Warm Lobster Rolls

Warm Lobster Rolls

Ingredients:

• 4 lobster tails, cooked and diced large

• 1/2 cup diced celery stalk

• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

• 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 tbsp Hellman's mayonnaise (or your favorite)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp butter

• 4 top-sliced hot dog buns (or regular hot dog buns or soft sub rolls)

1. In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter or heat oil. Sauté celery for 2 minutes, add bell pepper pepper and pepper flakes, cook 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.

2. Add lobster meat to the pan along with lemon juice, chives and mayonnaise. Stir to combine.

3. Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan. When the butter sizzles, place the rolls in the pan on their sides (you are toasting the outsides, not the insides) and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned.

4. Place the rolls, cut side up on a large platter. Divide the lobster meat among the rolls. Serve while still hot.

Yields: 4 servings

Notes&Tips:

• Lobster was not always among the list of seafood I would cook or consume. I had it a couple times at restaurants, but was never impressed by its taste and texture. Later, I came to realize that the lobster was overcooked and so had become rubbery and tasteless. Like all seafood, it cooks quickly and has to be attended to. The first time I cooked whole live Maine lobsters, we simply dipped them in a savory butter sauce; I wanted to just taste the meat on its own. I didn't know that I would fall in love with it and want to cook it again and again - like I do most seafood.

• This delicious Warm Lobster Rolls recipe is simple to prepare and the taste is out of this world delicious. I chose to do Warm Lobster Rolls as we were having this for dinner in winter. Usually Lobster Rolls are a summer tradition in the Eastern United States, so it's served cold.

• Of course, living in the Midwest, I could not find top-sliced buns so instead I bought some unsliced sub rolls which were soft and not crusty. They worked well. Previously, I had used regular hot dog buns but was not a favorite. I find that the soft sub rolls worked better and I was also able to slice it on the top to fill it with all the sweet lobster meat.

• I chose to add red bell peppers and celery along with pepper flakes, which are ingredients (except for the celery) you will not find in a traditional Lobster Roll. They did not take away from the deliciousness of the precious lobster meat!

• The people I feed, enjoyed these Warm Lobster Rolls with gusto! The lobster meat was soft and succulent.