Lobster rolls are a divisive topic, primarily because there's two main schools of lobster rolling: cold, with mayo and celery, and hot, with butter. I like both, although I have few chances to eat either. This recipe for the hot ones comes from Cook's Country.

They recommend cooking and disassembling a whole, live lobster, or, failing that, using frozen raw lobster tails. I very much did not want to do the former, and didn't have access to the latter, so I used frozen, pre-cooked lobster bits. Interestingly, this doesn't seem to be one of the formats CC tested -- they tried whole lobster, frozen tails, tinned cooked lobster, and fresh pre-shelled lobster bits. The results were definitely not as good as fresh lobster, but a great deal faster and easier.

Similarly, they call for New England-style "split-top" buns, which are not readily available here. Normal hot dog buns do fine, though, as do small kaiser rolls or pretty much any other slightly crusty bun; you'll lose out on some of the crispness of the outside, though.

The recipe as recorded here is the recipe as I made it, but with quantities appropriate for four people, in keeping with the original; when I made it I was cooking for myself and halved everything. Compared to the original, apart from the change of lobster format, I also increased the proportion of chives and shallots slightly.

I suspect, but have not yet tested, that adding a few minced garlic cloves and sauteeing those and the shallots in the butter for a bit before adding the lobster would make things even better.

Hot Buttered Lobster Rolls

Cook's Country

Ingredients

• ~900g frozen cooked lobster meat, thawed
• 30mL softened unsalted butter
• 90mL unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 split-top hot dog buns (or alternative bunbreads)
• 2 shallots, minced
• 30mL minced fresh chives

Directions

1. Use softened butter to butter the outsides of the buns. Toast in a skillet over medium heat. Remove to a plate and set aside.
2. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet over medium-low heat.
3. Add the lobster, shallot, and 1mL salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lobster is heated through and the shallot softens, ~2 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in chives.
5. Divide filling between buns; drizzle additional butter from the skillet over filling, if desired.