What Makes A Great Lobster Roll

All lobster rolls are not created equal. Creating the magical equation for lobster meat versus mayonnaise versus buttery buns is no easy feat. HuffPost Food recently attended Tasting Table's second annual Lobster Roll Rumble and sought out the opinions of several chefs from around the country on what constitutes the best roll.

We tasted lobster rolls that were way too dry, way too mayonnaise-y, and a few that struck a perfect balance. Judges Harold Dieterle, Donatella Arpaia and Katie Lee awarded Mary's Fish Camp (New York) first place with Maine's Camden Harbour Inn and Red Hook Lobster Pound (Brooklyn and DC) not far behind. Luke's Lobster (NYC) won the fan favorite award, just edging out Lure Fishbar (NYC). Old Port Lobster Shack (Redwood, CA) deserves a shout as well for being our favorite of the evening.

Watch the video below to learn about chefs' different lobster roll techniques.

Comments

[Thien-Y Hoang]

08:28 PM on 06/20/2011

i got a connecticut roll from the red hook lobster truck and it was delicious and all... until i was throwing it up next to the tidal basin in dc four hours later. four times.

[RedDog79]

10:21 AM on 06/20/2011

not sure how an article talking about lobster can even be valid if there are no lobster roll contenders from Mass, Maine, etc.

[zamelia]

05:21 PM on 06/21/2011

it mentions the camden harbour inn in maine right in the article.

[arrock]

05:51 PM on 06/21/2011

It mentions Maine but I agree, being from New England(CT) they are a ton of great lobster roll joints they could have put on here...Personal fav is Bills in Westbrook, CT

[seafiieldfarm]

03:09 PM on 06/19/2011

No one has had the 'real deal' lobster roll if they haven't eaten one at Red's Eats, Wiscasset, Maine. Red's Eats has the absolute ultimate lobster roll served anywhere.

[sonoffestus]

12:47 PM on 06/18/2011

You can get a pretty good one at Lobstermania on Water street in East Greenwich , RI.

[NHBill]

04:35 PM on 06/18/2011

Never skip the clam fritter when in R.I.
Also some of the best calamari anywhere.

[sonoffestus]

07:53 PM on 06/18/2011

You got that right NHBill! And yes, the BEST calamari anywhere.

If you are anywhere near Cranston , RI . Locate the Tabour Franchi VFW, its near the police station and ball fields, anyone will know it as it is a RI institution. Sometimes refered to as Mike's Place, its got the very best calamari and marinated smelts to be found anywhere.

Jack's in Warren, RI for the best clam and white sauce on pasta. RI has some of the best food anywhere. We are now living in Vancouver , BC which bills itself as a real top notch food scene.................It doesn't hold a candle to RI.

Having visited Vancouver for over 30 years and having lived here the last 6, Vancouver rapidly moving to the top of my "it s--ks" list. The hockey riots haven't helped. We'll be moving soon...........best to you , Bill...................SOF.

[arrock]

05:52 PM on 06/21/2011

Yes clam fritters rule!!!...My fav place in RI is Aunt Carries, its located in Narragansett

[WheelsOnFire]

11:09 PM on 06/17/2011

Ahhh...mmmm....Lobster Rolls!

If I should go offline for a while, it's because I've drooled into and thus short-circuited my keyboard. I'll be back....after wolfing down a lobster roll or two. And then picking up a new PC. Yes, those are the correct priorities.

[NHBill]

04:36 PM on 06/18/2011

I am amazed at how many people I've met who have never had a lobster roll.

[cardiaccare]

08:39 PM on 06/18/2011

I'm from DC, and have never had one. But have you ever had steamed Chesapeake blue crabs?

[MagicalPossibilities]

08:54 PM on 06/18/2011

I haven't - but they sound delicious. I live in AZ and lobster is so expensive I haven't had it in years.

[glowdotor]

04:28 PM on 06/17/2011

Also seeing a really pretty lobster will make a lobster roll. Depending on the role he is playing, of course.

[ThinkCreeps]

04:31 PM on 06/17/2011

Definitely - great lobster rolls happen when lobsters really connect. When the water's just the right temperature, dappled sunlight cascading through the ocean...

