The Brown Butter Lobster Roll
4
rolls
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
4
Eventide Steamed Buns
¼ c
Brown Butter Vinaigrette
10 oz
Eventide Prepared Lobster Meat
Kosher salt
Minced fresh chives for garnish
Eventide Steamed Buns (Makes 28)
1 ½ c
plus 1 tablespoon water (355 grams), at room temperature
½ c
(100 grams) sugar
5 tsp
(2 packets/17.5 grams) active dry yeast
3 tbsp
plus 3⁄4 teaspoon (13 grams) nonfat dry milk powder
6 ½ c
(780 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp
plus 3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt (12.5 grams)
½ tsp
(2.4 grams) baking soda
⅔ tsp
(2.7 grams) baking powder
1 c
plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 1⁄4 sticks/254.4 grams), at room temperature
Brown Butter Vinaigrette (Makes 2 1/2 cups)
2 c
(4 sticks) unsalted butter
½ c
nonfat dry milk powder
¼ c
fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Eventide Prepared Lobster Meat
3-4
(1-to 1 1⁄2-pound) lobsters
At Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, Maine, the lobster roll gets an update with pillowy steamed buns and a rich brown butter vinaigrette.
Directions
Eventide Steamed Buns
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the water, sugar, yeast, and milk powder on low speed. Let bloom for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture is frothy. Add 3 1⁄4 cups (390 grams) of the flour and the salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 3 1⁄4 cups (390 grams) flour and mix on low speed until the dough begins to come together in shaggy strands, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and continue to mix on low speed until the dough becomes smooth, about 5 minutes (the dough should slowly bounce back if you poke it with a finger). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
- Punch down the dough and portion it into twenty-eight 1.7-ounce pieces. On a large work surface, use the palm of your hand to roll the pieces into tight little balls. With the heel of your hand, roll each ball into a log 3 1⁄2 to 4 inches long.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit and place inside a bamboo steamer basket or a steamer insert for a large pot (feel free to use a couple to fit all of the dough logs), then grease the paper with canola oil or cooking spray. Arrange the dough logs in rows on the parchment, leaving about 1⁄2 inch between each. Cover with a lid or kitchen towel and let proof for 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours, until the dough bounces back slowly if you poke it and the expanded logs nearly touch each other.
- Fill your wok or pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Set the dough-filled steamer basket in the wok or the insert in the pot, cover, and steam for 10 to 12 minutes, until the buns have puffed and crowded together. Remove from the heat and slightly crack the lid, letting the buns rest inside for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the buns to a plate, rack, or cutting board.
- Once the buns are cool enough to handle, separate them with a sharp knife and cut a slit in the tops. Use immediately or refrigerate in a ziplock bag for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
- To refresh the stored buns, place them in a steamer insert in a large pot, or a bamboo steamer set over a wok, and steam for 5 minutes, until they are very hot, soft, and pliable. Serve warm.
Brown Butter Vinaigrette
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the milk powder and cook, stirring often, until the solids begin to brown and take on a nutty aroma. Pour the butter into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and salt to taste. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 month. Use the excess to add a little luxury to any recipe that calls for melted butter.
Eventide Prepared Lobster Meat
- Dispatch the lobsters as humanely as possible by thrusting a sharp thin knife through the lobster shell between the eyes. Place the lobsters in a heatproof container large enough to hold them with ample space. Bring a second large pot of salted water to a boil (enough to cover the lobsters), pour the boiling water over the lobsters, and let the lobsters steep for 4 minutes. When the timer goes off, use tongs to remove the lobsters from the water to a large cutting board.
- Wearing gloves or using a towel to avoid burning yourself, pull the claws off the lobster and put them back in the hot water for 4 minutes (set another timer). In the meantime, twist the tails off the lobsters and use kitchen shears to cut the shell along the length of the tail, so you can remove the meat easily. You will notice that the meat is slightly undercooked, which is what you want, since you’ll be cooking it further in the brown butter later.
- As with shrimp, lobster tails have a digestive tract running the length of the tail; it is easily removed by pulling back the long flap of meat that runs along the top of the tail. Once finished with the tails, use kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the knuckles and claws to separate the shells and easily remove the meat. If you want to pick through the bodies and legs for meat, have at it (a rolling pin works to press the leg meat out), but we just reserve the bodies and shells for Lobster Stew. Lightly rinse all the shelled lobster meat under cold water. Tear the meat into good-size chunks and reserve for use in recipes. (Mainers don’t cut lobster meat. We tear it so as to get the most possible surface area to draw in whatever you’re dressing your meat with, such as butter).
- Use immediately or transfer the torn meat to an airtight container; it will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Assembly
- When you are ready to make the lobster rolls, place the buns in a steamer insert inside a large pot, or a bamboo steamer set over a wok, and steam for 5 minutes, until they are very hot, soft, and pliable. Remove the pot from the heat, but leave the buns in the steamer to keep warm.
- In a skillet, combine the brown butter vinaigrette and lobster meat over medium heat, stirring frequently for 3 to 5 minutes, until just heated through. Season with salt to taste.
- In a skillet, combine the brown butter vinaigrette and lobster meat over medium heat, stirring frequently for 3 to 5 minutes, until just heated through. Season with salt to taste.
- Retrieve the buns from the steamer and divide the lobster evenly among them. Top with chives and serve warm.
Reprinted from Eventide. Copyright © 2020 by Arlin Smith, Andrew Taylor, and Mike Wiley with Sam Hiersteiner. Photographs copyright © 2020 by Zack Bowen. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House