Gourmet's Lobster Salad Roll

50 States Tour: Recipes From Maine

From the kitchen of Gourmet Magazine

Servings:4

Difficulty: Easy

Cook Time: 1-30 min

Sixty-eight percent of the nation's lobster supply is caught off the coast of Maine, and though much of it ends up at restaurants, it is not too difficult to make delicious lobster at home.

Here are a few tips on cooking lobster from Good Morning America's food editor, Sara Moulton, who worked with chefs from Cook's Lobster House on Bailey Island, Maine.

Choosing a Lobster: The sex of a lobster only matters if you happen to like lobster roe, a delicacy that is only found in the female lobster. You can determine the sex of a live lobster by locating the small feelers behind the rear legs, right under the tail. On male lobsters, the feelers are hard, while on female lobsters, they are soft.

Storing a Live Lobster: Live lobsters are very perishable, and require a controlled saltwater environment to remain alive. They do not generally live much beyond a day out of water, but since it is hard to determine ideal salinity ? and the lobsters die if there is too much or too little salt in the water ? Moulton recommends keeping them alive at home by refrigerating them. Cover lobsters with moist seaweed or a damp cloth to keep them moist. Never put them in plastic bags; they need to breathe.

Boiling Lobsters: The length of time that they are boiled depends on the size of the lobster.

? 1 pound , 8 minutes

? 1 1/4 pound, 9 to 10 minutes

? 1 1/2 pound, 11 to 12 minutes

? 1 3/4 pound, 12 to 13 minutes

? 2 pounds, 15 minutes

? 2 1/2 pounds, 20 minutes

In addition to boiling lobsters and serving them with melted butter, try this Lobster Salad Roll.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cooked lobster (about a 2-pound lobster), cut into 1/2- inch pieces

1/3 cup celery, minced

3 tablespoons scallions, minced

1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, minced

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Several dashes of Tabasco

Freshly ground pepper

4 frankfurter rolls

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cooking Directions

In a bowl, combine the lobster, the celery, the scallion and the parsley.

In another bowl beat the mayonnaise with the lemon juice, the Tabasco, and the pepper and combine it with the lobster mixture.

Split the rolls, brush the cut sides with the butter, and bake the rolls on a baking sheet in a preheated 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes, or until they are browned lightly.

Spread the lobster salad evenly on the bottom halves of the rolls and top it with the top halves.

Recipe courtesy of Gourmet magazine