There’s no sandwich that’s more synonymous with summertime than a lobster roll. It’s as simple as it is tasty, and depending on where it’s served, you can enjoy it New England style (hot with melted butter) or Maine style (cold with mayo). But many eateries are introducing their own spins on the seasonal favorite, with surprising flavors.
Brown Butter Lobster Roll, Eventide Oyster Co., Portland, Maine, and Boston
The James Beard Award-winning seafood restaurant serves its lobster roll in a classic New England style, but the roll takes its inspiration from an Asian favorite. The Brown Butter Lobster Roll comes in a house-made bao, a Chinese-style steamed bun.
“We wanted our lobster roll to be something wholly different—evocative of the delicious classic, but distinct enough to be entirely our own,” says Mike Wiley, chef and owner of Eventide. The lobster roll is prepared with brown butter, which Wiley says “lends a jammy concentrated dairy to the sweet, rich, hand-torn lobster meat.” And it also can be prepared gluten-free.