Lobster Rolls
Lobster Rolls scream summer to me! Made with chunks of chilled lobster tossed with celery, shallots, chives, light mayonnaise and a little lemon zest served on a hot dog bun – delicious!
Lobster Roll
I love lobster! When I’m not eating Grilled Lobster Tails or Lobster Tacos, I’m usually enjoying lobster rolls all summer long! This easy lobster roll recipe starts with fresh steamed lobster, if live lobsters aren’t available near you, frozen tails or fresh lump crab or even shrimp would be great! To keep it light, I mix in a little 0% Greek yogurt with the mayo, you can’t even tell!
What are Lobster Rolls?
A lobster roll is a New England sandwich made of lobster meat served on a hot dog-style bun. Here on long Long Island, you can find them two ways – cold or warm. Cold lobster rolls are made with chilled lobster salad tossed with mayonnaise, celery, etc served on a hot dog bun. Warm lobster rolls are steamed lobster served in hot dog buns drizzled with melted butter. Both are delicious, but cold is more popular.
How To Cook a Lobster Roll
I live just a few miles from the ocean so I am fortunate to have lots of fresh seafood stores nearby. I usually buy my lobster at Jordon’s lobster farm, where they conveniently steam them for you if you wish.
To cook your own live lobster you can steam them in 3 inches of water, 7 to 8 minutes for a 1 1/4 lb lobster, and 1 or 2 minutes longer for a larger lobster. Let them cool then remove from the shell and chop.
If using lobster tails, let then that then steam 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size.
Tips and Variations
- Live or Frozen: Can’t get fresh steamed lobster, use frozen lobster tails in their place.
- Lobster Claws: Frozen claw meat will work great too, just thaw and steam 3 minutes.
- CRAB or SHRIMP: Swap the lobster out for shrimp or crab meat.
- Make then low-carb: Skip the bun and serve them in lettuce cups for a low-carb option.
- Skip the Mayo: Mayonnaise haters can replace the mayo with Greek yogurt.
How To Make Lobster Rolls
More Lobster Recipes:
- Lobster Cobb
- Grilled Lobster Tails
- Chipotle Lobster Avocado Wrap
- Lobster Salad with Corn and Tomatoes
- Lobster Tacos
Lobster Rolls
Ingredients
For the lobster salad:
- 8 oz cooked lobster tail meat, 2 tails
- 1 tbsp minced chives
- 2 tsp minced shallots
- 2 tbsp chopped celery
- 1 tbsp light mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
For the sandwich:
- 3/4 cup shredded lettuce
- 3 slices tomato
- 3 hot dog buns
Instructions
- Chop lobster into small bite sized pieces and combine with chives, shallots, celery, mayonnaise, yogurt, black pepper and lemon zest.
- Place 3 hot dog buns on a platter, top with shredded lettuce and 1/3rd of the lobster salad.
Video
Nutrition
Photo credit: Jess Larson
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Yummy – Thanks for the inspiration. I added just under a teaspoon of Dijon, just because and it gave this dish another dimension.
Living in the Midwest, I made this with frozen lobster I had defrosted and set in a colander to drain. Still was too wet and made the recipe runny. I would recommend ringing out frozen lobster with a paper towel or clean dish towel before hand. Otherwise, had really good flavor and I’ll probably try again with shrimp.
Seriously? This is NOT a true New England Lobster Roll! Very important is the “New England Hot Dog Roll” (lightly buttered & grilled) among other variations. Yeah, I get it with the light mayo & the yogurt, but this drastically changes the flavor of a true New England Lobster Roll. Also, VERY LIGHTLY sprinkle the finished product with Celery Salt.
I don’t think this is meant to be an “authentic” lobster roll. It is meant to be a lobster roll for those of us who are trying to cut some of the calories and still have a delicious meal!
I am going to try this. I’m going to have it on lettuce leaves instead of a roll to bring points down.
We were fortunate to have a neighbor who brought us fresh lobster from Maine. I made the Lobster Rolls exactly as written in the recipe. They were delicious! Will try them another time with shrimp or crab.
Yum!!
I made this tonight with lump crabmeat and it was terrific!
Gina, my husband and son are really picky and don’t like the shallots; do you think scallion whites would be an acceptable substitution??
I made this for lunch today and it was terrific. Thank you.
I made the recipe exactly as written. It was delicious! Will make again. Thanks, Gina!
This was amazing! I made it with shrimp. It was delicious and did not taste skinny at all. I have made your weekly meals for the past 3 weeks and this is one of my new favorites! 5 stars!
How many servings is this? It gives the nutrition info for 1 serving, but doesn’t say how many servings this recipe makes. Am I missing something?
It says 3 servings at the top of the recipe card.
