In Search Of The Perfect Lobster Roll
From Maine to Connecticut
Background
I grew up in Boston and as a kid spent summers sailing up and down the Maine coast with my parents. I used to go snorkeling and catch crabs with my bare hands in shallow water, but they did not have much meat so I knew I had to go for lobster - but I had to put on a scuba tank. It was hard to catch them, but one day I bobbed up to the surface triumphantly brandishing my lobster tool and bag with a beautiful lobster...but there was Dad who had swapped 6 Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans that cost $.33 cents each for 6 lobsters. Dad thought we got the better deal and the lobstermen thought they got a steal and everyone was happy but me because my hand caught lobster was ignored in the fray. We cooked them on a BBQ grill on the back of the boat and were happy as could be. The downside of this is that we never went on-shore to have a lobster roll. At home, we would buy lobsters at Legal´s Seafood and conduct slow motion lobster races before popping them into the steamer.
In my old stomping ground in Boston’s North End - Neptune Oyster Bar opened in 2004 and while devouring the entire roll in four bites….I wondered - “Where have lobster rolls been all my life?”.
So, I decided to go back and make up for lost time and investigate New England lobster rolls. For this adventure I recruited the incredibly knowledgeable Mark Wiens (Phoenix, Hawaii, Thailand) and the incredibly beloved Jessica Hirsch from New York / Miami in search of the perfect lobster roll.
There are many best lobster roll lists available online but there is a lack of a feature based approach into what makes a great lobster roll and why. So team “lobstah” travelled through 5 New England coastal states in search of the perfect lobster roll consuming over 70 lbs of lobster in 6 days. We consumed steamed, boiled and roasted lobsters to understand the individual components that make one roll better than another. And here it is: the first ever user guide to help you find your favorite lobster roll.
New England lobster vs other lobsters
There are terrific lobsters from around the world like the legendary Breton Blue Lobsters from Brittany - description - but for a lobster roll there is nothing quite like a live New England lobster (clawless spiny lobsters need not apply).
We tried lobster rolls in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Vermont was left out due to a lack of ocean access.
Maine
McLoons - South Thomaston
Red’s Eats - Wiscasset
Booth Lobster Wharf - Boothbay
Day’s Crabmeat and Lobster - Yarmouth
Bite Into Maine - Cape Elizabeth
Lobster Shack at Two lights
The Clam Shack - Kennebunk
Footbridge Lobster - Ogunquit
Bob’s Clam Hut - Kittery
New Hampshire
Markey’s Lobster Pound - Seabrook
Brown’s Lobster Pound
Massachusetts
Woodman’s - Essex
Neptune Oyster - Boston
Legal’s Seafood - Boston
James Hook & Co.
Rhode Island
Champlin’s - Narragansett
Connecticut
Abbott’s in the Rough- Noank
Lobster Landing - Clinton
The Place - Guilford
Conclusion: New England lobsters are ideal for lobster rolls up and down the coast.
Summer vs Winter
Lobsters are easier to catch in the summer but really are steady year round in terms of flavor with the big difference being whether they have shed shells or not. So from a taste perspective there is no material seasonal difference. However, as we mention below, eating a lobster seaside is best and that is best enjoyed during warm weather with views of the ocean.
Conclusion: Lobster rolls are better in the summer.
Hard vs Soft shells
Lobsters shed their shells annually as they grow and therefore can be harvested soft or hard depending on the season. While most customers are unaware of the kind of lobsters they are getting - there is a considerable difference between hard and soft shells (shedders). Customers may not know but the lobster community is nearly unanimous that shedders are sweeter and more tender than hard shells and that hard shells are meatier and less watery. We tried a number of side by side comparisons and agreed that the soft shells were tastier in general but the hard shells served at McLoons were exceptional.
Conclusion: Soft shells are better for rolls but hard shells are better for dinners.
