Simple Lobster Recipes: Steamed Lobster, Lobster Rolls and Lobster Stock
Good lobster needs very little help. These three recipes cover a classic whole-lobster dinner, the two main styles of lobster roll, and a stock that uses up the shells.
1. Steamed lobster with lemon butter
Serves 2. 2 live lobsters (about 1¼ lb each), 2 tbsp sea salt, 60 g (4 tbsp) butter, 1 lemon, chopped parsley.
- Put about 2 inches of water and the salt in a large pot with a rack, cover and bring to a hard boil.
- Add the lobsters, cover tightly and steam until the shells are bright red and the meat is opaque, a little longer than the boiling times in our cooking guide.
- Meanwhile melt the butter with a squeeze of lemon and the parsley.
- Rest the lobsters for a couple of minutes, crack the claws and split the tails, and serve with the lemon butter and lemon wedges.
2. Lobster rolls, cold or warm
Makes 4 rolls. About 450 g (1 lb) cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks; 4 split-top or soft hot-dog buns; butter for toasting.
Cold style: mix the lobster with 2–3 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 finely diced celery stalk, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Chill.
Warm style: warm the lobster gently in 3 tbsp melted butter for a minute or two, just until hot. Do not let it boil or it will toughen.
Butter the outsides of the buns, toast them in a pan until golden, fill generously and serve straight away.
3. Lobster shell stock
Save the shells and bodies after a lobster dinner (remove the feathery gills). Rinse them, roast at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes, then simmer in a pot with a chopped onion, carrot and celery stalk, a spoonful of tomato paste, a bay leaf and enough water to cover for about 45 minutes. Strain and use it for bisque, risotto or seafood chowder, or freeze it for later.
Tips
- Use cooked meat within a day or two, or freeze it; see how to freeze lobster.
- Cold lobster meat is easier to cut neatly than warm meat.
- Season lightly: lobster is already naturally salty, as our nutrition page explains.