Recipe: Ginger Scallion Lobster Rolls

Ginger scallion lobster from a Cantonese restaurant—cut into shell-on chunks, deep-fried, and tossed with aromatics to be greedily torn apart at the table, elbow to elbow with your siblings and cousins. New England lobster rolls—to be consumed sitting on the weathered gray boards of a clam shack patio by the beach in Maine or on the Cape, your hair still rough with sea salt and sand wedged between your toes.

But does anyone else get almost teary-eyed with the feelings of family, summertime, and freedom that come with Chinese-influenced lobster rolls? Do we love it the most? I think it’s possible we might.

Ingredients

• Two 1 1⁄2-pound (680-g) live lobsters

  • NOTE: Keep the lobsters refrigerated until time to cook; you can sedate them slightly by placing them in the freezer for the last thirty minutes.

  • SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: large pot (at least 4 quarts) for which you have a lid, lobster crackers and

    a pick or small fork, or a sharp chef’s knife and kitchen shears for extracting the meat

• 1⁄4 cup (60 g) Ginger Scallion Oil with lots of ginger and scallion bits (see below)

• 3 tablespoons (11⁄2 ounces/40 g) unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon (15 g) soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon (15 g) rice vinegar

• Kosher salt

• Hot dog buns or brioche rolls

Ginger Scallion Oil (Makes 3/4 cup)

• 1⁄2 cup neutral oil (105 g), such as grapeseed or peanut

• 1 bunch scallions, minced (about 1⁄4 cups/65 g)

• 1⁄4 cup (40 g) finely minced fresh ginger

• Kosher salt to taste

Make the Ginger Scallion Oil

Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat until it begins to smoke (about 395°F/200°C). Standing back, quickly add the scallions and ginger and let the mixture bubble and sizzle. Once it calms down, remove from heat, stir to coat all the ginger and scallion bits, and let cool under your vent fan or by an open window. Stir in a good pinch of salt or two when still warm and taste—we like it to be aggressively salty and in your face. Let cool completely before use. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 1 to 2 weeks.

Prepare Your Lobster Rolls

Pour water into your pot to come 2 inches up the sides and add a good pinch of salt. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Insert a steamer rack to keep the lobsters out of the water if you have one (it’s fine if you don’t). Carefully put the two lobsters into the pot belly-side down and quickly place the lid on top. Steam for 9 minutes, then check to see if the shells are bright red.

If not, put the lid back on and cook for 2 to 4 more minutes, checking every minute or so. While the lobsters are cooking, fill your sink or a large bowl with ice and cold water. Using tongs, remove the lobsters from the pot and place them into the ice bath to stop the cooking. When the shells have cooled, remove the lobsters one at a time and place them on a cutting board. Stay near the sink with paper towels and a trash bag handy; cracking lobsters can be messy business. Break down the lobsters by grabbing the main body shell in one hand and the tail in the other and twisting firmly to remove the tail. Then grab each claw at the base where it meets the body and twist to remove the claws. The tail and claws make up the majority of the meat, but don’t feel you have to throw the rest out. You can pull the gills and legs out of the main cavity to extract the rib meat, or save the main body for stock. We do what our dad taught us: snack on the lobster legs and fins while breaking down the rest of the body.

Remove the tail meat by cutting the tail in half lengthwise with a chef’s knife, cutting open the underside with kitchen shears, or using a fork to carefully pull out the meat. Cut into bite-size pieces and place in a medium bowl.

Remove the claw meat by using a lobster cracker to crack open each claw and each segment beneath. Use a lobster pick, a small fork, or your fingers to extract the meat, cut it into bite-size pieces and add it to the bowl with the tail meat. Once all the meat has been extracted, it can be refrigerated overnight in a covered container if not serving right away.

When ready to serve, add the ginger scallion oil, butter, soy sauce, and vinegar. Season with salt and mix thoroughly. If your lobsters were on the smaller side, set aside a bit of the sauce and taste before adding more. If they were on the larger side, add a bit more of everything. Taste for seasoning, then spoon onto your roll of choice and eat immediately and joyfully.