Large vs Small lobsters
Conventional wisdom is that small lobsters are sweeter and more tender than large lobsters. That was not our experience. We found a range of outcomes that included large and small lobsters that differed more by cooking technique (steamed vs boiled) rather than size. In New Hampshire at Markey’s we had a 7 lbs blue lobster whose claw was a bit chewy but whose tail and knuckles were as good as any smaller lobster we tried.
Conclusion: Both small and large lobsters can be delicious if cooked correctly
Male vs Female
There is no discernible taste difference between female and male lobster meat. Females have wider tails and male have bigger claws - BUT the female lobsters may provide the delicious red egg roe that some aficionados love.
Conclusion: Female lobsters with roe are best!
Tails vs. Claws vs Knuckles
Many lobster lovers debate whether the tail or claw is better and really that is a preference thing. Tails are more consistent while there are better (fatter) and worse (scrawnier) claws. We believe an excellent claw is as good as an excellent tail. There is also a pro tip where with a freshly boiled or steamed lobster, if you carefully break the claw from the knuckle - you can drink the lobster “juice” directly from the claw like a shot. This is exhilarating. However, the best bite - if you are willing to work for it - is the knuckle. While stopping at the Clam Shack in Kennebunk, Chef Steve blew us away with mini - knuckle cups.
Conclusion: Knuckles, tails and claws in that order although - beware - a knuckle sandwich would cost you $40!
Lobster Shots Pro Move - Demonstrated in this video
Break the claw off at the body - then break the knuckle of the claw leaving a wide spout pointing skyward. Then toss back the claw like a shot to drink the lobster juice and seawater. While looking skyward - pump the small claw to push out all of the lobster broth.
Conclusion: Learn this move
Boiled vs Steamed (and Roasted)
After trying multiple lobster steamed or boiled side by side and seperately roasted - we concluded that steamed lobsters are the way to go. Steamed lobster allows maximum retention of natural lobster juice with less seeping out into a boil. Lobsters boiled in seawater are also great and are best for the aforementioned “lobster claw shot”. BBQ lobster is really quite different and are served whole not in rolls in wonder-spots like Cabbage Island Clambake in Booth Bay and The Place in Connecticut but these are not used for lobster rolls so let’s move on. Confusion arises with lobster rolls because the volumes are so high that places that steam live lobster source pre-picked lobster meat from central commissaries in Canada, Northern Maine or Portland. Some claim to be steamed while most are boiled because it is faster and easier. It is difficult to confirm where the picked meat is coming from as the bigger the operation, the higher the likelihood of multiple sources with differing preparation.
The reality is most suppliers and consumers don’t know (and don’t care). The pro move is to go to a place like Footbridge Lobster in Ogunquit with steaming caskets and ask them to steam your live lobster, dunk it in ice water for 20 seconds and then crack, pick and pack your roll right in front of you!
Conclusion: Steamed lobsters are better than boiled and roasted is not a roll
Hot vs Cold
Tricky one. One of our favorite rolls was steamed and then chilled while the other favorite was boiled and warmed in buttery seawater. This is choosing between two high class options: Maine cold with Mayo and Connecticut warm with butter?
Conclusion: Freshly steamed, chilled and served with warm butter please!
Maine vs Connecticut
This a big one. Historically, Maine is chilled lobster with mayo and Connecticut is warm lobster with butter and this remains a good reference point as you evaluate lobster rolls. Along our tour, we saw these stereotypes both holding and breaking down as all manner of variation exist across New England. Connecticut sticks by it’s guns and rarely offers mayo while Maine offers more variation with lobster rolls that have been very lightly brushed with mayo, drizzled with butter and ½ and ½ butter and mayo. In Maine all manner of chilled lobster is also served with butter.
Conclusion: Overall if forced to choose - we would choose chilled lobster on a toasted roll with warm, drizzled butter which is neither Maine nor Connecticut.