[ArChiMi]

04:48 PM on 06/17/2011

Awesome!

[KenClay]

04:24 PM on 06/17/2011

Lobster gives me Gout...

[KenClay]

04:23 PM on 06/17/2011

Come to Cape Cod... we Have Delicious Huge Lobster Rolls..

[sonoffestus]

12:45 PM on 06/18/2011

We were in Brewster in March.............The lobsters were great, the mussels even better.......Might even go there again this fall after the traffic subsides. It's a long flight from Vancouver however.

[RedDog79]

10:22 AM on 06/20/2011

agreed whole heartedly. nothing like the cape for lobster - in any manner cooked.

[whizkid]

04:17 PM on 06/17/2011

Those looked delicious.

[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

03:48 PM on 06/17/2011

Um.........lobster?

[ArChiMi]

03:47 PM on 06/17/2011

Why ruin good lobster meat with mayo and bread?

[TSRVT]

04:25 PM on 06/17/2011

You don't know what you're missing.

[ArChiMi]

04:49 PM on 06/17/2011

Mayo and bread.

[NHBill]

11:05 PM on 06/17/2011

Many fine rolls in Maine skip the Mayo for just melted butter.
But the soft hot dog roll toasted and buttered raises the bar.

[HairyTrueMan]

03:41 PM on 06/17/2011

The Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Great lobstah rolls and awesome outdoor oceanside seating.

[mauibride]

04:24 PM on 06/17/2011

I absolutely LOVE the Lobster Shack. It is the best ever with the best location and scenery, lighthouse and all. Used to go there a lot when we lived on the East Coast. Their blueberry pies were great too.

[NHBill]

11:03 PM on 06/17/2011

It great on the rare day there's not a 40 knot gale.

[Alison Whitman Phillips]

03:30 PM on 06/17/2011

The Brass Compass in Rockland, Maine has the BEST lobster club I've ever had and I've spent part of just about every summer of my life in Maine. Their sandwich beat Bobby Flay in a throwdown!

[NHBill]

11:03 PM on 06/17/2011

Start in Rockland and drive along the coastline to Bar Harbor sampling seafood in every stop.
You will not have one bad or even mediocre experience.
Try the scallops.

[sonoffestus]

12:49 PM on 06/18/2011

..................or the small gulf of Maine shrimps.

[NHBill]

02:43 PM on 06/17/2011

Sorry it's all about WHERE you eat it!
You can't get a real lobster roll south of Boston.
Camden Maine served the best I ever ate.
The view, the less than $10 price and the hand crafted Shipyard can't be beat!

[Quinny]

10:44 PM on 06/17/2011

"You can't get a real lobster roll south of Boston.."? Really?
Because ALL of Cape Cod and the islands of Marthe's Vineyard
and Nantucket are "south of Boston" and I can tell you from
first hand experience that there are places to get great lobster rolls
in all of those locations. Not to mention Flo's Clam Shack in Newport
and Evelyn's Drive-In in Tiverton, Rhode Island which are consistently
rated as two of the top 20 places in the US for casual waterfront seafood
dining. And they all get their lobsters fresh "right off the boat"...

[NHBill]

10:58 PM on 06/17/2011

Can't beat 'em for fried clams or clam fritters.
But the lobster rolls are not in the same league.
I lived in Providence, Eastham and Dennisport as well as Maine.
Been to Flo's and Evelyn's.
Now I live a stones throw from Ipswich.
You want Lobster you gotta go Downeast.
Right off the boat in R.I. is not the same as Bar Harbor.
The Maines are simply sweeter.
Don't get me started on scallops.

[TheIndependentView]

02:42 PM on 06/17/2011

Which is better?

Lobster marinated in petroleum
or
Lobster marinated in petroleum dispersants

[NHBill]

02:51 PM on 06/17/2011

Who eats Gulf lobsters?

[raker]

09:43 PM on 06/17/2011

It's Gulf shrimp and oysters that are doused in oil and dispersants. Lobsters' specialness comes from being harvested in Maine, a state whose citizens have elected a governor who has contempt for labor and wishes to reverse laws that restrict child labor.

[NHBill]

10:59 PM on 06/17/2011

Really? You had to go there on This thread?