. Using kitchen shears, cut all the way around the knuckle from North to South and separate the shells revealing the meat.

Tail

Claws

There is some usable meat in the legs of the lobster if you want it, but I wouldn't use it in the lobster roll. If you want the meat, take a rolling pin and roll it from the claw to the opening. The meat should come out like toothpaste. This would be great as a garnish for a soup or salad.

Now that you have all the meat out of your lobster, you'll see there's not too terribly much of it... 25% to be exact. Wring out the excess water in the lobster. Save your shells in a Ziploc bag and freeze them for later--trust me, we'll get our money's worth soon enough.

Now come the additional ingredients. Prepare your celery by smacking it flat with your knife and chopping through it finely. Add your mayonnaise first, followed by your lemon. Taste at this stage and adjust the acidity. Add the black pepper, cayenne pepper, and celery seed to the salad and mix to combine. Save the salt for last--you may not need it. Cover your salad and set it aside until you're ready to eat. This can keep refrigerated for two days, but I doubt it will last that long. 

Add a good tablespoon or two of butter to a heavy sauté pan and heat until bubbling. Toast your hot dog bun on both sides until golden brown. Serve the lobster salad on a warm hot dog bun and garnish with chopped chives.

The Infamous Lobster Roll

The best accompaniments to a lobster roll are fresh cut french fries and a malty beer like a Newcastle or in my case, Brooklyn Brown Ale. I also boiled some asparagus to go along with it for a little splash of green. A lobster roll can sit next to any summer barbecue favorites such as potato salad, corn, or grilled veggies. Just make sure you make enough lobster rolls for all your guests... they will go fast. 

Why is this post called lobster circus anyway? Through working with lobsters, I've learned a few tricks... working long hours starts to take its toll in interesting ways. Two things I learned about lobsters are: you can put them in a trance by rubbing them gently on the shell between their eyes. This lobster hypnosis basically puts them to sleep. Then, if you're careful, you can stand them on their head. I've seen a chef make a pyramid by balancing three lobsters on each other, but I've never been able to recreate it. Take a look at this ridiculous British video.

- Adam from Tipped Mixology