That lobster looks amazing! My mother in law lives in Lido Beach we get lobsters from Jordan’s lobster farm. So unless there is more than one Jordan’s guess you are in that vicinity. . Lucky you! Thank you for alternate seafood suggestions for those of us who don’t have that option!
Yes!
Living in the Blue Ridge Mts. outside of Roanoke Va. you don’t hear about lobster rolls very much. I grew up in Harbor Isle and moved here to find a teaching job many years ago. It was a blast from the past to read your comment. It evoked many good memories.
The best lobster roll has two ingredients, lobster and the roll.
Why even post this comment? Gina gives us many variations to enjoy a good mix of foods and flavors. So what? I love it!
I just made this with shrimp, sooooo good! I love that I can make it in advance and have a dinner home waiting for me. Thank you! Also I used your bagel/flatbread dough as a “bun” because I had some leftover from making grilled pizzas a few days ago. It worked perfect.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious…..and so easy! We were looking for an easy summer lunch and this popped up so of course we had to make it. Another winner…..thanks Gina!
Awesome!
Question – Is there anyway to turn this into a hot lobster roll? I don’t really like the chilled version.
For a hot lobster roll I just use steamed lobster with a drizzle of butter and a squeeze of lemon.
My Whole Foods didn’t have lobster today so I just made this with boiled shrimp and it was incredible! I added a dash of celery salt and a squirt of lemon juice. The filling would even be great on its own or in a lettuce wrap- without a bun it only comes to 1 freestyle point. Didn’t feel like a “skinny” recipe at all.
So glad you liked it!
Could you use langostino lobster instead?
Sure
I made this for lunch with hamburger buns instead of hot dog buns (that’s all I had!). It was so good and a great use of leftover lobster from date/cheat night with the hubs. I actually only had 6oz of lobster, but it still made enough for 3! Another winning Skinnytaste recipe!
Thanks Rachel! Glad you enjoyed it!
How can one have leftover lobster! Ha! 🙂
Instead of Shallots and greek yogurt, I added avocado instead. I don’t like greek yogurt that much and not a fan of any types of onions. Instead of hotdog bun, I used wheat or spinach wraps instead.
Good thinking!
I cant wait to try these Recipe
Did you include the hot dog bun in the calorie count? I saw that it was included in the recipe, but I didn't know if it was counted towards the nutritional value.
yes it is included
Hello- I dont like Mayo at all and not really a fan of greek yogurt… what else can i use? sour cream? does that work or will it be weird tasting?
with all those aromatic and flavorful ingredients, the mayo / greek yogurt is a binder not a dominant flavor
or maybe this just isn’t the recipe for you
perhaps try a hot lobster roll recipe instead
I think this will be great with the crawfish tails you can buy frozen. Will have to give it a try!!
I made this for lunch today using imitation lobster – I snuck a bite while making the sandwiches, and I have to say – DELISH! I also used a split top sandwich roll since we didn't have any hot dog buns, so it comes in around 275 calories for me today. Not too shabby!
Crab, shrimp, either would make a delicious replacement.
These look fantastic! Although, I don't tend to like lobster. I wonder if crab would work just as well. I love the Greek yogurt substitution!
I tried this tonight but with shrimp instead since I had some around to use. It's a really yummy recipe with shrimp. I can only imagine how great it is with lobster! I will be making it with lobster next time. Thanks for all of the great lighter recipes you post!
Looks so good! I'll have to keep an eye on lobster prices here, so we can give it a try!
Wish I could find rolls with the top split!
Jessica, shrimp would be wonderful!
They are called new England rolls and most food stores carry them. Of course, I don’t know where you live. You put a tad of butter on each side and grill like a cheese sandwich. Do the same for the other side. Dump in lobster and enjoy.
What about using shrimp? Do you think that would work well too?
Then I see the recipe on your site. You are truly a wonderful cook; your recipes are creative and points-worthy. I have lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers, and had gotten .
totally made these for dinner last night and they were super yummy…I toasted the bun with a little bit of I can't believe it's not butter first….served with homemade lemonade and homemade potato chips…DELICIOUS!
You are awesome! I could sink my teeth in to a fresh Lobsta roll. Since I'm not going to Boston this year for the 4th… I may have to make my own!
Another friday's favorite for sure 🙂
Gina – looks awesome! Takes me back to the summers I worked in Maine, only so much healthier! One thing I've got to add though – split top buns are the way to go with lobster salad! Mmmm, I'm going to have to go make this now, thanks for all your awesome recipes!