Butter vs Mayo
As mentioned above, Maine (mayo) vs Connecticut (butter) remains a valid starting point but this is now shipwrecked as few people in Maine, Connecticut or anywhere else want to eat gobs of mayonnaise on a lobster roll in the summer. Also - Maine offers myriad Connecticut style rolls and Connecticut offers myriad Maine style rolls. It seems that while mayo rolls are available in almost every Maine port, butter is always on offer. In Connecticut on the other hand - mayo is almost never seen.
The other reality is lot’s of places in Connecticut don’t really do Connecticut rolls. World famous (and gorgeous) Abbott’s in the rough heats up it’s “brought in” lobster chunks from Maine on a flat-top and let’s you pour a plastic cup-let of butter on top. Not a drop of Mayo in sight.
Conclusion: Butter
Warm vs Chilled
Two of our favorite lobster rolls were McLoons (chilled) and Lobster Landing (warmed) so both approaches are valid. Overall however, on a hot summer's day, chilled lobster in a toasted bun with drizzled warm butter provides the textures and contrasts that make a lobster roll so special. Please note that is neither Maine nor Connecticut.
Conclusion: Chilled lobster in a toasted roll with warm butter is better.
Hot dog vs Submarine vs Hamburger rolls
Hot dog style top load rolls are the majority of all rolls with a few hamburger rolls around. The most famous hamburger roll is at Clam Shack in Kennebunk which squishes nicely around the lobster meat and holds everything in place. One of our very favorite Lobster rolls is at Lobster Landing in Connecticut which uses a top loaded sub roll. In the end we like the way hot/dog and sub rolls fit neatly and vertically in one hand.
Conclusion: A 6 inch hotdog/sub shaped roll is best
Regular vs Jumbo rolls Vs Mini’s
Jumbo rolls come in all kinds of sizes with all kinds of names like the Big Boy at Five Islands Lobster Co., the LOL (lot’s of lobster) at Abbott’s in the Rough etc.... This one is easy. Stay away from the jumbo rolls because they fall apart and cost a lot of money. A perfect lobster roll should sit nicely in your hand and the roll, seasoning and meat should meld into one which is best achieved in a hand-sized roll. Rolls get soggy so if you want more lobster roll - get two - One after another. Mini’s are pointless.
Conclusion: Regular rolls are better than jumbos or mini’s
Shack vs Pound vs Restaurant
When seeking lobsters, Jessica, Mark and Jeffrey are naturally attracted to shacks and resistant to sit down restaurants but we agree the Lobster pound is the best. Shacks like the world famous Red’s Eats and restaurants like Alison’s (food wars vs Clam Shack in Kennebunk) have no room for live lobster tanks and often have to bring in picked lobster meat from commissaries in Canada or Maine.. So anchors away to the ocean side lobster pounds that keep dozens of live lobsters floating in ocean boxes or in indoor saltwater tanks
Conclusion: Lobster pounds are best
Inland vs Coastal
Here we have the shortest debate of all.You could make the greatest lobster roll in history but if you cannot see the ocean...why bother?
Conclusion: Seaside lobster rolls (preferably with a lighthouse) are the only way to go
Northern Maine vs Rest of New England
Generally speaking - as you travel from southern to northern New England, lobster venues transform from more commercial and touristic to more rustic with local charm. In the south you are more likely to drive through cities and towns while in Northern Maine you are more likely to drive through villages and forests.
Conclusion: Northern Maine has the best lobster roll topography
In Search of the Perfect lobster roll. We have not found it yet but here is what we are looking for:
The perfect lobster roll is a live, medium sized, female, soft shelled lobster that has been steamed, ice chilled in the moment and stuffed with a large chop of tail, claw and knuckle in a toasted home-made top-loaded bun with a drizzle of warm butter consumed near a lighthouse while standing in the ocean.
If you see one please contact Jessica, Mark or Jeffrey
Here is the full tour video from Mark Wiens
Read about our two favorite lobster rolls below the paywall. They are radically different from each other. We also present the single worst lobster roll ever (and it is from a famous place).
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