Mini Lobster Rolls for the Superbowl... or Valentine's Day | Free Shipping!

This is going to be a melancholy post for some.  You see, we were invited to our friends' house for a superbowl party last night. These particular friends were our friends from college that used to live in Maine while we were living in Massachusetts.  

Having recently flipped through Barefoot Contessa's Parties book, I decided that I would make Lobster Rolls for the party because I knew our friends (having lived in Maine) would get a kick out of it.  In 100% honesty (and very dense moment... oops), I didn't even think about it being a "New England" treat in honor of the Patriots until Mike's mom Joy pointed it out - a better idea than I had realized : )

Emma had had a cold over the weekend, but we thought she'd moved past it.  Then yesterday at 3pm, she woke up from her nap with a yucky cough so at the last minute we decided we would have to stay home instead of spread the germs.   So, the lobster rolls had already been made (and had their picture taken!), but there was no turning back.  So, I am sorry to rub them in the faces of our friends who missed out!  Don't worry, Jenny & Dave, I have a couple of leftovers I will drop by today : )

I made mini rolls to help stretch the pricey lobster meat to have almost enough for everyone to have one.  I used 2 pounds of lobster tails (shell on) and it made about 18 rolls.  I used split top buns (a New England specialty, but found here, too) and cut them in half.

I love making little splurges like this for parties - it really isn't as expensive as you might think.  I spent $40 on lobster (from Costco), then the only other ingredient I needed were buns.  So, a total of $45 for a completely indulgent and special treat.  I would've spent about the same at the store if I had gotten all of the ingredients to make homemade guacamole and pico. 

While they were a great idea for superbowl (apparently, better than I knew), they are also a perfect treat for Valentine's Day.

mini
Lobster Rolls 

Because our friends are purists when it comes to lobster rolls (as most people from New England are), I stuck with the most traditional and simplest recipe.  You could add celery, or even garnish with slices of avocado if you are feeling crazy : )



2 pounds of Lobster Tails
1 lemon
1 teaspoon of Old Bay
....
split top buns, cut in half
2 tablespoons of butter
....
2 tablespoons of mayo
parsley stems, for garnish

To cook the tails, boil a large pot of water with a lemon cut in half and old bay.  Cook tails in boiling water for 5-8 minutes until bright red and curled up.

Remove from water and let cool.

Heat broiler in oven to 350 degrees.  Brush buns, inside and out with butter.  Toast in oven for 3-4 minutes until golden.

Remove lobster from shells and chop into small bite-size pieces.  Toss with mayo.  Fill rolls with lobster and garnish with small snips of parsley stems.

Also, this is the last week for Valentine's ordering from the store.... so, I'm offering Free Shipping on orders over $50 for a very limited time.  There are also lots of markdowns on Valentines goodies, as well.  There are only about 10 or 15 of of my favorite items (Pink Bakery Boxes and Heart Cookie Cutters) left, so jump on it if you have plans of ordering!  Shop the Valentine's Day sale >