Vegan Lobster Rolls.

Now, let’s get one thing straight right away: I’m a Gulf Coast girl, in case I’ve hidden that light under a bushel all this time. Now, in my pre-veg days, I had eaten lobster a few times, but never in my life have I had a lobster roll. I ask you: In what instance would one ever have the opportunity to have a lobster roll in Florida? And as a child visiting Maine for the first and only time, all I did was go from seafood restaurant to seafood restaurant asking for … shrimp. Go figure. 

Now that I live in the mid-Atlantic, lobster rolls are more of a Thing than they ever were where I grew up. And though I’ve been veg for more than 20 years at this point, I must admit, the rolls’ composition has piqued my interest time and again. I mean, when it gets right down to it, the ingredients (minus the lobster) are quite inviting. Mayo. Celery. Salt, pepper, and lemon juice. All that’s needed is a quick sub of the protein and it’s easily vegetarian.

Enter: Plant-based lobster! 

In this case, I used plant-based lobster balls from Loving Hut, to be exact, ordered frozen from VeganEssentials.com. I thawed it in the fridge the morning I planned on cooking it for dinner, and it was ready to pan-fry by dinnertime.

Again, I’ve never had an actual lobster roll with actual lobster, so I had to take a bit of an informal poll across the Internet to discern what the most authentic style was. By almost all accounts, the most authentic way of serving a lobster roll was cold-to-room-temperature, with mayo and all of the other aforementioned ingredients. The proportions changed here and there, but the room-temp nature of the roll seems key. I can dig it.

So with that in mind, once I pan-fried the veggie lobster, I put the balls on a plate to cool and, once, cooled, I sliced each ball up into four pieces and put them into a mixing bowl, which was already adorned with the mayo and celery. I drizzled some lemon juice on top, added some salt and pepper, and mixed everything together.

As the lobster mixture rested, I dealt with the buns. Now, the rolls on lobster rolls resemble hot dog buns, but you’ll find that the outside of the rolls are usually flat, rather than rounded like a standard bun. Friends, I’m not going to lie to you – this is where I took some liberties. 

I started with a potato roll hot dog bun, and instead of shaving off the outer layer to make it flat, as other recipes recommended if one were sans proper New England bun, I left it as-is and instead focused on the interior. I buttered each side of the bun and baked them open-faced in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes. Good enough, I say, especially since my procurement of a true New England bun was not bloody likely at this juncture.

Moving on.

When the buns were ready, I topped each one with a generous portion of the lobster filling, added some couscous and tossed salad on the side, and served it all to a waiting LeeLee, who dove straight in and pronounced victory straightaway.

It may have taken me four decades to taste my first lobster roll, plant-based or no – but I can assure you it won’t be another four decades before my next one! Summer, winter, it doesn’t matter – these rolls are a taste of the season, no matter the time of year. And with a super-fast prep, they’re a cinch to make any time the mood strikes!

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