If anyone should know the right way to cook lobster, it’s a Mainer. We’ve rounded up three local recipes for you to try.
Limed Lobster and Melon Skewers
This recipe comes from Brook Dojny’s “Dishing up Maine: 165 recipes that capture authentic Down East flavors.”
Makes about 40 small skewers, about 6 hors d’oeuvre-size portions
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon grated lime zest, 1½ tablespoons lime juice and 1 whole lime for slicing
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked lobster meat, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
About 40 cubes (3/4-inch each) honeydew melon or cantaloupe
About 40 bamboo skewers, 5-inches long or long toothpicks
Whisk together the oil, cilantro, lime zest and juice, garlic, salt and cayenne in a medium-sized bowl. Add the lobster meat and stir to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or for up to 4 hours.
Cut the whole lime in half lengthwise and cut several very thin slices. Cut each sliced half into triangles less than 1/2-inch wide.
When ready to assemble, thread the skewers with 1 cube of melon, 1 slice of lime and 1 chunk of lobster. If using the longer skewers, stack the food near the end of the pick so that guests can eat it easily.
Arrange the skewers on a platters. The skewers can be assembled up to 1 hour ahead and refrigerated, covered. Garnish with the cilantro sprigs before serving.
High Roller Lobster Co. Lobster Grilled Cheese
The recipe comes from “The New Portland, Maine, Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes from the Coast of Maine” by Margaret Hathaway.
Serves 1
Jarlsberg Swiss cheese
Sharp cheddar cheese (such as Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 slices English muffin bread
1/4 pound cooked, shucked lobster meat
Cooked sliced bacon, optional
Avocado slices, optional
On the coarse side of a box grater, grate equal parts Jarlsberg and cheddar cheese. Set aside.
Butter each side of the bread. In a flat-bottomed, oven-safe skillet over medium-low heat, toast the buttered bread low and slow until it’s golden. Sprinkle the cheese blend over 1 side of each slice of toasted bread, covering completely. Place under a broiler until the cheese is completely melted.
Pull the bread from the broiler and spread the lobster meat over the melted cheese. (At this point, you can add the optional toppings, such as bacon or avocado.) Close the sandwich. Return the skillet to medium-low and heat the sandwich to warm the lobster and give the bread a final crisp, about 1 minute on each side. Cut the sandwich on the diagonal and serve immediately.
Lobster, Asparagus, and Daikon Summer Rolls with Orange, Sesame, and Chile Dipping Sauce from “Eat Cool: Good Food for Hot Days.” Photo by Stacey Cramp/courtesy of Rizzoli
Lobster, Asparagus, and Daikon Summer Rolls with Orange, Sesame and Chile Dipping Sauce
Recipe from Portland resident Vanessa Seder’s “Eat Cool: Good Food for Hot Days.”
Makes 8 rolls, about 1/2 cup sauce
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons sambal chile sauce
FOR THE SUMMER ROLLS:
3 ounces dried thin rice vermicelli
Sea salt
1 pound asparagus, bottom ends trimmed, each cut in half lengthwise if thick
8 large round rice wrappers, about 10 inches in diameter
8 ounces fresh pre-shelled lobster meat
2 cups julienned daikon (from one 1-pound white or purple daikon using a serrated vegetable peeler)
Pickled ginger for serving
To make the dipping sauce, in a small bowl whisk together the orange zest and juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and chile sauce. Set aside until ready to use.
To make the summer rolls, cook the vermicelli according to the package instructions. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, then drain and set aside. Reserve the bowl of ice water for the asparagus.
Fill a large, high-sided skillet with 1-inch of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Heavily salt the water and add the asparagus. Cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, then use tongs to transfer to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the asparagus and set aside until ready to use.
Fill a large shallow dish with very hot water. Working quickly, completely submerge one rice wrapper in the hot water until soft and pliable, 10 to 15 seconds.
Remove from the water and place on a cutting board. Lay 1 ounce lobster meat in the center of the rice wrapper along with some of the vermicelli, daikon and asparagus. Fold the bottom half of the rice paper wrapper over the filling, then fold in the sides of the wrapper. Pressing down firmly, hold the folds in place and tightly roll the wrapper up from the bottom to the top, then transfer to a large platter. Repeat with the remaining rice wrappers and fillings. Serve the summer rolls immediately, with the dipping sauce and pickled ginger.
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