Sous Vide Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls (With Lemon and Butter) Recipe

These classic lobster rolls feature tender meat dressed with melted butter and lemon juice. Sous vide cooking guarantees exceptional results.

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated July 12, 2023
Closeup of two sous vide Connecticut-style lobster rolls, served on a plate.

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

  • Sous vide lobster comes out with an extra-intense lobster flavor and butteriness built right into the meat, making it perfect for lobster rolls.
  • Toasting buns in butter adds crisp, buttery crunch to each bite.

If you've already experienced the magic of sous vide lobster, this is the only logical next step. Lobster rolls may not be very fancy, but there's no better way to experience lobster in its briny, sweet, buttery glory than stuffed into a top-split hot dog bun that's been griddled in butter until golden brown.

This version is made in the classic naked style you'll find in Connecticut, dressed with nothing more than a little butter and lemon juice.

May 2017

Recipe Details

Sous Vide Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls (With Lemon and Butter) Recipe

Active 10 mins
Total 10 mins
Serves 4 lobster rolls

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter

  • 4 hot dog buns, preferably top-split (see note)

  • 1 recipe sous vide lobster

  • Fresh juice of 1 lemon, to taste

  • 1 tablespoon (7g) minced fresh chives

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat butter in a large skillet or on a griddle over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add hot dog buns, with exposed crumbs down, and griddle until golden brown. Flip and griddle second side. Transfer to a serving platter.

  2. Discard any herbs from sous vide lobster bag. Remove lobster meat from bag and chop into large bite-size pieces. Transfer to a large bowl and add butter and juices from bag. Season with lemon juice to taste. Add chives and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. (Sous vide lobster is typically well seasoned even without additional salt.) Divide mixture evenly between hot dog buns and serve.

Notes

Top-split buns are not widely available outside of New England. If you can't find them, you can use regular hot dog buns with the crust along the sides very carefully sliced off, to expose the soft interior crumb for toasting.

Special Equipment

Immersion circulator

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
293Calories
9gFat
30gCarbs
22gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories293
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g12%
Saturated Fat 4g22%
Cholesterol 74mg25%
Sodium 553mg24%
Total Carbohydrate 30g11%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 19mg94%
Calcium 136mg10%
Iron 3mg15%
Potassium 244mg5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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