Gina… Try grilled lobster as an alternative. Here in Hotlanta our first choice is Florida/Caribbean lobster. As an app/side we grill lobster tails basted with a mixture of butter/tequila/Grand Marnier/lime juice. It's even better when grilled on deck of a sailboat in the Virgin Islands…. thx for all the wonderful ideas! CaptainLefty.
I've always wanted to try the lobster rolls at Red Lobster, but I imagine them being soaked in mayo. These look fantastic!
Have you ever used the frozen cooked lobster from Costco? This looks amazing, coming from a girl who went to college in Maine!
I usually combine mayonnaise and yogurt to lighten it up. I like the taste of mayo but for those who don't, use more yogurt in it's place.
I love lobster rolls but I'm not so crazy re mayo so I make mine w/ a vinaigrette. Equally delicious.
YUM! I LOVE lobster rolls. Does the recipe call for both the greek yogurt and mayo or are you saying you can do greek yogurt if you don't like mayo?
I really love the idea of this! When I used to eat meat, lobster was one of my favorite meals! My boy will love this though. Thanks!
Make sure they ate thawed before you cook them, thaw in the refrigerator a day ahead the steam them in 1 inch of water in a steamer basket keeping the lid on for 6-7 minutes depending on the size.
What's the best way to cook lobster tails. I have a couple in the freezer but I've never made them before.
Thanks 🙂
Oh YUM! These look so good! I really shouldn't be looking at this right before lunch! 🙂 I love how low the calorie count is…it makes for a great lunch size!
These look amazing!
If you decide to tackle fish tacos, I usually start with this recipe by Martha Stewart. It's pretty light already but I like to exchange the flour tortillas for corn. 🙂 The cabbage mix provides an awesome crunch! http://www.marthastewart.com/340397/fish-tacos
So glad I can help, this is easier than you think if you can buy cooked lobster! Otherwise it only takes a few minutes to steam the tails yourself.
I was just talking to my husband last night about lobster rolls!! Then I see the recipe on your site. You are truly a wonderful cook; your recipes are creative and points-worthy. I have lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers, and had gotten bored with the recipes I've collected. Your site has helped me kick start my creativity. The first recipe I made from your site was the Chicken Tikka and it was AMAZING! I've made several since, all wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing.
I've never had imitation lobster but I guess it would work, crab would work too but of course you can't call it a lobster roll then : )
All the lobster stores near me sell live lobsters as well as steamed. I have the option of buying my live lobsters steamed on the spot, very convenient!
How exactly do I get a "cooked lobster tail"? Do you buy them already cooked somewhere or are you steaming or boiling a lobster?
I wonder if canned crab meat would work with this – I know that Lobster tails would be much better but where I live they are hard to come by and expensive!
I did imitation crab out of cost as well. Live in a land locked state (Iowa). Tasted good to me!
Do you think imitation lobster would be ok to use?
Fish tacos, great idea!
Gina- these look absolutely sinful!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting all these wonderful recipes!! it's really really helped me stick to my weight loss efforts this time around, and it's totally paying off!!!
I have a request- could you tackle fish tacos sometime?? THANKS!!!
lol, oh Thanks for catching the Geek yogurt and I' glad my typo gave you a good laugh, it gave me one too!
These look amazing, I love lobster rolls! Such a wonderful treat.
Fantastic Gina – I'll take one please!
FYI – you wrote "Geek Yogurt" instead of "Greek". Gave me a good laugh after a long day though! 🙂
Lobster rolls are one of my favorite things to eat! 🙂
The lobster rolls were great, thanks for a delicious lunch Gina!
I love your blog it is one of my favs! Please, if you have time check mine out! The more ideas, followers, and recipes means I can cook all the time!
I will have to try this with my husband. His only seafood loves are lobster and crap. 🙂
I am now craving lobster rolls! Thanks for sharing this simple recipe!
Summery perfection! I LOVE the idea of replacing the mayo with Greek yogurt! I've also had an awesome, fresh and light tasting lobster roll with a bit of olive oil instead of mayo…
Great idea!
If you like lobster it's really hard to mess this up!
Simone, it sure would! But you may need to eat more to fill you up and lobster could be pricey.
Looks delicious – and perfect for summer! I'm thinking this would be just as awesome as a lettuce wrap…!!
Oh I have to add this to my meal plan. It looks amazing.
Geek yogurt goes great with nerd honey.
This is perfect for weight watchers and I do love lobster, love the lettuce.
I can't wait to make these! Thanks!
Fantastic! As a Bostonian, I am a huge lobster roll fan, and these sound delicious.
I love this! I can't wait to make it!!! I eat fish, but not "meat" and this is a great hot dog replacement 🙂
drooling!!!!!!!!!!!!! mmmmmm!
I prepped everything ahead. Do you toss the lobster w/the other ingredients when serving or ahead of time?