Lobster rolls — soft rolls stuffed with a creamy, cold lobster salad — are a comfort food favourite across the Canadian Maritimes. The airy, soft roll gets swapped out for crispy little toast cups in this fun, bite-sized appetizer that’s perfect for any time of year.
Lobster 101
You can buy lobster a few different ways from your fishmonger or the seafood department of many grocery stores: Whole cooked lobsters; frozen claws and arms (which are usually less expensive); fresh raw tails; frozen shelled meat; or follow the tip below to boil your own live lobsters. You’ll need one live, whole 650g lobster or 450 g cooked claws or tails in shells to yield the amount of meat called for in this recipe.
How to Cook and Shell Whole Lobsters
In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, pour in enough salted water to come at least halfway up the side of the pot. (Make sure the water covers the lobsters by a couple of inches, but remove them before continuing.) Bring to a rolling boil. Snip off the rubber bands from the lobsters’ claws. Carefully plunge each lobster headfirst into the saucepan. Don’t drop them in, or boiling water may splash on you. Cover and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lobsters have turned bright red and the small legs twist off easily, about 10 minutes for a 650g lobster. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Twist the tail off one lobster. Using kitchen shears, cut up the inside and back of shell to release the meat. Crack apart claws and remove the meat. Repeat with any remaining lobsters.
Looking for more tasty lobster recipes? Try our 15 Best Canadian Seafood Recipes.
ingredients
Toast Cups
Lobster Salad
directions
For the toast cups, do the following: Using a rolling pin or wine bottle, roll each bread slice firmly to flatten it. Trim the crusts from the bread to make squares.
Lightly brush both sides of each slice with butter, and then cut slices into quarters to make 4 small squares.
Press 1 square into each well of two lightly greased mini muffin tins.
Bake in a 350°F (180°C) oven until golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack. You can store the toast cups in airtight container for up to 1 week.
For the lobster salad and assembly, in a bowl, mix together lobster, mayonnaise, white and light green part of green onion, celery, lemon juice, salt and pepper. You can cover and refrigerate the salad for up to 4 hours.
Spoon the salad into the toast cups just before serving. Sprinkle with dark green part of green onion.