Bryan Voltaggio’s makes his lobster rolls with a flavor-boosting soak

I’ve never been to Maine for a lobster roll, but the ones I’ve had in other places have been so good that I knew I needed to make one myself.

This version is from my cookbook “Home” and is made with perfectly cooked lobster meat that is plump, juicy, and tender but also firm, and slightly chewy. The trick to this recipe is soaking the lobster meat in the cooled cooking liquid to give it an extra burst of flavor and to rinse away any residue from the surface, leaving nothing behind but sweet, briny lobster meat.

Makes 6 to 8

TRINITY SAUCE:

1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)

1 tablespoon sriracha

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

OUR BAY SEASONING BLEND:

1 dried shiitake mushroom

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

4 bay leaves

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1/8 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon piment d’Espelette

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 ¼ teaspoons paprika

2 ½ teaspoons celery seeds

½ teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

LOBSTER SALAD:

8½ quarts water

¾ cup white vinegar

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons fine sea salt

¼ cup Our Bay Seasoning Blend

6 1 ½-pound lobsters

3 celery ribs, peeled and thinly sliced

½ head fennel, cut into small dice

3/4 cup Trinity Sauce

1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

6 to 8 Hot Dog Buns (homemade) or store-bought, for serving

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for griddling the buns

Potato chips, for serving

Make the Trinity Sauce: Put all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well to blend. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed. Trinity Sauce will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.

Make the Our Bay Seasoning Blend: Place all of the ingredients except the salt in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the salt. If you have weighed the ingredients correctly, the mixture should be in between orange and brown in color, and will be so delicious you’ll want to put it on everything. Our Bay can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one year.

Cook the Lobster: Put the water, vinegar, salt, and Our Bay Seasoning in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and submerge the lobsters in the pot. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Take out the lobsters and transfer to a large platter to cool. Reserve the cooking liquid.

Once they are cool enough to handle, use kitchen shears and a lobster cracker to remove all of the meat. Put the lobster meat in a large container and pour over just enough of the cooking liquid to cover the meat. Let the lobster meat macerate in the cooking liquid for 30 minutes.

Make the Lobster Salad: Drain the lobster meat, pat dry, cut into bite-size pieces (roughly 1-inch dice), and put in a large bowl. Add the celery, fennel, Trinity Sauce and lemon juice. Mix gently with a spatula to blend. Reserve the lobster salad in the refrigerator.

Prepare the Lobster Rolls: Split open the hot dog buns and spread butter on the insides. Set a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the buns, butter side down, in the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the insides of the buns are crisp and golden brown. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer to a large platter and fill generously with lobster salad. Serve with potato chips alongside.

Bryan Voltaggio is the executive chef and owner of restaurants Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse, Showroom, and Wye Oak Tavern at Visitation Hotel in Maryland. He was a finalist on Top Chef Season 6 and Top Chef Masters Season 5, the first chef to compete on both programs.

Excerpted from “Home,” by Bryan Voltaggio. Copyright (copyright) 2015 by Bryan Voltaggio. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/bryan-voltaggio/home/9780316337663/