Get hooked on the Ultimate Lobster Roll

Save this recipe for lobster season, or try it now with the best lobster meat you can find.

New Brunswick cookbook author and TV chef Dennis Prescott has respect for the seafood he calls the king of the sea, a delicacy he says he has been hooked on his entire life (Cook with Confidence, Penguin Random House, $40).

Having grown up near Shediac, home of an annual international lobster festival, Prescott likes to make his own mayonnaise for a lobster roll.

Lobsters mean work. I once accompanied a lobster fisherman, watching as he put bands on the claws of the ornery creatures as our boat thrashed through icy waters off Prince Edward Island. These creatures are worth every penny we pay for them, I decided. As Prescott writes, food providers are “the true heroes of the food industry.”

ULTIMATE LOBSTER ROLL Serves 6

1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped celery

1/2 cup (125 mL) mayonnaise (see Note)

1/4 cup (60 mL) thinly sliced fresh chives

1 tbsp. (15 mL) minced fresh tarragon

1 tbsp. (15 mL) fresh lemon juice, salt

Freshly ground pepper

1-1/2 lb (750 g) cooked lobster meat, in bite-size pieces

1 tsp (5 mL) liquid red pepper seasoning

4 tbsp. (60 mL) unsalted butter, divided

6 brioche rolls, split, toasted or grilled

2 tbsp. (30 mL) fresh dill

Fleur de sel, potato chips, and lemon wedges

In a large bowl, combine celery, mayonnaise, chives, tarragon, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well.

Stir in lobster meat and liquid red pepper seasoning.

Check seasonings, adding more salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to four hours.

Heat 2 tablespoons (30 mL), of butter in a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat.

Heat and toast buns in the hot butter, adding the final 2 tablespoons (30 mL), as you go. The most authentic way is on an outdoor grill.

Stuff buns with chilled lobster mixture. Trim with dill and a little fleur de sel. Serve with potato chips and lemon wedges.

Note: His book includes a recipe for mayonnaise.

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE The Ultimate Lobster Roll can be enjoyed now, or for a real treat wait until lobster is in season and enjoy it fresh, using this recipe from Cook with Confidence by Dennis Prescott.